essential recordings (alphabetical by album title)
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Formica Blues - Mono (1998)

amazon.com review:
It's pretty inevitable that people will compare Mono to Portishead (which I also love) and although I agree with the comparison, I think it would be difficult if not impossible to confuse the one with the other. Mono, unlike Portishead, is much more deeply rooted in pop music of the 1960s, which is incredibly evident in tracks like "Slimcea Girl," "The Outsideres," and "Silicone."

The main track, "Life in Mono," is what initially turned me on to the group, having heard it during a trailer for the Hawke/Paltrow remake of *Great Expectations*. The movie was somewhat of a disappointment, not helped by the fact that they did NOT use "Life in Mono" in the film itself--only during the end credits. Pity, as the beautifully wistful, melancholy track would have suited the film perfectly.

The track gets double play on the album, and it's a tie as to which one is better. The Alice Band Mix is a lot funkier, but perfectly retains the same melancholy, wistful feel of the first track, coming off as if it's the same memory in a different mind.

"Slimcea Girl" is another favorite, sounding like classic Burt Bacharach with a millenium-era edge. Other songs, like "The Outsiders," "Playboys," "Hello Cleveland," "Silicone," and "Penguin Freud" have more of a Portishead feel--blending '60s spy-theme-like music with contemporary electronic elements. "The Blind Man" takes the idea back a bit further and sounds like the updated theme of a '70s detective show.

Keeping this from a 5-star rating are the two tracks, "Disney Town" and "High Life." The former's refrain is just plain annoying, as throughout the album, Siobhan De Mare's wistful vocals get just a little tiresome. Usually, they're made up for by the great music accompanying her (sometimes you just long for that cold, Beth Gibbons edge), but not so in these two tracks. The latter sounds like its from an anti-drug campaign. Enough said.

Regardless, this is a great album and a beautiful one. If you're looking for those not-quite-tangible-memories, but aren't quite satisfied by your Portishead, definitely pick this one up.

amazon.com review:
British pop duo Mono bring a sad, sweet sensibility to "Formica Blues," their first (and apparently only) album. It only narrowly avoids being bubblegum electronica. Instead it's a vaguely retro trip-hop collection with wistful vocals and melancholy little songs.

A low, thumping bass line pulls into the twittery trip-hop of "Life in Mono," a catchy but unmemorable little song. The tone shifts with the slightly ominous, poppy "Silicone" and the keyboard-led ballad "Slimcea Girl." The album bobs along with songs like the dramatic ("Outsider," the jazzy trip-hop "Blind Man") and the fluffy trip-hop ("Disney Town," pretty little "High Life"), before wrapping up with the bouncy, smoky "Hello Cleveland" and the Alice Band mix of "Life in Mono" with horns and drums.

If an album has "blues" in the title, it's a fair bet that there's something downbeat about it. "Formica Blues" avoids being actually depressing -- it's more the depression of someone who has had their heart broken, and is dealing with it by browsing quaint stores in Europe, smoking in loft apartments and painting little pictures. Sad, but in a way that heals. ("The tree-lined avenue/Begins to fade from view/Drowning past regrets/In tea and cigarettes")

The music itself is a web of keyboards, guitar, "wicked tambourine," and trumpets. Siobhan De Mare's breathy vocals are a nice touch; they're wispy but pretty. And the songwriting is most solid when it focuses on heartbreak, as in "Slimcea Girl" and "Life in Mono." When a more upbeat tone is taken ( as in "Disney Town" and "High Life") the vocals seem to be flatter, and the melodies merely sound like downtempo bubblegum pop. Fortunately, they don't stay in happy territory for long.

With a bit of retro-60s flavor and a bit of acid jazz mixed in, Mono's "Formica Blues" is an ethereal little Euro-trip-hop album. It won't heal a broken heart, but it's nice to listen to as you start to get over it.

Golden - Canidas (2001)

triphoppin.net review:
The beauty of this record is in its simplicity. This band and album make Portishead sound like The Partridge Family (or any other happy band). And Portishead is brilliant.

To say these songs are sad would be a complete understatement. Sad in that perfect, spine-tingling way. The songs are mostly guitar-based, but the guitars sway at a pace that makes snow look like hail. Minimal beats, minimal, sparse guitars, and absolutely chilling vocals. Lyrics that are truly wrist-slashing.

It's a shame this band called it quits way before anyone really knew who they were. If you can find this record, pick it up. It deserves to be part of your desert-island CD collection.

online review:
This band from Sweden is very easy and the music's slowly. Karolina Brobäck has got a beautiful voice, it sounds like she's just whispering (or singing without making any noise). The songs are quiet, the instruments simple... A fantastic CD,I think, but it's a pitty that this band is really unknown, they don't have an own site either.

from tripnotic.de:
The most common way to describe their music is to compare it other bands, so please forgive me if I mention the bands which came to my mind when I heard this great album. The first bands which came to my mind are Goldfrapp, Portishead and Stina Nordenstam. Yet they don't have to fear any comparison to this bands, first because they surely are as good as the beforementioned bands, and second because they are in one way completely different. The music and instrumentation is very simple, you wont find any samples, synthysizers and other electronic means in their music, so the listener wont be distracted from Karolina Brobäck's awesome both fragile and intense vocals, only carried by Adam Magnussons guitar, bassist Ola Hakansson and drummer David Augustsson.

Good Looking Blues - Laika (2000)

amazon.com review:
I first heard Laika here, via the quick 30-second samples of songs, and I was intrigued by their sound and their style. I logged on to their official website ...and was pleasantly surprised to find their music and audio section jam-packed. I sat there and listened to almost every song (original versions, remixes, etcetera) that they had listed.

In doing so, I became an instant fan and began sending friends and co-workers to their site as well. One of the friends whom I pointed in Laika's direction then surprised me with this CD, which I have been listening to pretty much incessantly ever since.

The blends of instruments vs. trip-hop sounds is a unique one - they don't sound overly digitized, nor pop in the slightest. The lyrics paint a picture and you find yourself listening to the stories they tell. From the hilarious email virus hoax in "Badtimes" to the spellbinding "Black Cat Bone" to the heartbreaking "Last Single Word," there is not one track that should be skipped. I literally laugh out loud during "Badtimes," no matter how many times I hear it. I love that the CD has a mix of shorter songs and long, extended tracks; symphonic instruments and techno-beats; melancholy stories and lively messages.

I will definitely continue to keep tabs on Laika and check out their other albums as well. Five stars to "Good Looking Blues," if not ten stars.

amazon.com review:
The best album of 2000. Laika is the best I have heard for quite some time. This particular album is a assimilation of several styles, jazz, hip-hop, electronic ambience, which fuse together to form a unique sound that defines Laika as a very talented band. They are somewhat similar to portishead,hooverphonic, and massive attack's mezzanine, however this is indeed superior in my opinion.Some of the lyrics aren't the most thought provoking,but we aren't reading sartre for god's sake. Margaret's voice is soulful and angellic, as if she may be a seraphim herself. I think this is the best album of 2000.