Razorblade Monalisa

Razorblade Monalisa is a Sacramento based Post-Punk 4-piece that at once recalls the era of 80’s artists such as U2, Joy Division, the Cure and Chameleons, but also provides an entirely original soundscape, pushing the genre into a fresh and exciting new direction. Razorblade Monalisa - whose name refers to the modern tendency to change or censor the art of the past to suit consumer’s current underdeveloped tastes - was formed in 2004 by lyricist Bino Prassa and instrumentalist Jules Alcouff...

Razorblade Monalisa is a Sacramento based Post-Punk 4-piece that at once recalls the era of 80’s artists such as U2, Joy Division, the Cure and Chameleons, but also provides an entirely original soundscape, pushing the genre into a fresh and exciting new direction. Razorblade Monalisa - whose name refers to the modern tendency to change or censor the art of the past to suit consumer’s current underdeveloped tastes - was formed in 2004 by lyricist Bino Prassa and instrumentalist Jules Alcouffe (formerly of Blue Monroe, DJ at clubs Noir and Trauma). Dire Deparra (bass, from Uberkunst and various NY-area indie bands of years past) joined in 2006. Hook laden guitar and bass lines, narrative lyrics, and propulsive drumming are all vying for attention over a backdrop of shifting tempo and key changes, usual arrangements, and a wide palate of mood. Bino’s Sci-Fi laced lyrics echo Gary Numan's world of paranoid, lonely machines and alienated humanity. A Razorblade Monalisa show is almost more of a cinematic experience than musical one. Each song is a set piece; from a hard-rocking wall-of-sound onslaught one moment and then a dreamy but desperate ballad the next.