Mona Lisa Overdrive - Mona Lisa Overdrive FLAC

Both the easiest & one of the most difficult albums to review in this supplement. MONA LISA OVERDRIVE's debut, as suggested by the professional promo material, is quite possibly another deliberate hype, akin to ZANG TUMB TUUM's clever FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD scam, or KLF's TIMELORDS' "Doctoring The Tardis" single. And like former, and to some minds the latter, this deliberate conception, gestation & birth under sterile studio conditions has yielded quite possibly a classic album with breath-taking promise for the future. To cut to the chase, if this doesn't become a big seller, then the world's taste is more chronically atrophied than I ever suspected before. It's a wonderful, colourful creation fu of variation & hooky songs, and has become such a favourite that it seems odd to have to analyse it here. I'd say that the variety of styles & odd sounds which proliferate it put it on a par with "Pretty Hate Machine", although it replaces the negativity, nihilism, desperation & dark horror words & feelngs with an optimism & taste for life in all it's glorious splendour. That it is very posibly the sum result of Machiavellian schemeing does little to dull it's effect. Hype or not, if this is the quality of music they intend to put out, they might very well inherit the Earth.
"Imagnation" combines a heavy electronic dance sound with raw-throated vocals, sampling & an incandescent multi-layering of sounds. And, yes, there's degrees of KLF here, yet MLO take the sound further, unafraid of stopping off into more ambient clearings before running once more through the jungle of dance beat. "Conspiracy" has a more aggressive Rock logic sounding a little like a track from U2's "Rattle & Hum" remixed into brighter, more danceable upbet sound. A nice berzerk thrash out fades it to zero to allow the showcase track "Stuck" liberty - if you could imagine a sped up version of the SOUP DRAGONS' "Mother Universe" brightened up with dancing live electrics giving it a slightly altered chorus from "Head Like A Hole" ... well, I doubt you can imagine it, but let me tell you, you will dance to this, sing the REZNOR-like roar then harmonise with the post-BEACH BOYS backing. This track should by all rights ensure their immortality. "God Man Machine" starts off with a sort of Ambient/New Age sound which is shattered by Industrial metal percussion before powering up into a medium-fast-pacer combining fuzzed sequences, harmonic female voices & a bludgeoning chorus. It's a natural hybrid of hard & soft sounds, modern dance-floor fare, House logic, Rock brutality, Industrial strangeness & a myriad other such sounds. "Dream" again is one of the high points on this classic album, taking a NIN/KLF-like chimera of fluid composition & experimentation, throw in a wonderful chorus. Its a fascinating journey through sound & style which manages to be exciting, hooky, entertaining yet utterly natural. "Unleash" kicks ass with a live, crowd-roaring intro, Heavy Metal scream before bursting into a Rock dance thing sounding like SEX GANG CHILDREN with an amphetamine-loaded rocket up their arses - a real kicker. "It's Time" closes the album (at 34'23", they don't want to overdo things, making a punchy, compact first assault) - a curious, warmly close & almost erotic combination of post-Rap Black American Street dance Music, Industrial grizzle & sweaty jungle rhythms. A distinctive muted-saw-like synth lead, vocal sampling & sudden upsweeps of grunging guitar, not to mention a MADNESS-like break make you want to play this album again & again. To be heard at least once - to be learned by heart!

Originally reviewed for Soft Watch.