Andy's Aural Advent: 22nd Dec. Monophonics - "Strange Love"

2012’s In Your Brain by Monophonics is one of my favourite LPs of recent years. Its expert playing and production recall the soul and funk greats of the 60s and 70s, but it never feels like pastiche or like the band are going through the motions. It’s a fiery beast of a record. A diverse one, too - the James Brown-like yearning of tracks such as “Deception” rubbing up against phenomenal “I Wanna Take You Higher” highs like “All Together”.

The A-side of their comeback single, “Promises” showed that the ‘Phonics hadn’t lost their touch – described by band members Kelly Finnigan and Ian McDonald as “a natural next step from our last record”, it fit "in the Psychedelic Soul pocket while also using elements of Reggae…kung-fu like horns, and a  shimmering 12-string acoustic guitar”. The B-side, “Strange Love”, meanwhile, felt like something new for Monophonics and was, in my opinion, even better – a take on the lavish Philly Soul productions of The Delfonics or The O’Jays, with a suitably melodramatic and romantic chorus: “my heart just won’t beat without your strange love”.