We Speak Music
Monograms Reveals Visually Stunning Music Video for ‘Listen Up’
Monograms is the moniker of Brooklyn-based musical artist, Ian Jacobs. He employs strong, swift tones to convey his creative ideas. Dynamic music with pointillism lyrics, lucid beats, and psychedelic melodies, creates a driving backdrop of underground and popular music across an eclectic spectrum.
His latest offering ‘Listen Up’ is a militant call to action and an epic single from the LP ‘A Fine Commitment’. The track is a barrage of ricocheting beats, angular guitars, and sprawling feedback that builds to a tumultuous crescendo with genre-bending attacks of post-punk, new wave, and indie-rock production, merging dark tones alongside groovy, energetic hopefulness.
An elaborate MUSIC VIDEO accompanies the track as a visually stunning display combining a masked protagonist’s exploits. Monograms fall in and out of his own image, finally landing underwater and into a dream-like performance. This aesthetic enhances the driving, syncopated rhythm, rolling guitars, and distinctive vocals the song offers.
Jacobs reflects: “I knew I wanted to make something fun and elaborate. I started to dig into some big production ideas but built concepts that didn’t take themselves too seriously at the same time. I also wanted to have something about the duality of perspective which is what the song is about, that’s where the idea of the mask came from; The idea that something bad can also be good… and vice versa, depending on how you look at it. Co-Director Brendan Ward and I came up with some crazy ideas and somehow managed to pull them all off.”
‘Listen Up’ which follows previous singles ‘Hi Low’ and ‘Carry The Weight’ finds Monograms expanding his portfolio into exciting uncharted territories. Entirely written and recorded by Monograms in Brooklyn, the song promises a thrilling meltdown of boundaries.
Monograms’ music channels the golden era of college radio whilst retaining the energy of contemporary influences. He accomplishes this while working with sounds from post-punk, gritty pop, and angular psych, to new-wave creating a mesmeric sound.
Since the project’s early bedroom recordings, Monograms has received support from international acts like Cloud Nothings, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Ezra Furman, Sunflower Bean, Man or Astro-Man?, A Place To Bury Strangers, GØGGS (Ty Segall/Ex-Cult), Gilla Band, New Candys, Caveman, DMA’s, Juan Waters, Gang of Youths, Buscabulla, the Wytches, and others.
Reputable media publications including Stereogum, Brooklyn Vegan, Earmilk, Under the Radar, the 405, Post-Punk, and Alt Citizen, to mention a few, have praised Monograms’ music. These features have resulted in increased exposure on radio, film, and television (KEXP, Shameless on Showtime, and SXSW Film Festival).
Aaron makes music about meaningful topics that rocks and grooves – and sometimes it even skanks on a rock steady beat!
His new song ‘Geeks’ has been released on all major music platforms on November 15th. It is an anthem for the heroes of the digital age: computer nerds, also known as geeks. It is driven by an off-beat ska guitar, a sticky bass line and a groovy brass section. The icing on the cake is a jazzy saxophone solo.
“I have always loved Ska, I even saw the Specials, the Selecter and Madness live in their heydays”, says Aaron. “I chose the topic although I am not a geek myself, but I have a lot of sympathy for them. Geeks are often frowned upon because they can be socially awkward, but they are the ones who are building a better world. So I think they deserve an anthem.”
The music video is mostly made up of typography, minimalistic ASCII graphics and heavily pixelated images – it surely looks geeky! Watch it here:
Aaron writes catchy songs that are made for people who like meaningful, uplifting topics and guitar-driven, hand-made sounds. His musical journey started young but it wasn’t until he discovered Bitcoin and became so invested in it that he used music to express his new found joy.
“It’s mostly rock music, with excursions into funk, soul and other styles I grew up with. In general, it’s guitar-driven and hand-made, often with a punkish energy and beatlesque harmonies. What all my songs have in common are meaningful lyrics about being in the here and now, about transforming disturbing emotions into wisdom, about being in the flow, things like that.” says Aaron in an interview.
“I have always been making music and writing songs, starting with a punk rock band when I was 15. However, I never saw it as a career. I played in several bands in my teenage years and my early twenties, but after my media studies in Berlin and Rio de Janeiro I focused on other things. I first worked in TV production and then founded one of the first Internet agencies in Germany. I discovered Bitcoin in 2011 and became fascinated by it. I wrote five books about it, made lots of promotional videos and educational series for Bitcoin and blockchain companies, and organised events. I even wrote some songs about Bitcoin, which became quite popular in the community, like my Reggaeton about the Bitcoin Beach in El Salvador. People always liked that my songs are catchy and provocative. It was by the end of 2023 that I decided to go full in on music. It’s what I enjoy the most, so now I want to fully follow my passion.”
Since May 2024, his songs have been streamed more than 250,000 times on Spotify and his music videos have been viewed more than 350,000 times on YouTube.
Read more about Aaron King: http://aaron-koenig.net/press/
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