Though the pandemic might have slowed the roll of many mortals, MonoNeon has been busier than ever. In addition to his steady flow of re-soundtracked found videos, his original stock in trade, he’s been continuing as a member of Ghost Note, collaborating with Daru Jones, contributing to “All Bad” on Nas’ Grammy-winning King’s Disease album, and playing on Grammy-nominee Jacob Colliers’ song “In My Bones.” And, only days after the Grammy Awards, he dropped Supermane, a new solo EP loaded with some of the strongest material of his career.
While the bass virtuoso and multi-instrumentalist has always favored some strong 80s flavors in his arrangements, this eight-song album applies those flavors to some of the songwriter’s most focused material ever. The result is MonoNeon’s idiosyncratic, yet more disciplined, take on classic early George Clinton solo sounds, making that sound his own with the strongest singing of his career.
Of course, one hallmark of George Clinton’s work has been unrpedictability, and that is underscored by MonoNeon as well, when he opens with new wave indie rocker “Just Gettin’ High, Just Gettin’ By.” In a sense, it continues the politically charged material of last year (i.e., “Breathing While Black”), but this time as a near-punk experience, including shouting a rapid-fire catalog of the bizarre state of the world in this moment.
That segues seamlessly into more traditional Clinton-esque quirk-funk, full of tasty synth squeals, scratchy guitar and, of course, the supplest of bass lines. One unifying element is the herky jerky, presumably drum machine-driven rhythms that were such a cornerstone to classic Clinton and other 80s funk. That even applies to the tweaked, algorithmic swing of “Invisible,” wherein MonoNeon asks the musical question, “Don’t you wish you were invisible?… You can be whoever you wanna/And no one’s gonna judge ya/And you ain’t got nothing to prove.”
And on the culture-affirming “We Somebody Y’all,” he even mashes up a bit of Staple Singers vibe with some drums worthy of “Atomic Dog.”
By the album’s midway point, “Grandma’s House,” we get a glimpse of what may be one source of that soulfulness, MonoNeon’s family. The artist had recently paid tribute to his grandmother with an impromptu video of her singing with him. Now comes this joyful ode to such family visits. “Take me back to the good times we had at grandma’s house/We were kids, we were young/We were always havin’ fun,” he sings, in what may be one of the most wholesome funk jams of the century.
On all these tracks, the defining factor is focus. These are tightly constructed tracks, full of polished background vocal asides and synth fills that slot in to the arrangements seamlessly. That applies just as much to the second half, in which MonoNeon also introduces some impressive cameos from other artists, such as Mr. Talkbox, Ledisi, Wax, and, by the final title track, an actual band featuring guest musicians Cory Henry (organ), Jairus Mozee (guitar), and Derrick Wright (drums).
“Supermane,” the song, also features a notable crossover cameo in the sax playing of Kirk Whalum. It’s entirely fitting, as it has the feel of a classic gospel number made more universal by MonoNeon’s pop instincts. That’s entirely appropriate for both his and Whalum’s upbringing in some of the most musical churches of Memphis. And it’s the perfect capstone for a perfect album, a kind of existentialist hymn to live life to its fullest, reminding listeners that “The voice of God is in your mind.” Live like there’s no tomorrow, he sings to us all, and with material this strong, MonoNeon is clearly doing just that.
