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Mondo "This is This"
format: album, released: 2001

review by James Andean


This is This is the debut album from British band Mondo, sporting representatives
from England, Wales and New Zealand (three of whom's names are Nic, Nick, and Nicki,
which must get pretty confusing at times). Predominantly in the British guitar-
driven pop-rock vein, this first offering, released this summer on UK indie label
Mud Hut Records, is a promising one. The band's influences come through fairly
strongly (their press release quotes Sonic Youth, Public Enemy, and Elvis, but it
is predominantly the UK scene which comes to mind, bands like Primal Scream, Blur,
and, most of all, Radiohead), but avoids being overly referential or carbon copying,
and delivers a solid and sufficiently individual sound to claim their own musical
territory.

The elements of Mondo's music which are most referential are certainly well chosen.
The drum sounds, beats, and textures are perhaps the clearest link to Radiohead:
compare the savage, distorted beat of opening track "One of Us" to that on OK
Computer's lead-off song "Airbag", or the slightly more ambient, tomtom-driven beat
of "Diamonds" with the same album's "Climbing Up the Walls". There are also
similarities in some of the guitarwork - the frantic strumming towards the end of
"I Am You", the start-stop riff of the title track - and the song structure of a
number of tracks brings to mind the album The Bends. However, for the most part
these remain occasional references within the overall textures of the tracks,
enriching the songs rather than giving an impression of a lack of originality
(although the drums on "One of Us" draw uneasily close to crossing the line).
And if you're going to reference someone, might as well go for what the best do
best. (Besides, show me a band from the last five years that isn't influenced by
Radiohead.)

The weakest link in Mondo's chain, at this point, is most likely the vocals,
although these are by no means terrible. Jason Temple has a strong voice, if
not spectacular; though he has a tendency to drawl through the lyrics, and a
lazy approach to the melody, which will appeal more to some than to others. Also
the lyrics, though again not terrible, aren't always great, at times showing a
lack of lyrical maturity - for example occasionally settling for the easy rhyme
("I've got to get out while I can/Find a way inside the man/Now it's me there is
no you/And I know what I've got to do"). Once again showing traces of Radiohead,
the general approach here rings of Thom Yorke's abstract anxiety ("Could you help
me out of here please/I seem to have got myself stuck" or "Too far/You've gone too
far this time/And I forgot to look inside"), but often without the same level of
poetics, which occasionally results in vague nonsense. There is also the occasional
Morrissey-ism thrown in for good measure: "I'm the boy without a name/I'm the man
who feels no pain". However, at their worst the lyrics are still passable, and god
knows there are worse out there (I'm lookin' at YOU, Noel Gallagher); and at their
best they can be intriguing and evocative. Keeping in mind that this is Mondo's
first full-length release, there is enough interesting lyrical material here that
one can look forward to seeing how Temple's skills develop in the future.

Mondo's strong point, however, is the hooks. The band is tight and accomplished;
their sound is textured, powerful, and rich; and the music is well-structured,
layered, and rewarding. Stand-out tracks include "One of Us", "This is This", and
"On Leaving", the first two of which I strongly hope they are reserving for future
release as singles (the first single off the album is "i+aM+u"). While the
production (credited to the band and Tom Savage) is decent, the band would most
likely have benefited from the kind of resources not available for a debut release
on an independent label; Temple's vocal track, in particular, usually front and
centre, plied with fairly straightforward effects, might be improved with the sort
of attention it would receive on a commercial release.

On the whole, if this is your scene and you are looking for some new faces, Mondo
comes highly recommended. This is This is a strong debut, with enough punch and
verve to carve them a niche in the genre, and engaging enough to leave us looking
forward to the band's future development. Check it out.