The Monochrome Set - Allhallowride (Tapete)

With Allhallowride, arch Londers the Monochrome Set enter their fifth decade of recording, and no worse for wear from the passage of time. Still led by singer/songwriter Bid and bassist Andy Warren, the graceful group continues to blend British guitar pop, atmospheric art rock and witty cabaret into a style all its own. “If you wanna shine shine shine, you’re really in the wrong town,” Bid cheekily asserts in “Really in the Wrong Town,” a sly twist on folk rock that screams “hit single” in that alternate universe where every cool pop song has a chance. The singer’s trademark badinage also makes itself felt in the driving “I, Servant,” the acid-kissed “In a Chapel of Personal Design” and the politely rocking “Ballad of the Flaming Man,” keeping the sarcasm of old school writers like Cole Porter alive in the modern rock age. Some of the tunes hold poorly kept secrets, however, with honest emotion spilling out of the bittersweet “Resplendent in a Darkness” and the melancholy “Box of Sorrows.” The band packs a lot into a mere thirty-four minutes, but it’s a testament to Bid’s efficient songwriting and the carefully crafted arrangements that the record never sounds like it’s overflowing. The Monochrome Set has operated under the radar for decades, but Allhallowride is a good vehicle to bring them out of the shadows.