Columboid

La Société Expéditionnaire

Monster Vision is Columboid’s sophomore full length, the second LP recorded for eclectic label La Societe Expeditionnaire. The Brooklyn band’s brooding 2010 debut, We Were One, was met with with accolades and comparisons to early Nick Cave / Joy Division. With Monster Vision, they elaborate on their trademark sound of short dirty minimalist keys, but steeped in maturity and driven down darker roads. Ryan Hamilton (vocals, keys, guitar, synth-sax) and Russell Higbee (bass) have conjored the spooky and meandering stylings of their earlier work in Coyote (Birdman Records).  Mainstay drummer Neil Benjamin (drums, vocals) continues to provide signature throbbing beats while keyboardist Julie Noyce rounds out the record, tracked and produced by Mike Kutchman (of Bad Animal fame) at Kutch 1 in Brooklyn.

Hamilton becomes the pied-piper of far-outness with the addition the most shamefully under-used instrument in independent rock: the synth-sax. It’s a vehicle from which he pays homage to Jazz heavyweight Tommy Hamilton, and yes, the title says it all: “Dad’s Gonna Be Proud”.

For their 2013 Monster Vision live lineup, Hamilton and Benjamin opt for a trio, joined by Patrick “Perm” Brady, a Myrtle Beach, SC native who shares the Columboidian passion for strangeness. They now have two self-recorded cassette Ep’s and two full-length studio albums to their credit, a US tour, and a slew of Doors and Kate Bush (True) comparisons to go with them.

Previous Press:

“A dark, moody record that carefully slinks through percussion-heavy, keyboard-driven pop and rock balladry ..” OMG Vinyl

“As much as they tap into goth brooding with those haunting keys, it’s when you can hear the specter of clashing rock and roll that the band is at their most compelling.” Pop Matters

“A tense, mercurial record that effortlessly blends desolate, gothic elements with an adventurous, melodic spirit that soars amongst the darkness.” The Line of Best Fit (UK)