Moñecho is the project of Williamsport, Pennsylvania native Matthew James Serra. His first album, Past Waters/Fever Lives, has been available digitally since December 7, 2015, and its release challenges the notion of what an LP can be today.
A single member, Serra himself, recorded the entire album, with only a mastering engineer as an additional hand in the mix. Every instrument, vocal, choice of programming and mixing were completed by Serra as a part of this modern masterwork. Combing elements from experimental rock to folk to many things non-Western in origin, Moñecho is a wild experiment in sound.
Serra’s studies in a variety of musical genres is an obvious contributor the final product. In listening, it is important to abandon all preconceptions, and let yourself “experience the communion, exhilaration, and shared emotional experience that music affords us,” Serra himself advises.
“I believe in music that can transport you, music that is emotionally transcendental,” he explains. “During composition, I craft each small detail to facilitate the ability music has to transform us. Each musical minutiae serves and points to the larger flow of energy of the music, allowing it to carry us into the exhilaration of the experience.”
In that fashion, “Green Sun” begins as a rapid rush of guitars, layering over one another in a frenzy that soon eases out into a calmer melody, over which Serra lightly sings. His atypical tambre for this genre is a highlight of what makes Moñecho unique, the vibrato making his vocals more of an instrument than a messenger of words. Echoes trail throughout the tune, creating a series of harmonic circles that easily mesmerize the ear. Serra even layers his own vocal lines, creating the illusion of more than one musician behind the making. This song is easily a stand-out on the album, a vibrant and joyful piece that pulses with energy from beginning to end.
It is followed soon by “Torrent,” which channels an initiative chant to create a vibe of calling to the ancients. Elements of flamenco spirit and powerful rhythmic beats maintain a lively sense of dance, while Serra narrates. There is a sense in this tune especially that what influences this album is far from modern day or modern American music. While guitars and contemporary rock instruments hold a steady presence, the choral interludes, varied percussion, and the way in which even the songs have been mixed and produced don’t just hint at exotic and foreign influences, they scream them.
The beginning of “Érase” is harsh but haunting, quickly mixing concepts of classical guitar into those high pitched tones. Here is where time and place clash, but not sonically. In a competition to see who can claim the piece, contrasting elements and instruments play off each other while locked in a rhythmic battle for dominance.
Many tracks lack Serra’s voice, such as opener “Oceans,” as well as “of the Sea,” and “-,” which lacks any sound at all. Unlike the majority of LPs today, he is not afraid of letting the composition’s needs lead, and letting the lyrics lie dormant. The influence of great minds such as John Cage make “-“ a thoughtful and interesting inclusion, although the reason for its addition may be known only to the composer.
Many an artist have made recordings with this thesis that end in train wrecks, complete cacophonies of clashing noise that are only abrasive to the ear. But what Moñecho has made in this piece and in the whole of Past Waters/Fever Lives is an experiment that may not be pleasing to all, but nonetheless a success.
The risk involved in the creation of this kind of album, this blending of genres, is astoundingly high. Unlike a typical indie rock album, there is little background to fall back on, no guide to consult in the artistic process. Moñecho throws the rulebook out the window with the creation of Past Waters/Fever Lives, and lives to tell the tale. It’s unlike anything you’ve ever heard, and that’s the best part about it.
Like fellow avant-garde artists, it takes a willing and open mind to pursue a task in which the result or response may be disastrous. Yet it is this attitude, this elevation of thought and creation that leads to unexpected new frontiers and unexplored territory in the world of sound. It is hard to judge Moñecho on the basis of what an LP should be today, what a musician should accomplish in 10 tracks, because Serra doesn’t claim to defy the rules of any specific genre. He has created something unruly and novel altogether.
Rating: 3.5/5