Mono Stereo

Along with their undeniable melodic flair and courage to keep going where others would at the very least throw in a bridge, this is part of the Mono Stereo charm.

- All Scandinavian

A highly promising band we should be hearing more of. - Consequence of Sound

If you want a wake-up call to something not full of reverb, contains no woe-is-me lyrics and not a trace of crap synthesizers, then Mono Stereo are well worth a listen. - God Is In The TV

A perfect song from start to finish - Branche Ton Sonotone

The Swedish psychedelic rock band of the moment - Dans le mur...du son

One to put on the 'keep watching' shelf for sure. - Soundblab

Mono Stereo may have the key to revitalizing the UK or European rock scene - Alt Sounds

One of the best singles of 2010 - The Dumbing Of America

Mono Stereo took to the stage last night in Camden, having had a week and day that would have put off most people, never mind a band in a new venue. They showed some real determination and good old fashioned spine, to get out and put on a highly creditable performance.

Opening with the The Day Before Science Fiction from the EP released this week, the audience in the bar venue were quickly up on their feet and standing in front of the stage, such is the instant connection with the music that within a few bars people largely unfamiliar with the music were already beginning to move with with rhythm.

The stage at the Flowerpot is dominated by a large pillar almost dead centre, which was carefully negotiated by the band as the powerful loop back guitar breaks, which are the hallmark of the band resonated around the room. I described on my last review the sound of Hawkwind coming through the music, in a live performance I found a strong affinity to that superb Ennio Morricone Spaghetti Western and Mono Stereo have the skills to bring this right up to date and perform it live. The finger work on the bass was relentless and the drumming keeping everything together.

I had not had the opportunity to hear On and On previously, which is a potential US single release, I look forward to it.

The set was rounded off all too soon by a fantastic rendition of Tambourine Dream which was the ideal showcase for the sound that is at the core of their output.

They only have three shows here in London before heading back to Sweden and one of those is tonight, which is why I wanted to get this review up early today. Most certainly worth an evening out tonight at Proud Galleries or on Saturday at Ryans Bar.

It was great to meet up with the guys both before and after the show and I can hand on heart say they are a genuine group of lads, who really had been through the mill over the week. There was a lost passport earlier on in the week, which resulted in organising an emergency passport which only arrived the day before travelling to the UK and at Stansted , due to the wonderful bureaucratic system of passport control, Lauren who had planned to play keyboards on the tour, found herself back on a plane to Sweden, while the rest of the band waited anxiously for her to emerge from immigration control. Lauren is I believe busy this morning trying to get the red tape sorted out so that she can join the band later this week. So rather than arriving in London with 5 members of the band and relaxing in the afternoon before taking the stage last night, they found themselves hanging around Stansted then had to rework the set in their minds without one member of the band. To their credit they did a great job and the set was all over far too quickly as the last notes drifted in to silence and the audience showed their appreciation to Mono Stereo

Their new EP is out now available from for more information on Mono Stereo including a review of the EP

Images will follow as soon as I have them from Daniel D’Souza, who will be at the show tonight. Thanks to Danny Sperling for organising the pass for Dan for the Proud Galleries show. - Indie bands blog

“The music is a wall of sound rivaling the cacophony of My Bloody Valentine”
- Swedes Please

“The music is a wall of sound rivaling the cacophony of My Bloody Valentine” - Swedes Please

“Mono Stereo from Sweden, with the superb interplay between the two guitars, driven forward by relentless bass and drums have stormed in to the Indie Bands chart and have climbed to the number one spot. With a new EP to be released later this month and a supporting tour, Mono Stereo are certain to develop even stronger interest.” - Indie Bands Blog

“The Malmö band Mono Stereo is today releasing their debut EP “Space Out”. They have found their own niche with a sound that first of all makes me think of the sixties’ psychedelia, but with an intensity and massive sound that reminds me somewhat of 80’s/90’s bands, like for example My Bloody Valentine and Jesus & Mary Chain” - Meadow Music

“Malmö based Mono Stereo release their debut EP ‘Space Out’ which consists of four psychedelic pops of mesmerizingly monotone guitar driven rock. It is music to get lost in, yet the quartet kindly provide sweet hooks that catches you from somewhere behind and brings you (almost) back to earth” - All Scandinavian

“Why aren’t we living in Sweden? While the prospect of great bands coming from there is hardly new, it would seem that 2010 will be the year of the Swedish invasion once again. Mono Stereo aim to be on board for the voyage and will certainly find their way into your heart. Shimmering guitars, throbbing bass lines and vocals that manage to rise above the beauty to add an atmosphere of dreamy bliss. While they rightfully acknowledge their Ride and My Bloody Valentine influences, we hear Postcard and Loop references that set them apart from the crowd” - The Dumbing of America

Following their acclaimed debut, ‘Space Out’ EP, released at the end of 2009 on UK label 360 Degree Music, Sweden’s Mono Stereo are to release new tracks ‘On and On’ and ‘A Matter of Confusion’ on limited edition 7” vinyl (US only) and digitally (worldwide) on August 2nd.
Reminiscent of Brian Jonestown Massacre, Black Angels and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, with My Bloody Valentine and Ride casting an influence, through the fish eye lens of mid-sixties psych, Mono Stereo have been a TDOA fave for quite a while.

In February, the band disappeared into the Danish wilderness with sonic mastermind Kramer (Bongwater, Butthole Surfers, Galaxie 500) to produce their debut album, which will see the light of day in early 2011.

The 7 inch is released in the US, is very limited but the band have some for sale that can be ordered through their website www.monostereo.se or in the US link via Insound or via bandcamp.com

The band was kind enough to send up one song from their new EP and offer it as a free download for our faithful readers. Here’s Matter of Confusion. - The Dumbing of America

mono stereo
- Airesias

Finalement, une des rares bonnes choses provoquées par les bouleversements de l'industrie musicale sera sans doute le fait de ne plus être obligé d'attendre 2, 3 voire 5 singles avant de voir arriver l'album d'un nouveau groupe (ou de ne jamais le voir arriver vu qu'il était viré avant la sortie programmée de sa première galette...). De nos jours, c'est plutôt un petit buzz, deux vidéos sur votretube, et hop, l'album, avant que tout le monde ne soit passé à autre chose. Du coup, on est encore plus frustré quand on se retrouve obligé d'attendre...



Tout ça pour dire que, alors qu'on attendait avec impatience depuis leur précédent EP l'album des Mono Stereo, on se retrouve juste avec un vinyle deux titres à se mettre sous la dent et la promesse d'un long-player prochain... mais sans doute pas avant 2011 ! A ce niveau là, ce n'est plus de l'attente mais de la frustration. Alors parlons-en de ce single, puisqu'il faut bien se contenter de ce que l'on a. Et il est bon. Encore heureux, vu les espoirs que l'on a du quatuor suédois. Il est même très bon et permet d'envisager que le groupe, loin de s'enferrer dans un genre trop clos, va se permettre toutes les audaces.



Avec ses influences orientalisantes, 'On and on' n'évoque pas seulement le retour au premier plan (quoi, j'exagère ?) des Kula Shaker mais surtout le fait que les groupes psychés ont toujours été attiré par le mélange des genres. Mais ce que l'on aime, c'est que, quelque soit l'emballage, le groupe n'a pas oublié ses points forts : le sens de la mélodies et la morgue dont son chanteur sait faire preuve. Un phrasé plein de suffisance sur une musique raffinée mais entêtante. Quelque chose d'une évidence que l'on n'arrive pas à décrire mais qui vous emporte loin, si loin...



Plus dans la lignée Jesus & Mary Chain qui semble étouffer tant de groupes actuels, 'A matter of confusion' profite d'une batterie qui tape dur et d'un côté canaille savamment orchestré pour nous rappeler à quel point le r'n'r se doit de rester sale et direct. Entre far-west et sauterie hippie, les guitares se refusent à accepter la médiocrité ambiante pour tisser une ambiance poisseuse et délirante propice à tous les excès. Pas forcément nouveau, mais un sacré retour aux sources.



Voilà, deux titres excellents, qui à défaut de nous faire patienter, nous permettront de profiter, régulièrement, d'un des groupes les plus prometteurs du moment. Mais quand même, là, les gars, ça devient pressant... - Dans le mur...du son

MONO STEREO (SE)
Late last year we were introduced to Swedish rockers Mono Stereo and their mesmerizing 60s psych ‘n 90s shoegaze rock on both their debut EP ‘Space Out’ and a free live EP (which you’ll get if you sign up for their newsletter on their website). August 2 they will release a two track single – ‘Matter Of Confusion’ and ‘On And On’ – on a limited edition 7” vinyl (US only) and digitally (worldwide) to build up to the release of their Kramer produced full length debut, according to plan out in early 2011. Here’s ‘Matter Of Confusion’ and if you dig it, you can download it here!

Read more: http://allscandinavian.com/4052/from-the-inbox-vanity-beach-marius-figurines-jonathan-johansson-firefly-effect-and-more/#ixzz0w24VPAqi
- All Scandinavian

Mono Stereo 45 On and On Matter of ConfusionI hear some people of a certain age group (hint–I went to college with some of them in the 90s) moaning about how music today isn’t as good (read post-punk enough or new wavey enough or whatever) as it used to be. To which I reply in two parts. Part One: You’ve become your parents, and Part Two, that’s just complete nonsense when faced with delicious vinyl releases like this 45 from Mono Stereo.

This Swedish four piece has its feel planted firmly in the psychedelia/shoegaze mushroom garden, evoking both a retro 60s vibe (with a nice little nod to Ennio Morricone in the middle eight of A Matter of Confusion, intentional or not) AND a bit of the old Ride/MBV thrown in for good measure.

It’s tough to review a modern ‘gazer band without invoking those previous two names, but the comparison is favorable, and I actually find the B side to be the stronger of the two cuts, though I have to admire the production work of the A-side On And On…sounds to these musician/DJ ears like a quite effective sitar simulation was achieved by pairing a banjo and guitar riff togetether…or maybe that IS a sitar and I’m just going deaf. Either way, it’s an effective intro to the track.

Mono Stereo has created a nice thick wall of sound swirling in just the right way. Kudos to them for not only a great release, but also for putting it out on vinyl as the gods intended.

Get your Mono Stereo on with the Vimeo vid below and tell me you don’t want to hear more…I did. Hook up with Mono Stereo on Facebook and be sure to tell ‘em Turntabling sent you.

And that reminds me…I am all too happy to review vinyl releases. Get in touch about yours via jwallace (at) turntabling (dot net).
Joe Wallace - Turntabling

Da Suécia para o mundo, este combo intitulado Mono Stereo, que já conta no curriculo um EP intitulado Space Out onde as influencias seguem a tendencia psicodelia 60´s de garagem passando pelos mestres J&MC e MBV e terminando as conexões com a psicodelia noise atual a nivel de B.R.M.C, Black Angels e afins. O novissimo 7´polegadas On and On/Matter of Confusion, ultrapassa a conexão europeia e atinge os Estados Unidos, o que é mais do que natural, vejamos, On and On, pegue o psicodelismo mais acustico e classico com um apelo grandiosamente grudento, candidata a hit facil, facil, já Matter of Confusion vira do avesso literalmente com sua dissonante camada crescente de guitarras, sonicamente os crescendo são a tonica da canção, um espetaculo.

O debut esta prometido para 2011, por enquanto o que posso adiantar é que logo mais rola mais Mono Stereo aqui no TBTCI, fique de olho. - The Blog That Celebrates Itself

Não demorou muito para os suecos aterrizarem novamente no TBTCI, já na apresentação ficou claro as referencias dos caras, mas ainda faltou algo mais, então para saciar a curiosidade de todos, vai uma entrevista daquelas bacanérrimas, e um presente, ep ao vivo para consolidar o poder do Mono Stereo em cima do palco, vale cada segundo.

***** Interview with Mono Stereo *****



Q; When did Mono Stereo form, tell us about the beginning
A. The band was formed in the summer of 2006 by the brothers (Jakub & Geggan) . In the beginning another guy was playing bass so it wasn’t until April 2007 that the band as it is now, Geggan, Gunnar, Jakub and Kjelle, finally came together. We had all pretty much been playing with each other in other bands previous to that though.

Q. What are the band’s influences?
A. We listen to a lot of different kinds of music but what influence us the most is psychedelic music from the 1960’s and1980’s.

Q. Tell us about the recording process for space out ep and the new 7´inch?
A. We recorded both the EP and the single ourselves on our own recording equipment. We like working that way since it gives us the freedom to spend as much time as we want and need to make the best possible Mono Stereo recordings. We don’t like rushing.

Q, Tell us about playing live.
A. Doing live shows is something we really enjoy, especially if you do it in front of a crowd that gets into the music. Actually seeing people enjoy your music makes you feel that what you’re trying to do is something good.

Q. What do you think about the classic shoegaze era?
A. We really like bands like Ride and My Bloody Valentine but unfortunately we were too young to really experience them back in those days. They still influence the music we do now though.


Q. Tell us about bands in the current swedish shoegaze scene…
A. The shoegaze scene in Sweden is not very big, but hopefully we will be a part of something that will make it grow. There are a few good bands around though, like The Early Days and Bolywool.

Q. Which songs by other bands would you like to do cover versions of?
A. Right now we are only focused on making our own songs, but if we were to make a cover of someone else’s music we would probably pick a song that is not really the same type of music we play and then make it into our own. We don’t really see the point in playing songs the same way as other people have already played them.

Q. Which new bands you recommended?
A. We really like The Lucid Dream from Carlisle in the UK and Abby Go Go from Atlanta in the US. There are a lot of really good new bands coming out of the psychedelic scene across the world right now. It’s exciting.

Q. What are the plans for the future?
A. We will hopefully play some shows in Europe in the fall and winter. We are talking with The Lucid Dream about playing some shows together. Early next year our debut album is going to be released, we will probably release a first track from it in the fall and then we will cross the ocean to America for the first time. We can’t wait! It’s going to be a busy year ahead.


Q. Any important news to tell us…
A. Well of course we are delighted that our first 7 inch vinyl is now available. It has just been released by the MPLS label in the US and is limited to 500 copies – it can be purchased in the US here http://bit.ly/9cADnG or now from our own brand new website www.monostereo.se

It will also be available digitally from 2nd August at iTunes and most digital stores as well as from our site. Our website has just gone live and is a good place to come and get to know us – it also has links to all our social media – we love to connect with people all around the world and keep touch. We are pleased to have been introduced to your blog and readers – thanks for your support.
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Thanks friends...all the best!!!....Renato
- The Blog That Celebrates Itself