Formica Blues
| Formica Blues | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Studio album by Mono | |
| Released | August 1997 (UK) February 10, 1998 (US) August 1998 (UK 2-disc) |
| Recorded | Britannia Row, London; Strongroom, London |
| Genre | Trip hop, electronica |
| Length | 57:34 |
| Label |
Echo (UK) Mercury (US) Pony Canyon (Japan) |
| Producer | Martin Virgo, Jim Abbiss |
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |
  link
|
| BAM |
link
|
| Billboard | (favourable) |
| Boston Phoenix | (favourable) link |
| Entertainment Weekly | (A-) (no. 425, April 3, 1998) link |
| Rolling Stone |
(no. 783, April 2, 1998, pg. 74) link
|
Formica Blues is an album from English trip hop group 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. The album reached #71 in the UK album charts and remained on the chart for 1 week. In the United States the album reached 137 on the billboard 200 and remained on the chart for 7 weeks.
Melody Maker summarizes the "basic formula" of the album as to wallow in the sound of television and film theme tunes of the Sixties and Seventies, but both to embellish and underpin it with jazzy breakbeats and Massive Attack synthy atmospheres". The use of harpsichord melody mirrors John Barry's film scores of the 1960s by design (and by sampling), though it has also been compared to themes for 1970s action adventure television shows such as The Protectors and The Zoo Gang.
"Slimcea Girl" took its title from Slimcea, a low-calorie bread sold in the UK during what has been reported as either the 1960s or the 1970s; the "girl" was one featured in the Slimcea TV ads, which featured a jingle inviting the viewer to be a "Slimcea girl". Another inspiration was Julie Christie's character in the film version of Billy Liar, whom Virgo described as a "liberated" "It girl", saying, "I just found it a powerful image". The song has been called "a cynical stare at the dreams and fantasies of those people who live behind the blinds [of Suburbia])"; musically, it has been described as reminiscent of Burt Bacharach, gospel music (in its use of backing vocals arranged like a choir), and "a Tamla torch song".
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Wikipedia