Allhallowtide is The Monochrome Set's sixteenth album and continues the bands legend nicely with the bands current line-up featuring original members Bid and Andy Warren alongside Mike Urban and Athen Ayren, Karen Yarnell and Alice Healy. It was produced and engineered by Jon Clayton.
The album opens with the title track Allhallowtide with Bid's rich sonorous vocals leading you into The Monochrome Set's world as a piano plays a beautiful figure as the choral backing vocals accentuate the lyrical twists and turns as they seek to take you from sorrow to joy once more.
Ballad Of The Flaming Man has a synth line that's quickly subsumed by the rest of the band and a magnificent organ part as we figure out what kind of Flaming Man they are talking about, is he on fire or is he a flaming queen as they run away from a raging inferno that it sounds like is being hosed down by the synth's as this becomes ever catchier as you become more aware of what's going on within the lyrics.
My Deep Shoreline has them sitting on a quay fishing staring into the deep waters below as the acoustic guitar sounds like the water lapping at the quayside as the piano reels in the metaphorical catch to take to the citadel above the Shoreline.
Moon Garden takes you out into the garden to gaze at the Moon and stars above as the candlelit garden shimmers to the angelic guitars and backing vocals.
Really In The Wrong Town revolves around the organ sound and a good involving lyric explaining and obfuscating about why you feel that you are Really In The Wrong Town to reach your full potential.
Box Of Sorrows feels like the opening title song for a rather dour kitchen sink drama of the sort that Maxine Peake has made her own, as the sorrows of the central character unfold and the voices of angel swirl about elegiacally as the flames start to take hold and the piano flourishes trick you into thinking only of beauty and not the darkness within.
I, Servant is the sort of song that demonstrates why bands like Belle And Sebastian would cite The Monochrome Set as an influence as the chiming guitars and careful percussion punctuate the lyrics perfectly almost like the servant is being given his orders as Bid claims he dresses and undresses you.
In A Chapel Of Personal Design has almost gospel style backing vocals and the piano as counterpoint to the acoustic guitars as Bid tells us all about what would go on In A Chapel Of Personal Design if he was the designer.
Hello, Save Me see's Bid turning into some kind of drone with a chip embedded in his head as if he could ever be made to conform and behave like a good little droog, whatever you do buy this album and help save him from a fate like the one described in this magnificent song that is also the album's first single.
Resplendent In A Darkness is one of several songs on this album to talk about the moon and how it affects them in a gently intoxicating manner of much of this album.
Parapluie is the sound of a gentle classical piano and the pouring rain as you struggle to get you umbrella up before you get soaked and a beautiful coda on which to conclude the album.
Find out more at https://www.tapeterecords.de/artists/the-monochrome-set/ find sales link https://www.facebook.com/themonochromeset
