Track Listing

1. Life In Mono
2. Silicone
3. Slimcea Girl
4. Outsider
5. Disney Town
6. Blind Man Blind Man
7. High Life
8. Playboys
9. Penguin Freud
10. Hello Cleveland
11. Slimcea Girl (2)
12. Silicone (2)
13. High Life (2)
14. Life In Mono (2)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #140621 in Music
• Released on: 1998-07-27
• Number of discs: 2
• Format: Limited Edition

Amazon.co.uk Review
Much like Saint Etienne, Mono are a conscious anachronism: at once besotted by the spectres of 1960s French chanteuses like Chantel Goya and Francoise Hardy, dazzled by the pastel palette of that era--yet also mindful of the zeitgeist, and keenly aware of the nature of contemporary electronica. The group (essentially, programmer Martin Virgo and vocalist Siobhan De Mare) are careful to balance their kitsch inclinations with actual songcraft, and at its best--on tracks like "Life In Mono" and "Slimcea Girl"--the result makes for an agreeably fizzy pop concoction. True to their ethos, the arrangements here tend to favour the archaic and hand-made--harpischord-like keyboards and celestes, organs, vibraphones--and while there are occasional concessions to modernity (the drum & bass-lite beats which end "The Outsider," for instance), the instruments mostly sound as if they're emerging from the far side of a dream: heavy on tremelo and reverb, perfectly complementing De Mare's breathy vocals. Addictive stuff. --Andrew McGuire

From Amazon.com
It was pretty inevitable that Portishead would have successors, and when producer Martin Virgo (who'd worked in the same Bristol scene) hooked up with vocalist Siobhan de Maré, they followed in the same slow-dark-groove-plus-diva path. But there's a sense of creative opposition that fuels Formica Blues: they love the harmonically complex pop of the 1960s (Bacharach is a particular favorite, and the single "Life in Mono" has a melody that owes something to Serge Gainsbourg), but they're also fascinated by the double-time beats and simple cadences of drum & bass. At times, the album sounds like two entirely different bands fortuitously in sync; at its best, it makes up for de Maré's slightly forced delivery with a dead-on sense of both rhythm and melody. --Douglas Wolk

CD Description
The sounds that emanate from FORMICA BLUES seem like they were born in a lounge laboratory where an alcohol-soaked, smoky-voiced chanteuse is experimenting with multi-million dollar mixing boards in order to create French pop circa 1966. Siobhan De Mare is that chanteuse, but she leaves the part ofthe nerdy programmer to lab rat Martin Virgo, who's previously filled that role for Bjork and Massive Attack. What emerges is full-bodied sonic architecture built out of manic, John Barry-like strings, Staxian rhythm guitars, a wall of electronics and accompanying beats. It's all splashed with a Technicolour, Gamble-Huff-style production; in short, Portishead without the overwhelming sense of desperation. Which is not to say that De Mare is all that happy-go-lucky, just thatFORMICA BLUES is not made of brooding alone.

Customer Reviews

sublime
There is some music which you do not simply listen to, but which you experience. Formica blues is one such album. If you enjoy zero 7, Air or the Hed Kandi range, you must buy this. No weak tracks, simply magnificent ones. Few music feels so emotionally charged. Do not be influenced by advertising executives, be influenced by your heart and your soul. This is compulsory listening material.

Best served:In the dark/chilled and at cool temperatures. With the person you love

Essential Purchase
I remember the music from the Rover 25 Car advert and couldn't for one second get it out of my mind.

Life in Mono, is a wonderful precursor to what is a truly Beautiful album. A selection of really addictive tunes add to this superb starter. The Result: Something that you will want to listen to over and over again, Something that really will enhance your life, and all in all will make you a better, more mellow person.

And not a bad thing too.

Get back a little soul: Be more Mono.

A hidden masterpiece
Formica Blues is a stunning piece of work. It has spent the 2 years (nearly) since release in my CD changer. There are no bad tracks. This is premier league mood music. Production values to die for.

Entering a review now because i have just been searching to see if there was any sign of a further release, but to no avail.

If you like the the style and the mood try listening to belgian duo HOOVERPHONIC's album BLUE WONDER POWER MILK. Their second album is v.good too.

If you like the mood go for either of the 2 MOORCHEEBA albums or MOON SAFARI/PREMIER SYMPTOMES by AIR.