What the Berliner four-piece Monoland are doing with atmospheric rumbling and washes of distortion is not completely new to modern music. The confluence of dreamy vocals and sonic thunderclap recalls the short-lived shoegazer movement of the late '80s to mid-'90s. It was then that bands like Ride and Curve played pop harmonies under ringing feedback at such ear-splitting decibels that all instrumentation bled together into one fluid, palpable sound.
Monoland's second full release, "Cooning," has a similar effect. However, extra layers of percussion and sampling trickle in due to some excellent production work by Seba Fell (also producer of German noise-nihilists Einsturzende Neubauten). Each track floods the senses, filling the room to the brim with beautiful, ethereal dementia.
Although comparable to the work of bands like Lush and Sonic Youth, the swirling guitar loops within "Cooning" are most reminiscent of ambient-noise avatars My Bloody Valentine. There is a shared love of droning, wavering notes that last for minutes. Moreover, they both produce some jangly guitar-pop, and then bury it beneath layers of distortion.