Mono - Formica Blues (1997)

Mono was a British electronic music duo which had a hit in the late 1990s with their song "Life in Mono". The group's music is often described as trip hop, based on its similarities to contemporary electronic music acts including Sneaker Pimps and Portishead. Audible, and frequently cited, influences in Mono's songs include jazzy instrumentation reminiscent of 1960s spy film soundtracks and production styles rooted in 1960s pop music.

Formica Blues is an album from UK band Mono. It was first released in the UK in 1997. Four singles were released from the album, of which the lead single, "Life in Mono", was the most successful.
Caught like many other mid-'90s male instrumentalist/female singer duos were in the commercial slipstream of Portishead's success, Mono deftly steered clear of the trip-hop conundrum for the most part with Formica Blues.
Certainly there was a certain shared sense of cinematic drama and haunting gloom that informs plenty of songs -- consider the Get Carter-sampling "Silicone," while "The Outsider" has an emotional directness Beth Gibbons would be proud of.
The fact that lead single "Life in Mono" samples Portishead favorite John Barry and works with breakbeats didn't necessarily help Mono stand out more, for instance. But observations that Saint Etienne rather than the Bristol duo makes for a better role model are actually more accurate, and certainly on "Life in Mono" the keyboards and melancholy yet wistful singing of Siobhan de Maré suggests the likes of "Avenue" more than it does "Sour Times." Either way, like those groups, Mono works with a variety of English,
American, and continental musical inspirations, and as such is able to find a balance between a particular style and a wide number of variations on the same where differing approaches suggest a range of deliveries. The use of David Sylvian's "Approaching Silence" to signal the start of "Penguin Freud" works very well, while the Pet Sounds-goes-splashy mainstream star turn of "High Life" gives de Maré a true in-the-spotlight moment worthy of Dusty Springfield.
Then there are the elegant French pop kicks evident on "Disney Town" and "Slimcea Girl," the latter tinged with more than a little Bacharach and gospel both, and the polite but still noticeable dub turn on "Blind Man." The secret highlight is probably "Playboys," with both a full-bodied beat and a halfway-to-industrial instrumental break to recommend it, while the combination of de Maré's voice and subtle orchestration really hits the spot.

Track listing

01. "Life in Mono"  (Martin Virgo)  - 3:34 interlude - 0:18
02. "Silicone"  (Virgo and Siobhan de Maré)  - 4:14 interlude - 0:35
03. "Slimcea Girl"  (Martin Virgo)  - 3:50
04. "The Outsider"  (Virgo and Siobhan de Maré)  - 5:08
05. "Disney Town"  (Virgo and Siobhan de Maré)  - 4:09
06. "The Blind Man"  (Virgo and Siobhan de Maré)  - 5:22 interlude  - 1:18
07. "High Life"  (Martin Virgo)  - 4:10
08. "Playboys"  (Virgo, Jim Abbiss, Maré)  - 6:40
09. "Penguin Freud"  (Virgo and Siobhan de Maré)  - 6:18
        Performer [Sample] – David Sylvian
10. "Hello Cleveland!"  (Virgo and Siobhan de Maré)  - 6:33

U.S. bonus track
11. "Life in Mono" (Alice Band mix)  - 4:26

Mono
Siobhan de Maré – vocals, backing vocals
Martin Virgo – engineering, keyboards/programming, piano, guitars, bass

Other musicians
Jim Abbiss – engineering, keyboards/programming, guitars, "wicked tambourine"
Mat Coleman – trombone
Luke Gifford – engineering
Colin Graham – trumpet
Mikey Hartwell – percussion
Lee Hubbard (Bushmaster) – drum programming
The Lauren Hughes Experience – triangle
Chris Margary – saxophone (
Martin McColl – guitar
Paul Motion – engineering
Bernard O'Neil – double bass
Paulo de Oliveira – vocals
Geoff Smith – hammered dulcimer
James Thorp – guitar
Producer - Martin Virgo, Jim Abbiss

Notes
Released: August 1997
Recorded: Britannia Row, London; Strongroom, London
Genre:  Electronic music
Length:  57:38

Label - Echo Records