Album: Mono - Under the Pipal Tree (2001)8 tracks / 63:44
Acquired: September 2010
Guitars: Goto Takaakira
Guitars: Yoda
Bass: Kunishi Tamaki
Drums: Takada Yasunori
Mono was one of the first post-rock bands I've listened to back in 2005 or 2006 and Under the Pipal Tree was the first Mono album I found. However, after I found more of their more recent stuff, I somehow started ignoring this album unconsciously and that's why it took me some five years before I managed to buy a physical copy.
In a nutshell, this is an album full of lengthy, completely instrumental songs, and even though an occasional cello in two of the songs can be heard, all of them are performed with traditional rock outfit - bass, drums and two guitars - yet more connections to classical music can be made than to rock music.
Now we shall delve into the debut album of one of the greatest names in the post-rock front.
1. Karelia (Opus 2) (12:30)
The album opens with calm introduction played with clean, delay-heavy guitars that fade in very slowly. However, very quickly this song opens up into a Mono regular: distinct guitar textures, frenetic drumming and finally a massive, fuzz-heavy wall-of-sound guitar.
The song goes through its massive ups and fragile, cello-tinted downs with ease, carefully using the whole dynamic range. Even when my speakers are almost up to eleven, the interlude in the middle is pretty damn quiet, until interrupted by wailing guitar bends that kick the song into full speed once again.
"Karelia (Opus 2)" is both one of the few somehow Finland-related tracks, and an excellent Mono song. It is a perfect example what post-rock is all about: making the song a real rollercoaster using both slow and quiet parts, contrasted with massive and crushing parts. The song is well over 10 minutes long, yet it always feels to be of excellent length - too short, if anything.
For some time, this remained as one of my most favorite Mono songs. It still is pretty amazing, but I really can't give it full points as I know there are even better ones out there.
9/10
2. The Kidnapper Bell (10:00)
As "Karelia" fades out, The Kidnapper Bell starts to fade in - and as slowly as the starter. With Mono in lead, there's no need to rush. The songs take several minutes to open and once they do, they feel like they could contain a lifetime of music yet never making me feel bored. The Kidnapper Bell is a song song in this vein - melodies of intricate beauty, held steady with melodic bass lines and rock-steady drumming. The further the song goes, the more it feels that the song takes up the whole aural atmosphere and fills everything with interweaving, harmonious textures.
Especially the latter half is really massive, almost crushing with its immense heaviness (not in heavy-metal way) created by pulsating bass guitar chords and Goto's trademark guitar wall-of-sound.
"The Kidnapper Bell" really has no distinct, sing-along melodies, yet it is one of their most amazing works to this date being made of musical beauty of almost unreal quality. It is incredible to see how Goto has been one of the most stunning post-rock composers all the way from their first full-length album.
10/10
3. Jackie Says (7:31)
Though not kicking in at full speed, "Jackie Says" still shows it true colors a bit faster than the two previous ones did - and is also a bit lighter than those two darker songs. "Jackie Says" sways on with slow, massive pace in which heavy bass chords are contrasted with light and twangy guitar melodies and harmonies.
However, as post-rock is more about soundscapes than compositions, this song seems a bit "hollow" due to its lack of midranges. The guitars twinkle and wail at high registers, while the bass pounds the low ones, but this song seems to be lacking the massiveness up until the final quarter, making this song feel a bit unbalanced. But maybe I've just grown too accustomed to the regular Mono sound and when they want to do something otherwise, it just doesn't hit the spot for me.
Anyways, a nice song, but I must say it lacks that special something that many Mono songs have.
7/10
4. OP Beach (5:48)
The guitar-drums-duet opening "OP Beach" evolve quickly into a slow, fragile swayer of strong melancholic feel. A sorrowful and somehow nostalgic piece yet not lacking in hope. A great song showcasing that Mono don't need to use wah-fuzz-delay combo in every song - they can make tremendous songs only with a couple of clean guitars backed by bass and drums.
9/10
5. Holy (1:40)
"Holy" is more of an interlude than a song, consisting of a melancholic guitar melody played with reverse delay, suddenly creating an unreal, even a bit eerie atmosphere right after the soothing "OP Beach". However, a nice intermission that remains enjoyable because of its moderate duration.
9/10
6. Error #9 (12:30)
Another really lengthy piece that begins with quiet, atmospheric effects that mask the sound of guitar completely until another distinct guitar melody with the bass appear.
"Error #9" is another very Mono-esque track with pulsating rhythm created with the steady teamwork by Kunishi and Takada, on which the guitars weave aural bliss with delay-heavy guitars. These guys really seem to have the uncanny ability to know when to remain quiet and when to crush everything in sight with unrelenting sonic onslaught. Especially the quieter parts which are very bass-driven moments are really enjoyable, even though the whole song is as great as any Mono track.
The whole first, quiet half of the song serves as a contrast to the suddenly exploding loud part that encompasses the latter half almost completely, making this song into a combination of two distinct and unlike phases that still work together seamlessly. Together they make an amazing song, whereas both separately would be pretty great but a lot more one-sided, unbalanced.
10/10
7. L'America (4:37)
Another soothing slow-tempo track. Remaining bright and peaceful throughout, it works as a great counterpart to the preceding heavy part of "Error #9". It really doesn't go anywhere, just lulls around in a peaceful sway, though having a short climatic moment somewhere in its last third.
As a relatively short song - taking the average song length in this album into consideration - this song serves purpose both as a separate song and as an interlude between two lengthier tracks. All in all, a short but very enjoyable piece.
9/10
8. Human Highway (9:05)
The album closes with another lengthy epic, "Human Highway". It doesn't add anything new to the Mono palette, it simply does what the band is good at.
A small deviation from the general sound is the inclusion of a cello; bringing more depth and warmth to the already-winsome sound of the band.
"Human Highway" is a gentle giant, having layers upon layers of melodic guitar textures and rumbling bass chords intertwined with soft cello melodies. Once again, dynamic scale is used to the full extent to underline the emotional climaxes and to bring peace to the calmer moments. A perfect way to end the album; "Human Highway" never reaches a full-scale wall-of-sound crusher, but takes a turn to the quieter direction in place of it, and starts to slowly die out, until only a handful of silent notes linger on.
9/10
***
Final Verdict
Under the Pipal Tree is incredibly mature for a debut album, full of instrumental bliss from the beginning to the end. Instead of emphasizing rock instrumentation performed in post-rock aesthetics, Mono use their instruments and composition to create a blend of rock and classical music. With Godspeed You! Black Emperor's work, this album is a benchmark for post-rock bands that don't just play instrumental rock music, but also put on a great deal of emphasis on the dynamics and the dramatic play of the songs.
But also being a noteworthy album, it is also a very enjoyable and impressive one. Though the songs together aren't as coherent as the ones in the later albums, they are amazing post-rock songs on their own, and though Mono has done some really impressive works later on, their debut album is not overshadowed by them, and still remains as outstanding as ever. Under the Pipal Tree is really a "must" album for any post-rock listener.
Score: 90/100
In a nutshell, this is an album full of lengthy, completely instrumental songs, and even though an occasional cello in two of the songs can be heard, all of them are performed with traditional rock outfit - bass, drums and two guitars - yet more connections to classical music can be made than to rock music.
Now we shall delve into the debut album of one of the greatest names in the post-rock front.
1. Karelia (Opus 2) (12:30)
The album opens with calm introduction played with clean, delay-heavy guitars that fade in very slowly. However, very quickly this song opens up into a Mono regular: distinct guitar textures, frenetic drumming and finally a massive, fuzz-heavy wall-of-sound guitar.
The song goes through its massive ups and fragile, cello-tinted downs with ease, carefully using the whole dynamic range. Even when my speakers are almost up to eleven, the interlude in the middle is pretty damn quiet, until interrupted by wailing guitar bends that kick the song into full speed once again.
"Karelia (Opus 2)" is both one of the few somehow Finland-related tracks, and an excellent Mono song. It is a perfect example what post-rock is all about: making the song a real rollercoaster using both slow and quiet parts, contrasted with massive and crushing parts. The song is well over 10 minutes long, yet it always feels to be of excellent length - too short, if anything.
For some time, this remained as one of my most favorite Mono songs. It still is pretty amazing, but I really can't give it full points as I know there are even better ones out there.
9/10
2. The Kidnapper Bell (10:00)
As "Karelia" fades out, The Kidnapper Bell starts to fade in - and as slowly as the starter. With Mono in lead, there's no need to rush. The songs take several minutes to open and once they do, they feel like they could contain a lifetime of music yet never making me feel bored. The Kidnapper Bell is a song song in this vein - melodies of intricate beauty, held steady with melodic bass lines and rock-steady drumming. The further the song goes, the more it feels that the song takes up the whole aural atmosphere and fills everything with interweaving, harmonious textures.
Especially the latter half is really massive, almost crushing with its immense heaviness (not in heavy-metal way) created by pulsating bass guitar chords and Goto's trademark guitar wall-of-sound.
"The Kidnapper Bell" really has no distinct, sing-along melodies, yet it is one of their most amazing works to this date being made of musical beauty of almost unreal quality. It is incredible to see how Goto has been one of the most stunning post-rock composers all the way from their first full-length album.
10/10
3. Jackie Says (7:31)
Though not kicking in at full speed, "Jackie Says" still shows it true colors a bit faster than the two previous ones did - and is also a bit lighter than those two darker songs. "Jackie Says" sways on with slow, massive pace in which heavy bass chords are contrasted with light and twangy guitar melodies and harmonies.
However, as post-rock is more about soundscapes than compositions, this song seems a bit "hollow" due to its lack of midranges. The guitars twinkle and wail at high registers, while the bass pounds the low ones, but this song seems to be lacking the massiveness up until the final quarter, making this song feel a bit unbalanced. But maybe I've just grown too accustomed to the regular Mono sound and when they want to do something otherwise, it just doesn't hit the spot for me.
Anyways, a nice song, but I must say it lacks that special something that many Mono songs have.
7/10
4. OP Beach (5:48)
The guitar-drums-duet opening "OP Beach" evolve quickly into a slow, fragile swayer of strong melancholic feel. A sorrowful and somehow nostalgic piece yet not lacking in hope. A great song showcasing that Mono don't need to use wah-fuzz-delay combo in every song - they can make tremendous songs only with a couple of clean guitars backed by bass and drums.
9/10
5. Holy (1:40)
"Holy" is more of an interlude than a song, consisting of a melancholic guitar melody played with reverse delay, suddenly creating an unreal, even a bit eerie atmosphere right after the soothing "OP Beach". However, a nice intermission that remains enjoyable because of its moderate duration.
9/10
6. Error #9 (12:30)
Another really lengthy piece that begins with quiet, atmospheric effects that mask the sound of guitar completely until another distinct guitar melody with the bass appear.
"Error #9" is another very Mono-esque track with pulsating rhythm created with the steady teamwork by Kunishi and Takada, on which the guitars weave aural bliss with delay-heavy guitars. These guys really seem to have the uncanny ability to know when to remain quiet and when to crush everything in sight with unrelenting sonic onslaught. Especially the quieter parts which are very bass-driven moments are really enjoyable, even though the whole song is as great as any Mono track.
The whole first, quiet half of the song serves as a contrast to the suddenly exploding loud part that encompasses the latter half almost completely, making this song into a combination of two distinct and unlike phases that still work together seamlessly. Together they make an amazing song, whereas both separately would be pretty great but a lot more one-sided, unbalanced.
10/10
7. L'America (4:37)
Another soothing slow-tempo track. Remaining bright and peaceful throughout, it works as a great counterpart to the preceding heavy part of "Error #9". It really doesn't go anywhere, just lulls around in a peaceful sway, though having a short climatic moment somewhere in its last third.
As a relatively short song - taking the average song length in this album into consideration - this song serves purpose both as a separate song and as an interlude between two lengthier tracks. All in all, a short but very enjoyable piece.
9/10
8. Human Highway (9:05)
The album closes with another lengthy epic, "Human Highway". It doesn't add anything new to the Mono palette, it simply does what the band is good at.
A small deviation from the general sound is the inclusion of a cello; bringing more depth and warmth to the already-winsome sound of the band.
"Human Highway" is a gentle giant, having layers upon layers of melodic guitar textures and rumbling bass chords intertwined with soft cello melodies. Once again, dynamic scale is used to the full extent to underline the emotional climaxes and to bring peace to the calmer moments. A perfect way to end the album; "Human Highway" never reaches a full-scale wall-of-sound crusher, but takes a turn to the quieter direction in place of it, and starts to slowly die out, until only a handful of silent notes linger on.
9/10
***
Final Verdict
Under the Pipal Tree is incredibly mature for a debut album, full of instrumental bliss from the beginning to the end. Instead of emphasizing rock instrumentation performed in post-rock aesthetics, Mono use their instruments and composition to create a blend of rock and classical music. With Godspeed You! Black Emperor's work, this album is a benchmark for post-rock bands that don't just play instrumental rock music, but also put on a great deal of emphasis on the dynamics and the dramatic play of the songs.
But also being a noteworthy album, it is also a very enjoyable and impressive one. Though the songs together aren't as coherent as the ones in the later albums, they are amazing post-rock songs on their own, and though Mono has done some really impressive works later on, their debut album is not overshadowed by them, and still remains as outstanding as ever. Under the Pipal Tree is really a "must" album for any post-rock listener.
Score: 90/100
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