Brooklyn-based, experimental indie rock band Monograms share "Pirate Government, Inc", the 3rd and final single off the forthcoming LP, Living Wire. AdHoc premiered the track, and shared a technology-themed playlist curated by Ian Jacobs. The piece includes an in-depth conversation with Jacobs about how technology has influenced art and his music, along with more about his upcoming release. AdHoc praises, "Monograms, the Brooklyn-based "nuke wave" group fronted by multi-instrumentalist Ian Jacobs, look to the pop of the past to make sense of our social media-saturated present. With its post-punk-inspired, synth-heavy sensibilities, their upcoming debut LP, Living Wire, recalls the best of the '80s and '90s while lamenting the rise of negativity online ("Sounds Like Mean Spirit") and referencing episodes of Black Mirror ("Nose Dive")." The band has shared East Coast tour dates following their album release show on September 21st at The Broadway in Brooklyn (AdHoc Presents) w/ Big Bliss, Russian Baths and Jelly Kelly (purchase tickets here). Living Wire LP is out this Friday via PaperCup Music.
The largest looming concept behind this album and the songs written on Living Wire is about the current state of creativity and the controlled environment that we exist within - a not so subtle jab at the state of technology and the constant noise that revolves around us, within social media, moderne life and everywhere - a buzzing choir, a living wire. With all the distractions, pop ups, influencers and stimuli in modern life, it can prove difficult to quiet that noise and focus on what you want to make. Additionally, A "live wire" is a person or object with so much energy that it becomes completely unpredictable or combustable, and the connotation is very polarizing: positive or negative, but either way overwhelming. Jacobs sees himself as one of these types. It's hard for him to sit still and that's not always a good or bad thing, but therein lies the challenge: quieting the noise long enough to create something, in this case, a record, that is based on his own reflections.
It was important to Jacobs to make somewhat of an about-face with this album and try some different techniques based on the music he was listening to, which was lots of 80's era pop music, 90's era college radio rotations, as well as a variety of electronic music from the past four decades. Having the ability to record a lot of components of the tracks at home in his makeshift home studio allows for a lot of experimentation, so some songs were started there, while others were workshopped with the band in a rehearsal or live setting or written fully in the studio. At the helm was producer/mixer Ben Rice, whose creative fingerprints are all over the record, Rice and Jacobs produced the record together and Rice mixed the entire album at his studio in Brooklyn, Degraw Sound.
TOUR DATES
09.21 - The Broadway (LP Release Show) - Brooklyn, NY
9.27 - Ossining, NY @ Sing Sing Brewery
10.02 - Philadelphia, PA @ Silk City
10.04 - Washington, DC @ Velvet Lounge
10.05 - Richmond, VA @ Mushroom Gorge
10.10 - Montclair, NJ @ The Meatlocker
Photo Credit: Kevin Condon
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