EXCLUSIVE: Listen To The First Track Off Monobody's Debut LP

By Katie Karpowicz in Arts & Entertainment on Mar 17, 2015 3:30PM

Photo: Ian Christopher Sutherland

Today we bring you the first track off the debut LP from Chicago five-piece Monobody. Enjoy the complex, celestial vibes from "Lifeguard Of A Helpless Body" below.

Having had an opportunity to listen to all six tracks from the upcoming release, Chicagoist can confidently predict that if the self-titled album doesn't wind up being one of Chicago's best instrumental releases of 2015, it will be an insanely over-the-top year for the genre.

Undertones of jazz are often easy to find in math and prog-rock but Monobody is anything but subtle about it. The band isn't shy about its pop sensibilities either. When considering the weighty list of genres and styles that Monobody manages to pack into its tracks without ever sounding sonically dense, the five members' varying backgrounds and experiences help explain. Several of the members come from similarly experimental projects (Loose Lips Sink Ships, Paramedics). Others are trained jazz performers. Some have written orchestral arrangements. Others can't even read music.

It's Monobody's inner contrast that gives the band the ability to mesh two bass parts, sporadic electronics and, at times, trumpet into the same album. Recorded and produced by the group's own members, the self-titled release, out April 7, has a beautiful texture full of so much unpredictability you'll find yourself regretting the fact that your first listen can only happen once.

You can see Monobody at Beat Kitchen next Monday, March 23. In the meantime, pre-order the LP and hear another track courtesy of the A.V. Club. The band also headlines Quenchers on April 12.