A Free Man

When you have a mountainous pile of music to get through, it often starts to sound very same-ish. Thus, often the only type of music that slips past the filters is that which is different in some way. Nothing is truly original, but every now and then a band does something that puts new twists on a standard formula or mixes up the formula so much that it is no longer recognizable - Mono in VCF is one of these acts. When I cynically pressed play on their debut LP I realized pretty quickly that these folks had kicked the paradigm’s ass.

Mono in VCF is a quartet based out of Tacoma, Washington. Back when I lived in the Northwest (for the sake of my vanity I shan’t say when that was) the only kind of music that came out of Tacoma was bad metal and classic rock cover bands - looks like times have changed. Mono in VCF is mixing up formulaic rock so that it’s nearly unrecognizable - the heavy use of synthesizers hearkens back to 80’s synth pop, but the organ channels 60’s psychedelia. There’s a darkness to their music, but the production is so smart and poppy that you don’t feel like you’re listening to a bad goth act. They flirt with New Wave, bat their eye lashes at Brit Pop and even play footsies with Show Tunes.

The undeniable star of the act is lead singer Kim Miller. The best tracks on the record are ones, like “Chanteuse” and “The Only One”, in which the band keeps things simple and lets Miller run. She has a stellar voice, not in that melodramatic Whitney Houston way, but in a subtle, sexy and utterly compelling way. She careens back and forth between Beth Gibbons and Bette Midler and this turns out to be a good thing. They summon up glimpses of Abba, Over the Rhine, Siouxsie, Blondie and Dead Can Dance. If this sounds like a royal mess to you, I would of thought you would be right. But Mono in VCF, amazingly, pull it off in a chimera of gothic cabaret.

The band is set to release their debut this month and it’s a strong record. They set the tone with the opener, “Escape City Scrapers” and settle into a groove that is maintained throughout. This consistency is hypnotic but the record begins to drag a bit toward the end. This is really the only thing that keeps it from attaining a rare perfect score here at A Free Man. As it stands, I give it a 4/5. Definitely worth checking out.

MP3: Mono in VCF - “Escape City Scrapers”

Mono in VCF’s self-titled debut is out on June 17 and is available from the band  or .

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