A Sweeping Curve of Sound

[This is the second in a series of posts discussing some of my favorite musical releases in 2007.]

Anyone who has followed the darker shades of underground music know who Monica Richards is. In the late eighties she fronted the band Strange Boutique, an eclectic 4AD-sound-inspired band that emerged from the hardcore scene in Washington DC. In 1993 she formed a new band with William Faith (who had played in an incarnation of Christian Death with Rozz Williams) called Faith and the Muse. An act that would go on to become one of the most popular in the American goth/darkwave scene.

Monica Richards, photo by Sven Togni.

I had first heard back in 2006 that Richards was planning a solo album, and as long-time fan of Faith and the Muse, I was very excited at the prospect. Early sound samples were promising, and the record promised a more personal set of songs than is usually found in her group projects. So when I did finally get my hands on a copy, I wasn’t disappointed. Unflinchingly personal, political, and truly mythic, “InfraWarrior” seemed to spill whole-cloth from her innermost dreams and hopes. It is unapologetically dramatic, incorporating spoken word elements (including her father on the introductory track “Gaia”), tribal drumming, ambient sound textures, and walls of guitar sound while Richard’s voice anchors everything with a truly amazing range of shrieks, moans, chants, and whispers. Picking a single standout track is almost impossible since the entire album flows together as a seamless whole, sending the listener on a journey towards acknowledging the divinity within you, within Richards, and within all creation.

In addition, “InfraWarrior” sports an impressive list of guest musicians and vocalists, including Jarboe, kaRin (from Collide), dark ambient artist Brian “Lustmord” Williams, and Paul Mercer (from The Changelings). This solo outing is some of the most ambitious work Monica Richards has ever pursued, and certainly raises the bar for any future releases from her main project Faith and The Muse. An easy choice for my “top” picks of 2007.

Download: Monica Richards - “Death is the Ultimate Woman”
(from the album “InfraWarrior”)

Links: Monica Richards on MySpace, Monica Richards homepage, Faith and the Muse on MySpace