Exposure - From Monument To Masses
If you want to get people’s pulses racing, politics and instrumental post-rock are not usually top of the convo list. But From Monument To Masses are the exception – and we want to bellow it from the rooftops. Mixing electronic samples, breakbeats, soaring melodies and roaring riffs, the trio are musically progressive, hard-rocking and clever too, so do yourself a favour and read on...
Where on earth did this lot spring from?
Francis Choung (drums, keys, programming), Sergio Robledo-Maderazo (bass, keys, samples) and Matthew Solberg (guitar, loops) formed From Monument To Masses in the San Francisco area in late 2000, influenced by an impressive list of heroes which include Refused, Fugazi, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, DJ Shadow, At The Drive-In, Dead Prez, RATM, Mogwai, Don Caballero and Tortoise.
So we’re guessing they’re pretty cerebral...
Not half. Their music celebrates political activism and social change and the band have always held that ‘art cannot exist independently from political struggle’. This isn’t just headline-grabbing rhetoric either, the trio are keen to explain in interviews that their music is only one expression of their respective politics and each member has been involved with various organizations outside the band, fighting for equality.
Serious stuff!
Well yes, but musically the moustache-donning threesome certainly know how to have fun. Everything is thrown into the melting pot when it comes to making records and you won’t find a more thrilling mix of sounds than the ones featured on each of From Monument To Masses’ three Dim Mak releases. The next one’s out in two months too, perfect for this post-festive blues. Jesus, is it that time already?
10Barfly, Glasgow, Fri 7 Nov.