Mono - Gone

  by Chris O'Toole

published: 10 / 10 / 2007

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Mono was formed in the year 2000, with the seemingly divine intention of creating classically inspired post-rock music. Forgoing vocals the group concentrate on atmospheric, evocative instrumental pieces; creating dense, swirling walls of noise – cathartic, mesmerizing and magnificent. Formed in Japan the group have six albums - including their high-water mark ‘You are There’ - and have accrued sufficient acumen and material to release ‘Gone’ - essentially a B-sides and rarities collection. The disc is an anthology of pieces taken from the groups out of print or hard to find records, including the ‘Hey You’ EP and ‘The Phoenix Tree’. In a brief career the group have assembled a mass of material, and what is included here would make other bands green with jealousy. ‘Finlandia’ – the opening 11 minute gambit – is a blank page in itself, waiting for the listener to superimpose their emotion onto it; either mournful and soaked with regret or blue sky optimism. The first few moments are filled with indecision and tension, but on the horizon the shaking, nervous guitar is coming to full fruition, bursting with new found confidence, squalling and circling like the last vulture on its final meal. It is the start of an endless attack, bubbling and glistening for eons- gurgling as sheets of noise flow past, like icebergs amid a crystal river. Rotating, grinding distortion fills the air like a fly buzzing against a window, looking for release; great lunar landscapes filled with the unknown. ‘Blackwoods’ is spooked and haunted, filled with regret and longing - innocence walks through the piece, looking for answers. Plaintive guitar is accompanied by despondent bass before cymbal lead drums enter the scene – here Mono really sound like Godspeed You! Black Emperor as children. The track slowly builds, war drums are present, but they are the drums of defeat, languid and morose. The piece never builds to the heights the band is accustomed to; preferring to roam amongst the low, forbidding terrain. There is no end to this journey, no release from the number days. ‘Yearning’ is the third piece – another instrumental track virtually reaching ten minutes, and the opening trio do form a rather impenetrable wall to the album a whole, repelling all but the hardiest listeners. There are no easy answers or quick fixes here; ‘Gone’ is more an experience, to be savoured as a whole. Again a similar pattern emerges; the instrumentation is simple – bass, drums, guitar – but the vision is in their use. The work is essentially a scorched pop song, filled with hooks but strung out over minutes rather than seconds. Ambience and texture are the key weapons deployed by Mono as they ask the listener to enter their world. There is continuity but not tedium in the work – the band grows but remains true to what makes them unique. ‘Memorie dal Futuro’ is slow, lush and brief, capturing in three minutes what the band have achieved in the previous thirty. A violin joins for ‘Since I’ve Been Waiting for You’, making the piece is brighter, more sprightly, optimistic and fleetingly Parisian. For a moment the foreboding storm clouds lift, revealing an azure sky; but the relief is only temporary and it ends as quickly as it began. The title track, a mere four minutes long, shimmers like a slow explosion. The power is there but the control is absolute as the band gradually releases waves of exquisite noise, building higher and higher – akin to Sigur Ros. They have no need for lyrics; the sheer power of their music provides a compelling message. ‘Black Rain’ and ‘Rainbow’ continue the theme of momentary exaltation before Little ‘Boy (Future – 1945)’ brings the collection to a soaring close. These are the broad brush strokes that were never meant to be seen; the expansive canvases for the pleasure of those who created them, away from the baying public eyes. Viewed together they demonstrate the growing, organic nature of the band, from the early days emulating Slint, Mogwai and My Bloody Valentine to the more recent, fully formed material. By the end of the record the group have their own indistinguishable sound; part of a wider genre certainly, but unique in its grandiose poignancy. There is great pathos here, lending the music a universal quality; evoking sorrow and joy in equal measure in all but the most hardened hearts.

Track Listing:-

1 Finlandia
2 Black Woods
3 Yearning
4 Memorie Dal Futuro
5 Due Foglie, Una Candela : Il Soffio Del Vento
6 Since I've Been Waiting For You
7 Gone
8 Black Rain
9 Rainbow
10 Little Boy (1945 - Future)

Band Links:-

http://monoofjapan.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/monoofjapan
https://twitter.com/monoofjapan
https://www.youtube.com/user/monoofjapan
https://plus.google.com/+MONOofJapan
https://www.instagram.com/monoofjapan/

Label Links:-

http://temporaryresidence.com/
https://www.facebook.com/temporaryresidence
https://twitter.com/tempresltd
https://www.youtube.com/user/temporaryresidence
https://plus.google.com/+temporaryresidence

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