From Monument To Masses Tour
By Team JamBase Mar 2, 2009 • 12:45 pm PST
New Album On Little Known Frequencies out March 10 on Dim Mak Records
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From Monument To Masses are political but never preachy, direct but never literal. Their mostly instrumental new album conjures up images that are vivid but open to interpretation. Francis Choung (drums/programming), Matthew Solberg (guitar), and Sergio Robledo-Maderazo (bass/synthesizer) fit together like the brushstrokes of an abstract expressionist painter.
On Little Known Frequencies finds the band weaving an eclectic array of genres into their post-rock core. Inspired by everything from hip hop beats to classical string arrangements to the explosive energy of early hardcore, FMTM twist these styles to match their aesthetic instead of throwing out overt references. The album is also laden with spooky snippets of sampled dialogue, another example of the band’s decision to stray away from simply saying what they feel.
Opening track “Checksum” kicks things off with hypnotic, sci-fi keys circling over locked-in guitar and drums while the first of the album’s many eerie samples plays. The tension steadily builds before the whole band does an about-face and settles into a comfortable groove. Robledo-Maderazo launches into an ominous bassline that bounces steadily with Choung’s nimble, rhythmically complex kit work. Solberg unleashes his unpredictable, shapeshifting guitar licks. The group continues to charge forward at full blast before arriving at a sweeping, cinemtatic finale with twinkling piano and haunting male-female vocals. The song plays like an epic journey with an abstract narrative and is only one of eight such adventures on the album.
The band’s biggest asset might be that they are collectively blessed with astounding musical chops as well as the desire to use them in a tasteful manner. While so much instrumental music comes off as a means to showcase musicianship, FMTM are able to drop jaws through emotion.
US Tour Dates:
04/03: Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theater*
04/04: Bellingham, WA @ Nightlife Lounge*
04/05: Seattle, WA @ Neumos*
04/07: Salt Lake City, UT @ Avalon*
04/08: Denver, CO @ Marquis*
04/10: Minnesota, MN @ Varsity*
04/11: Des Moines, IA @ Vaudeville Mews*
04/12: Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle*
04/13: Detroit, MI @ Eagle Theater*
04/15: Boston, MA @ Middle East*
04/16: Philadelphia, PA @ TLA*
04/17: Lancaster, PA @ Chameleon*
04/18: Baltimore, MD @ Sonar*
04/19: New York, NY @ Highline Ballroom*
04/21: Raleigh, NC @ Brewery*
04/22: Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade*
04/24: Orlando, FL @ Social*
04/25: Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Culture Club*
04/26: Tampa. FL @ State Theater*
* = With Dredg and Torche
