Check out this track by Montë Mar! *campusounds Exclusive*

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A group of USC Alums, led by guitarist/vocalist Brian Green, are creating songs that combine dynamic and intricate instrumental textures with soaring melodies. Building upon a previous project, “The Whisper in the Roar,” the members of Montë Mar look forward to infusing their recordings and live shows with a heightened sense of spontaneity and artistic abandonment.

Just a few seconds into any song written or produced by Brian Green, his attention to creating a lush sonic landscape becomes incredibly apparent. Whether on his jazz-centric solo album Scenic Route, or in his work with the new band Montë Mar (whose website launches this Friday), it is very clear that full-bodied texturing and nuanced layering are essential to his final products.

Montë Mar owes its roots to a previous musical endeavor with guitarist/vocalist George Krikes, entitled The Whisper in the Roar. Green and Krikes met at the University of Southern California, and quickly discovered that their disparate influences would create an interesting amalgam through collaboration. As Green recalls, “George comes from more of a Folk background, with influences like Simon & Garfunkel and Tom Waits; people who are storytellers through their songs. On the other hand, a lot of my influences come from music with a lot of intensity and intricate textural parts, like Radiohead.” In molding these two backgrounds, Green and Krikes created a unique sound – one that references both classic songwriters and ambient, wall-of-sound production.

This meshing of dichotomous influences is chronicled on The Whisper in the Roar’s self-titled EP, a project that is impressively expansive in its depth and scope (and is available for purchase on iTunes). The opening track, “Jane,” instantly explodes with a wailing overdriven lead; compounded with soaring falsetto vocals and pulsating rhythm parts, the track’s immediacy consumes the listener. “Hello,” the following song (and one of the EP’s highlights), is similarly compelling; with its driving electric textures and reverberating, delay-heavy accompaniment, it is at once reminiscent of Steve Reich and Phoenix. After the release of the EP, Green and the other members of The Whisper in the Roar (most of whom attended USC) spent time performing at various well-known LA venues, including Molly Malones and Cinespace. Unsurprisingly, in just a few short months, the group enjoyed a healthy following and a significant amount of that famous LA buzz.

However, recent personnel changes have prompted the formation of a new band, Montë Mar, with new goals and directions for the music. With a group of all USC alums (including Whisper in the Roar member Bill Zimmerman on keyboards and vocals, Devin Hoffman on bass, and Kyle Crane on drums), Green is striving to build upon the successes of The Whisper in the Roar by incorporating even more interests into Montë Mar’s musical lexicon. Green tells me that the new band has been hitting the studio hard, constantly keeping in mind concepts like “conveying more vulnerability and artistic abandonment in the music, as well as allowing more freedom for spontaneous moments to occur.” Also of particular interest to Green is revamping the group’s live show; Montë Mar will strive to infuse the billowing layers of sound achieved by the group in the studio with an organic excitement that can only be created on stage.

Clearly, if Montë Mar’s new track, “Time,” is any indication, I can’t wait to hear forthcoming recordings and check out the band live. It is with great excitement and anticipation that I urge Campusounds readers, and all music enthusiasts, to keep a constant lookout for the progression of this highly inventive group.

binspired,

Jeff

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Jeff Stein!