LA MAMOYNIA "Mono Ego" / A review by Mick Mercer

LA MAMOYNIA "Mono ego "

I guess as I happily reside in a darkly enticing musical world of jagged passion and warm shadows of grey, red and black the more esoteric end of the Indie world with its electronic infusions is something of a mystery to me, so I’m not sure how common bands like la Mamoynia are these days. Imagine a band with programming and percussive dominance, but then throw in bass and vocals which have attitude and I’m sure that’s a whole musical galaxy removed from the amoebic slumber of ebm, or the lighter side of Industrial noodling, isn’t it??A stronger album than its gritty predecessor, this starts to lay down some warmer sounds amid rivulets of human despair. The vocals themselves are starting to inflate rather than stalk narrowly along scared corridors and variety is beginning to spread out from a recognisable core heart, all of which is intriguing. Although ‘I Stand Alone’ has a poor ending it gets them off to a bolshy pulsating start with an angry synth and bracing rhythm pattern over which stern vocals beckon, grimacing while ranting, and ‘Ich Bien Niemand’ introduces a coagulation of wispy commercial charm and constantly agitated singing, creating a harmonious mood but still with a ragtaggle energy and unkempt appearance.?‘Nightmares I’m Hiding From’ is the first shock, with a virtual s.o.s. type pulse and into this friskier ditch the vocals are calmer and clipped, the smoother feel producing a stronger impact, leading into a bippy groove and a final boom. Of a doomier bent ‘Kenurghia Avghi’ is a punkier electronic hybrid, as some bands can only claim to be; an intelligent rebellious sound loping along seriously. ‘Ipocrisia’ has an unruly mind but starts establishing a great pulse midway and while I haven’t changed my mind since the last review, when I suggested they were like a modern day version of Section 25, the vocals here with a rhythmical staccato resonance bring to mind The Fall.?‘Links’ has two lines in position, a simply synth and a grumblier sound seeping over the foreground, as the vocals rise from gloom into swirlier surrounds and the mood starts to shift as the music bubbles into bounding linear movement. ‘Kammeno Charti’ chatters beautifully as they crackle and chip away at their own sense of reserve and, again, greater character starts to emerge here with only some less than helpful percussive sticking points holding them back. The fluidity is impressive as the music and vocals fuse together fruitily. ?‘And Nothing More From You’ is a tense affair, with impressive double-jointed melody coming from the synth/vocal collision that brings through a jollier, jostling noise. ‘Agapi, Ti Megali Leksi’ seems clumsy and offhand, darker in tone but less interesting than their more engaging songs and in truth it’s the only disappointment on here. ‘Hated For Seeing Deep In The Eyes’ lets the bass writhe as they revert to their choppy hardness, but somehow they make what seems like a slim reason to get dancey work, with morose energy. ‘Something That Does Not Exist’ then goes all angular as a closer and waddles about, becoming positively playful with the brittle pattern and solemn bass uniting beautifully. The vocals aren’t quite as incisive as on earlier tracks which is a shame, but they take a few nice risks here, introduce violin and all swim around in a perplexing fashion.?Better than before and moving towards something quite gripping. If you’re into unpredictable synths this is for you. www.lamamoynia.com

Mick Mercer / www.mickmercer.com