Last month, Mondo Love & Betrayal, aka Neil ‘Nail’ Tolliday and Henry Claude Scott, unveiled the second single – Your Latest – from their self-titled debut album, set to be released in September on NuNorthern Soul… and they’ve just followed up with the third, Beyond The Rainy City, which landed on 21 May (check it out here).
As with previous Mondo Love & Betrayal releases, there’s a clear 1980s-era synthpop thread running through this one – the group has cited the Pet Shop Boys as a key influence, as well as producers such as Stephen Hague and Shep Pettibone.
To mark the release, and ahead of the forthcoming album, Neil and Henry have put together a #MyRecordBag selection for 909originals. Over to you, lads!
Henry’s selections
Big Star – Kizza Me
“Alex Chilton has an infectious boyishness that I can’t escape. Maybe tinged with a sense of arrested development from his time in The Box Tops, his singing always conveys a youthful malaise. In the various demos from Big Star and his solo recordings, you can hear him disregarding ‘perfect’ takes that didn’t have enough imperfection present.
“I can’t think of anyone else who has released music with a technical range that goes from sloppy bar jams to note-perfect covers of jazz standards. What comes across is someone clearly looking for something beyond skill and proficiency — something deep and intuitive. This song has the lamest pre-chorus and lyrics ever, yet I love it. We can all learn something from Alex!”
PJ Harvey – I’ll Be Waiting
“I chose this because it’s the last song that made me cry. Its occurrence in the confusingly maligned documentary A Dog Called Money really got to me. I love the use of repetition, and it really drives home the vulnerability of the line ‘now I hate everyone’.
“It makes me imagine someone whose circumstances are so grim they’ve given up on any shred of positivity. It is a humbling and reflective signpost that points towards how lucky we are to be here through the lens of an individual’s misfortune.”
Wendy Matthews – Ride
“I have a penchant for art I discover half-awake. Waking up halfway through a nameless radio drama, film, or piece of music in the early hours of the morning is consistently one of the most profound experiences I encounter in my life. The combination of a lack of agency, surrendering to not knowing, and your sluggish, stupefied state unite to help you feel whatever is happening in a ‘mind at large’ way.
“This song came to me in that place and was so good that I yanked myself out of my blissful dream state to get out of bed and mark its whereabouts down. It seemed painfully familiar, and it wasn’t until days later that I realised it was a Paddy McAloon composition and that I had heard it before, on Let’s Change the World with Music by Prefab Sprout. Despite not having heard this version before, the song’s constituent elements clearly ruffled my subconscious enough to wake me. Powerful stuff.”
Chrystabell and David Lynch – Polish Poem
“The tune on our album, Beyond the Rainy City, has a nod to a quotation from Inland Empire, so it felt fitting to list this tune. The release of tension it triggers in the film is astonishing – a waterfall of emotion that totally caught me off guard and stuck its fangs in. The lyrics are sad, yet still retain a desperate hopefulness, which ties in nicely with the liminal realms of being that arise in the film.
“I get the impression the words were written first, but the melodies came on the fly, which makes it even more impressive. Chrystabell is such a good singer, and her musicality makes this shine as a perfect example of a musical stream of consciousness.”
Bonnie Raitt – River of Tears
“I think Richard Manuel is my favourite singer ever. Reading his biography, written by Stephen T. Lewis, spurred me to listen to all sorts of deep cuts. From barely listenable audience recordings of The Hawks to soundboard recordings of his various late-career solo shows, the book provides a rich context with which to consume them.
“One thing the book unearthed for me was his wonderful backing vocal appearance on this Bonnie Raitt tune that I otherwise probably would never have come across. Bonnie is rocking, and their voices blend perfectly.”
Neil’s selections
Craig Peyton – Be Thankful For What You Got (Instrumental)
“Don’t know much about the artist, but I know the song, which made me curious to hear this version. As usual I always check the B-side for the instrumental or dub version and this one is a belter, arpeggiated bassline throughout, sounds great loud.”
52nd Street – Twice As Nice (Dub)
“Stumbled across this one fairly recently whilst checking out 52nd Street’s discography. I knew Tell Me (How It Feels), as I’m a fan of any Nick Martinelli production. This one is earlier on and not produced by him – instead we have a drawn out, dubby synth-fest courtesy of the mighty Jellybean.”
Royalle Delite – (I’ll Be A) Freak For You (Instrumental)
“The link provided is of the vocal A-side, but it’s again the B-side instrumental that does it for me. The synths sound out of tune, which really works for some reason – it kinda adds a certain something to the overall groove.”
Kasso – Key West
“Another Jellybean production. I had heard it sampled by Todd Terry many moons ago and was elated to track down the original. So evocative of that early 80s sound, but quite unique too – a bit odd, but that’s why I love it.”
Loose Ends – “Nights Of Pleasure” (Dub Version)
“Back to Nick Martinelli on production again – the dub mix courtesy of Dancin Danny Dee. I loved Loose Ends as a kid – Hanging On A String of course the big hit – this dropped a year later. Real atmospheric shooms on this one, plus that perfectly programmed 808 rolling and booming away. Fun fact: I lived above one of Loose Ends’ mums in Hackney for five years – a lovely lady.”
Thanks to Mondo Love & Betrayal for their selections. Beyond The Rainy City is out now on NuNorthern Soul – check it out here.