Monte

We don’t get as many entries from Costa Rica as we do from Spain, Mexico, and Chile. Thankfully when we do, they usually turn out to be nothing short of great, like the duo Monte. Monte is Franco Valenciano—also of Zòpilot! and former Las Robertas drummer—and Adrián Poveda, who we first heard of two years ago when we discovered Sí San José. The band adds another music video to its credit, courtesy of award-winning filmmaker Paz Fabrega (Agua Fría Del Mar). She heard the song, loved it, imagined a video in her head, and made it happen.

“Vapor” follows a bespectacled individual who starts a game of telephone and, thanks to the camera’s non-stop, 360-degree rotation, we watch it all unfold. The participants spend seven-plus minutes whispering, crouching, singing, kissing, shoving, and doing other activities until our original conspirator pauses and puts an end to it all. Someone get Fabrega on the phone and convince her to make more music videos. - Remezcla

We don’t get as many entries from Costa Rica as we do from Spain, Mexico, and Chile. Thankfully when we do, they usually turn out to be nothing short of great, like the duo Monte. Monte is Franco Valenciano—also of Zòpilot! and former Las Robertas drummer—and Adrián Poveda, who we first heard of two years ago when we discovered Sí San José. The band adds another music video to its credit, courtesy of award-winning filmmaker Paz Fabrega (Agua Fría Del Mar). She heard the song, loved it, imagined a video in her head, and made it happen.

“Vapor” follows a bespectacled individual who starts a game of telephone and, thanks to the camera’s non-stop, 360-degree rotation, we watch it all unfold. The participants spend seven-plus minutes whispering, crouching, singing, kissing, shoving, and doing other activities until our original conspirator pauses and puts an end to it all. Someone get Fabrega on the phone and convince her to make more music videos. - Remezcla

The Iberoamerican pop sung in spanish its living its golden moment with bands like Triangulo de Amor Bizarro, Los Blenders, Davila 666 or Astro. Our musicians have been very smart in choosing our native tounge to conect their talent with their spanish-speaking roots, forgotten in the past to comply with the english-speaking audiences.

Indeed it might be easier to write songs in english to gain faster acceptance, but it is also true that using our language, in its most poetic and rhetorical sense, and given the case you are talented enough, you might be able to create real and authentic works of art, that connect with spanish-speaking audiences in a way that it can never be done by foreign music.

This is how we introduce Monte, a Costa Rican band consisting of Adrian Poveda and Franco Valenciano (former drummer for Las Robertas) who practices a mixture of sweet and frenetic experimental pop. Very few bands have gained my attention as fast as Monte (without even knowing about them I was lucky enough to see one their shows) and soon i was lost in a loop of psychedelic pop and distant dreamy voices.

Also very special, and an element that differentiates them from most of the rest of the bands, is their lyrics. this is what really got me hooked to their music, this is actual poetry interpreted as songs, their use of language really puts them in a different dimension.

Their self-titled EP was presented in 2011, five songs that sound like a lo fi mirage. Imperios unravels the album and introduces us to their universe, beautiful and unique, dreamy and abstract.

Next comes Neon Furioso, which is pure freneticism and prbably the catchiest song of the lot.

Ciudad Blanca gives us a bit of breathing space at first, starting slower than the previous track, this is until we hit the first minute mark and the drums appear accompanied with a powerful mixture of voices. The song keeps developing and suddenly finishes on a delicate note.

Ulises, the next song, might be considered the total opposite. With an instrumental first section that keeps building up and a second part thats very powerful with lyrics about love and loss.

To finish the album we got Vapor, a perfect ending, using better than ever a combination of loops and a big choir of voices and finishing with a very intense/noisy section that leaves us wanting more...

...Last thing i want to say, without shame of sounding too cliche cause ultimately believe it to be true, is that if you don't like Monte is probably cause yo haven't heard it enough.
- No te detengas

The Iberoamerican pop sung in spanish its living its golden moment with bands like Triangulo de Amor Bizarro, Los Blenders, Davila 666 or Astro. Our musicians have been very smart in choosing our native tounge to conect their talent with their spanish-speaking roots, forgotten in the past to comply with the english-speaking audiences.

Indeed it might be easier to write songs in english to gain faster acceptance, but it is also true that using our language, in its most poetic and rhetorical sense, and given the case you are talented enough, you might be able to create real and authentic works of art, that connect with spanish-speaking audiences in a way that it can never be done by foreign music.

This is how we introduce Monte, a Costa Rican band consisting of Adrian Poveda and Franco Valenciano (former drummer for Las Robertas) who practices a mixture of sweet and frenetic experimental pop. Very few bands have gained my attention as fast as Monte (without even knowing about them I was lucky enough to see one their shows) and soon i was lost in a loop of psychedelic pop and distant dreamy voices.

Also very special, and an element that differentiates them from most of the rest of the bands, is their lyrics. this is what really got me hooked to their music, this is actual poetry interpreted as songs, their use of language really puts them in a different dimension.

Their self-titled EP was presented in 2011, five songs that sound like a lo fi mirage. Imperios unravels the album and introduces us to their universe, beautiful and unique, dreamy and abstract.

Next comes Neon Furioso, which is pure freneticism and prbably the catchiest song of the lot.

Ciudad Blanca gives us a bit of breathing space at first, starting slower than the previous track, this is until we hit the first minute mark and the drums appear accompanied with a powerful mixture of voices. The song keeps developing and suddenly finishes on a delicate note.

Ulises, the next song, might be considered the total opposite. With an instrumental first section that keeps building up and a second part thats very powerful with lyrics about love and loss.

To finish the album we got Vapor, a perfect ending, using better than ever a combination of loops and a big choir of voices and finishing with a very intense/noisy section that leaves us wanting more...

...Last thing i want to say, without shame of sounding too cliche cause ultimately believe it to be true, is that if you don't like Monte is probably cause yo haven't heard it enough.
- No te detengas

Cortes como Imperios o Neón Furioso son algunos de los que podemos encontrar en su Bandcamp; estos pertenecen a un Ep tremendo que tienen colgado, y que te pone los pelos de punta, te deja perdido, absorto. Canciones eternas con las que te puedes perder, con las que puedes llegar a volar. En definitiva, canciones de verdad.

Así, cuando hablamos de este dúo, en el que Adrián Poveda arranca su voz sobre la solidez de Franco Valenciano, podemos señalar a miembros de bandas como Las Robertas, Continental o Zopilot. Monte nace de las ganas de hacer las cosas bien, de saber sonar (aquí está Creation Records, la Velvet y hasta los Stooges), y de regalarnos canciones maravillosas, intensas, directas a la sien.

Sí algo tenemos que recomendar aquí es que escuchen, y que lo hagan de verdad, que 8.500 kilómetros son poca cosa… - Habla tu musica

The most interesting Costa Rican band of the year. Monte presents a fresh combination of noise and rock elements with a strong guitar base, drums and effects created in post production.
(Original in Spanish) - Sonic Waste

The most interesting Costa Rican band of the year. Monte presents a fresh combination of noise and rock elements with a strong guitar base, drums and effects created in post production.
(Original in Spanish) - Sonic Waste

Coming at you from San José, Costa Rica is MONTE. A band unafraid to loop gorgeous sheets of guitar effects over charging noise-pop. "Ulises" is the group's ultimate statement taken from their new self-titled EP. A two-minute surge of looping ambient guitar that explodes into a three-chord banger -- similar to The Clean, or if Buffalo Tom took more drugs back in the 90's. - Surfing on Steam

Coming at you from San José, Costa Rica is MONTE. A band unafraid to loop gorgeous sheets of guitar effects over charging noise-pop. "Ulises" is the group's ultimate statement taken from their new self-titled EP. A two-minute surge of looping ambient guitar that explodes into a three-chord banger -- similar to The Clean, or if Buffalo Tom took more drugs back in the 90's. - Surfing on Steam

Adrián Poveda es un tipo que tiene talento para tirar para arriba. En el último par de años se le vio haciendo un regreso triunfal a la escena, luego de haber formado parte de o colaborado con bandas como Seka, UFO, Detectives Salvajes y Mod-Ska. Recién en 2010 le volvió a dar un respiro a Continental, criatura vitoreada en la movida alternativa e independiente (aunque... ¿quién no lo es acá?) que había atravesado altibajos durante los últimos tres o cuatro años y que finalmente lanzó material discográfico al mercado a finales de 2010.

En medio de todo eso, Adrián se mostraba mucho más participativo dentro de la movida (especialmente con ese grupo de bandas emergentes acusadas de tocar siempre en el Lobo Estepario durante el primer semestre de 2011) y con ello anunció un nuevo proyecto en el que llevaba trabajando un par de años. Él al micrófono con guitarra en mano y Stefano "Teto" Giustiniani con batería y samples. Así, a finales de agosto, Monte impactó al presentar un EP debut de gran calidad musical impulsado por cinco canciones de impacto directo al cráneo.

Carlox Soto, parte de nuestro panel, comenta que "Monte tiene un aura motivadora, enérgica, que de una u otra manera invita a moverse." Y ese movimiento no es casualidad, es una constancia a lo largo del EP. Las partes atmosféricas en medio de las canciones indican que este no es un compilado, sino que todas están interconectadas; Monte es un viaje entre pensamientos difusos y rock experimental que transmite energía en cada segundo. La saturación de sonido característica del EP, no muy agradada por una porción del público, es tan solo una parte del mensaje. - 89DB

Adrián Poveda es un tipo que tiene talento para tirar para arriba. En el último par de años se le vio haciendo un regreso triunfal a la escena, luego de haber formado parte de o colaborado con bandas como Seka, UFO, Detectives Salvajes y Mod-Ska. Recién en 2010 le volvió a dar un respiro a Continental, criatura vitoreada en la movida alternativa e independiente (aunque... ¿quién no lo es acá?) que había atravesado altibajos durante los últimos tres o cuatro años y que finalmente lanzó material discográfico al mercado a finales de 2010.

En medio de todo eso, Adrián se mostraba mucho más participativo dentro de la movida (especialmente con ese grupo de bandas emergentes acusadas de tocar siempre en el Lobo Estepario durante el primer semestre de 2011) y con ello anunció un nuevo proyecto en el que llevaba trabajando un par de años. Él al micrófono con guitarra en mano y Stefano "Teto" Giustiniani con batería y samples. Así, a finales de agosto, Monte impactó al presentar un EP debut de gran calidad musical impulsado por cinco canciones de impacto directo al cráneo.

Carlox Soto, parte de nuestro panel, comenta que "Monte tiene un aura motivadora, enérgica, que de una u otra manera invita a moverse." Y ese movimiento no es casualidad, es una constancia a lo largo del EP. Las partes atmosféricas en medio de las canciones indican que este no es un compilado, sino que todas están interconectadas; Monte es un viaje entre pensamientos difusos y rock experimental que transmite energía en cada segundo. La saturación de sonido característica del EP, no muy agradada por una porción del público, es tan solo una parte del mensaje. - 89DB

When Detectives Salvajes died last year, which was a mere six months after their one and only release of a five-track, 20-minute EP, I think something died within all of us. Us being the folks that somehow developed a certain affection for the band and that were already hoping for a new record from what was, at the time, the most awesome band from Costa Rica not named Las Robertas. But wasn’t Detectives Salvajes simply this pretty murky, No Age-esque band that occasionally used ambient noise loops and seemed to be creatively led by singer and guitar player Adrián Poveda? Couldn’t that work just fine with a different drummer? Well Monte, which sees Adrián teaming up with a new drummer, is just the answer to that.

Upon first listens of this “debut” EP, what’s easiest to notice is just how much Monte mirrors what Detectives were doing in the opening and closing tracks of their own EP, which was basically laying over a sampled but unrecognizable loop and then just simply building a different song (with actual riffs) on top of it. A little like turning the beginning of a Yellow Swans track into a very dusty and erratic rock song. Though contrary to what their own Bandcamp tags might suggest about their sound and influences (krautrock, experimental, noise), their avant hybridity doesn’t necessarily slap its listeners with tireless ignorance, since these somewhat experimental structures eventually culminate in what could be described as some pretty good head-nodding music that features no choruses but does have great bridges and breaks.

Initial tracks “Imperios” and “Neón Furioso” stay within that exercise of turning ambient noise into noise rock for the purpose of laying bridges upon bridges of churning grindstone riffage, eventually telling us that these guys aren’t really making noise via rock songs (as opposed to many bloggable 2010 lo-fi acts), but they’re actually subduing noise to great riffs and better bridges. But it’s in the EP’s last couple of tracks, which extend themselves beyond the six-minute mark, where they precisely show off their most loose and improvisational tone, where they can actually point at those Bandcamp tags and at how their sound can also be defined by some sort of subtle mutability.

Consisting initially of an electronic loop and some detached strumming with heavy pounding beats that eventually see themselves quickly buried upon layers and layers of dissonant sound, closing track “Vapor” finally reaches the point where the initial sample confuses itself with whatever clusterfuckery it is that they do with their own pedals in what is clearly their most off-kilter incarnation yet. With songs like this, Monte kind of remind me of another ungoogleable band: Women (RIP). Because like Women, they succeed at using these types of cues, ones that could easily fit in those old and used up tags like indie, noise, experimental, or ambient. Except that Monte are not really interested in affiliating themselves with any of those tags. In fact, I think they’re a lot more interested in creating what could be called their own fucking musical identity. Now if they could only give us a full-length album, that would really be something. - Club fonograma

When Detectives Salvajes died last year, which was a mere six months after their one and only release of a five-track, 20-minute EP, I think something died within all of us. Us being the folks that somehow developed a certain affection for the band and that were already hoping for a new record from what was, at the time, the most awesome band from Costa Rica not named Las Robertas. But wasn’t Detectives Salvajes simply this pretty murky, No Age-esque band that occasionally used ambient noise loops and seemed to be creatively led by singer and guitar player Adrián Poveda? Couldn’t that work just fine with a different drummer? Well Monte, which sees Adrián teaming up with a new drummer, is just the answer to that.

Upon first listens of this “debut” EP, what’s easiest to notice is just how much Monte mirrors what Detectives were doing in the opening and closing tracks of their own EP, which was basically laying over a sampled but unrecognizable loop and then just simply building a different song (with actual riffs) on top of it. A little like turning the beginning of a Yellow Swans track into a very dusty and erratic rock song. Though contrary to what their own Bandcamp tags might suggest about their sound and influences (krautrock, experimental, noise), their avant hybridity doesn’t necessarily slap its listeners with tireless ignorance, since these somewhat experimental structures eventually culminate in what could be described as some pretty good head-nodding music that features no choruses but does have great bridges and breaks.

Initial tracks “Imperios” and “Neón Furioso” stay within that exercise of turning ambient noise into noise rock for the purpose of laying bridges upon bridges of churning grindstone riffage, eventually telling us that these guys aren’t really making noise via rock songs (as opposed to many bloggable 2010 lo-fi acts), but they’re actually subduing noise to great riffs and better bridges. But it’s in the EP’s last couple of tracks, which extend themselves beyond the six-minute mark, where they precisely show off their most loose and improvisational tone, where they can actually point at those Bandcamp tags and at how their sound can also be defined by some sort of subtle mutability.

Consisting initially of an electronic loop and some detached strumming with heavy pounding beats that eventually see themselves quickly buried upon layers and layers of dissonant sound, closing track “Vapor” finally reaches the point where the initial sample confuses itself with whatever clusterfuckery it is that they do with their own pedals in what is clearly their most off-kilter incarnation yet. With songs like this, Monte kind of remind me of another ungoogleable band: Women (RIP). Because like Women, they succeed at using these types of cues, ones that could easily fit in those old and used up tags like indie, noise, experimental, or ambient. Except that Monte are not really interested in affiliating themselves with any of those tags. In fact, I think they’re a lot more interested in creating what could be called their own fucking musical identity. Now if they could only give us a full-length album, that would really be something. - Club fonograma

So, what’s going on in Costa Rica these days? For starters, there’s Monte, a duo who makes thundering rock tracks with a demure touch that recalls much of the better garage type music of yesteryear (read: 2 whole years ago, before this blog was even a twinkle in Ric‘s eye) and simultaneously sheds the lo-fi feel. Far from being simple post-punk revivalists, the pair’s tasteful work with samplers give their tracks an understated complexity. “Imperios” begins with a cautious build that’s soon cancelled out by steady of rushes of tom hits and guitar that always seem to be on the edge of launching into a endless series of hooks. The sound is roomy and fresh, but grows denser, even as the vocals pull the listener through to another sample interlude, which in turns drops the listener right into the next track and the next and the next. - International Tapes

So, what’s going on in Costa Rica these days? For starters, there’s Monte, a duo who makes thundering rock tracks with a demure touch that recalls much of the better garage type music of yesteryear (read: 2 whole years ago, before this blog was even a twinkle in Ric‘s eye) and simultaneously sheds the lo-fi feel. Far from being simple post-punk revivalists, the pair’s tasteful work with samplers give their tracks an understated complexity. “Imperios” begins with a cautious build that’s soon cancelled out by steady of rushes of tom hits and guitar that always seem to be on the edge of launching into a endless series of hooks. The sound is roomy and fresh, but grows denser, even as the vocals pull the listener through to another sample interlude, which in turns drops the listener right into the next track and the next and the next. - International Tapes