Interview With Rare Monk (8/23/13)

One of our favorite new little bands on MuzikDizcovery this year has been Rare Monk. From first listen, they have blown us away by their ability to make segments both crushingly powerful and infectiously catchy, even within songs. The group just finished up their largest tour to date opening up for The Dangerous Summer, and at the Baltimore date of the tour they graciously answered questions from us regarding topics such as playing in new places, the removal of Sleep/Attack from Bandcamp, new music, Daytrotter, music videos, and far more that you can read below.

Artist Of The Day: Rare Monk

If you've been following the site this year, you know that Rare Monk has been almost universally one of our favorite discoveries of 2013. The band's ability to go from an insanely catchy indie pop group to a powerful instrumental group from song to song just showcases both their talent and desire to avoid being pigeonholed within one category of music. I recently saw the group perform with The Dangerous Summer in Baltimore, and needless to say they blew me and the rest of the crowd away, receiving by far the loudest cheers of the night outside of the headliner. Their set consisted of three songs off former album (more news on that soon) Sleep/Attack, as well as three brand new songs and a cover. The band's presence was felt even outside their set, as violinist Isaac Thelin played violin for a song on every one of the band's sets, including a stunning performance of The Dangerous Summer's "Northern Lights" that even stunned vocalist AJ Perdomo in its beauty. The band showed that they have all the tools to continue expanding their fanbase, so be ready to hear the name Rare Monk a lot in the future. Our interview with the band should be up in a few days, so keep your eyes peeled. You can check them out on Facebook.

Best Of The Year 2013: First Half Update

Welcome to MuzikDizcovery's quarterly article on our favorite releases of the year to date. Each of our staff members has posted a list of our five favorite albums of the year to date, with a little blurb showing why we love each one so much. Every album released in 2013 that we have heard was eligible, even if the album has not been released to the public just yet. As always, there's a wide variety of music on these lists, and every release on here is worth checking out. Owel, The World Is A Beautiful Place, Kanye West, Captain, We're Sinking, Rare Monk, Justin Timberlake, Sigur Ros, The Knife, Tegan And Sara, Youth Lagoon, The Wonder Years and Lights and Motion all take prominent spots in multiple lists, and represent some of the best that 2013 has to offer. Check out of all of our lists below, and click on any links in the album names for our reviews.

Album Review: Rare Monk - Sleep/Attack

Album Rating: A-

At first glance, experimental indie music may seem like a particularly ill conceived idea when you consider the overwhelming objective of most indie bands today. “Have we written enough hooks?” Check. “Is it friendly enough for extensive, unabashed airtime?” Check. “Well, that completes the last track on the album.” Of course, hyperbolic blemishing sees many brilliant indie bands unfairly tarnished with the same brush, but it does stress the fact that few indie bands are brave enough to deviate too boldly from the beaten track. The juxtaposition of radio-friendly pop tunes and abrasive string driven instrumentals is one which sets Oregon five-piece Rare Monk apart from their peers, and it’s this propensity to dare and to experiment which makes Sleep/Attack one of the most exciting and innovative albums of 2013.

Watch This: Rare Monk - "Underground"

Oregon indie-rock band Rare Monk strikes a careful balance between icy detachment and swelling sentimentality, and "Underground," the first single off of its first (and fantastic) LP, Sleep/Attack, plays wonderfully with it. The track may be built on a cagey beat and some heavily synthesized vocals, but the meat of the track is the tangled explosion of strings and drums that illustrate the consequences of, as the chorus goes, waiting 'till your emotions burst out. The video goes even further with this dichotomy, cutting from shots establishing an uneasy serenity to short, powerful bursts of vicious carnage in the choruses. Unsettling implications arise when the protagonist reaches his breaking point and begins to spill blood, as the muted colors of the video suddenly give way to vivid reds and faded golds--and the moon makes way for a sunrise. Waking up in this nightmare world may be ill-advised, but those who can make their way out of the dirt just might find something--or somebody--worth coming back to life for.

Rare Monk's debut is available everywhere now.