Well there is definitely something mysterious about singer/songwriter Ricardo Monteiro who is also known as Screaming Culture, apart from his music that is, it is unbelievable that such a talented artist has been around in music circles since 2009 and haven’t bothered to leave trails of diehard fans and ‘Screamer Chicks’ behind him.
It is openly stated (on his reverb page) that he is a fan of Nirvana, and late Kurt Cobain’s influence is quite dramatically imbedded in almost every song he has released so far. Ricardo Monterio a.k.a. Screaming Culture’s ‘Numb’ is definitely one of my favorite songs by any contemporary artist. Not only he has been able to keep the unique mood of Nirvana’s (simple but haunting -E harmonic- melodies) but also brought a new flavor into it. This may be due to the factor that Ricardo Monterio has far better range and singing skills as a vocalist, and also that he is a multi-instrumentalist solo artist. He is able to create and produce better songs, both in terms of compositions and arrangements.
Production of almost all of the songs is up to date, if not high class according to current RnB crazed music production, but then Alternative music has slightly different requirements, and if you are an alternative rock fan, then you probably wouldn’t give a rat’s cold rear for the sound coming out of your woofer.
After commending his comparatively better vocal ability, I am absolutely impressed with the depth of his lyrics and emotional/political juxtaposition of ideas: it denotes that the artist has a reasonably aware head on his shoulders.
Another interesting song by Screaming Culture is ‘Learn to Survive’. It is –almost- an instrumental, with bits of one-liner or punchy lines thrown around -with some phrases describing the mind set of underdogs. But it is very catchy, if you are looking for a theme track for a movie or documentary then it is a must listen for you… it is on loop play on my media player almost every hour of the day!