Outer Sunset

AMG Review of Outer Sunset

Ned Raggett
All Music Guide

Brooklyn's Monocle, on the face of it, would have a lot to overcome with their debut full-length -- it's not that their overall sound is terrible -- far from it -- and bandleader Rich Bennett has plenty to be proud of. In a weird way, their embrace of sounds and styles all slipping in and around the art/groove/easy listening continuum ranging from Martin Denny and the Free Design to Isabelle Antena and, perhaps inevitably, Stereolab and their many fellow travelers, more than anything almost dooms them to a context. Certainly hearing the howl of guitars up against swirling keyboard merriment and dreamy but never unclear vocals from Sunny Kim on "Gaspard" pretty much gives the game away two songs in. But what makes Outer Sunset so striking is how readily those familiar elements get used in a way that's just distinct and thrilling enough -- Bennett and company aren't quite at a stage to fully say they have their own sound, maybe, but they often come surprisingly close. The root of it may be the sense of controlled melodrama and clever arrangements at the heart of songs like "Agent Earle," which owes far more to, say, mid-period Roxy Music than to the more obvious sonic signifiers which the songs otherwise suggest. Add in an ear for groovy space-outs that aim for grace and uplift -- the near-instrumental "Allo Taxi" is a standout here -- as well as some muscular drumming from Max Goldman that generally steers clear of rent-a-Motorik beats in favor of a full-bodied stomp, and Outer Sunset makes for a promising listen.