My definitive lineup:
Yoda - Guitars
Kunishi Tamaki - Bass, piano
Takada Yasunori - Drums
Goto Takaakira - Guitars
Japanese Mono have been one of the forerunners of bands who create music that is as much rock music as it is classical yet not being either one of them. Though not as influential as the great godfather of post-rock, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Mono is still one of the most recognized names in the world of post-rock.
During their first albums the band named some shoegaze bands as their greatest influences, which can be heard especially from their earlier music - it lends much from earlier post-rock bands, yet it nods to the direction of instrumental shoegaze as well. However, during their last few albums they have drawn heavy influence from classical music, which is underlined with the use of a chamber orchestra in their 2009 album, Hymn to the Immortal Wind. Despite this, their songs have always been very reminiscent of classical music - with the exception that it is played with traditional rock instruments. The songs are usually very long, having very minimalist composition, being based more on repetition and introduction of new layers of instrumentation instead of changing riffs and catchy melodies. Also many times leitmotif-type ideas are introduced and varied throughout the song, in vein of classical music. The main difference between their early and later works is that their earlier works are mostly bright, pretty and somehow nostalgic, whereas the couple more recent albums are dripping with intense melancholy and sorrow, borderlining between pathetic movie music and breathtakingly beautiful contemporary classical music.
I've heard some people grouping Mono together with the so-called "quiet/loud/quiet"-post-rock bands, which superficially may be true, but most of these bands base their music on simply parts that are loud and heavy and parts that are quiet and calm, which then are contrasted one after another. How Mono then differs from these bands, is the use of full dynamic spectrum in their music - the loud and heavy parts don't come right after the quiet ones, or the other way around, but instead slowly grow and evolve from them, making it occasionally impossible to point out when the quiet movement turned into a loud one.
To this day Mono's line-up has remained unchanged, and the band is led by their main composer and guitarist Goto Takaakira. One of the main distinctive feature of Mono's sound is Goto's, and their rhythm guitarist Yoda's, extensive use of delay and reverb, creating a dreamy and wavy feel to the songs. Also Mono seems to have polished the incredibly massive wall-of-sound guitar assault to the brightest already during their first works. Fuzz-and-delay-heavy guitar sound that is tremolo-picked creates this massive guitar noise that sounds more like a distorted, bowed instrument than a regular guitar lead, creating a massive sound that is perfect to underline an important crescendo part during a lengthy song. It was used already during their debut album and to this date it remains probably the single most important feature of the so-called recognizable Mono-sound - even though it also has become one of the most mimicked features of the modern quiet/loud/quiet bands.
Also after having seen one of their live shows, I must point out that these guys really put on an impressive show. It seems to be impossible that a band of which only one person (bassist Kunishi Tamaki) is standing up - rest of them playing seated - could play with such intensity, but it is really possible. During the quiet parts the players are almost still, only moving a little to the rhythm, but once the songs reach their climax, the players heave and sway frantically, as if in trance in which they don't move to the music, but the music moves them. Combined with the incredible sound and soundscapes they create, Mono is truly an instrumental band that needs to be seen.
During their first albums the band named some shoegaze bands as their greatest influences, which can be heard especially from their earlier music - it lends much from earlier post-rock bands, yet it nods to the direction of instrumental shoegaze as well. However, during their last few albums they have drawn heavy influence from classical music, which is underlined with the use of a chamber orchestra in their 2009 album, Hymn to the Immortal Wind. Despite this, their songs have always been very reminiscent of classical music - with the exception that it is played with traditional rock instruments. The songs are usually very long, having very minimalist composition, being based more on repetition and introduction of new layers of instrumentation instead of changing riffs and catchy melodies. Also many times leitmotif-type ideas are introduced and varied throughout the song, in vein of classical music. The main difference between their early and later works is that their earlier works are mostly bright, pretty and somehow nostalgic, whereas the couple more recent albums are dripping with intense melancholy and sorrow, borderlining between pathetic movie music and breathtakingly beautiful contemporary classical music.
I've heard some people grouping Mono together with the so-called "quiet/loud/quiet"-post-rock bands, which superficially may be true, but most of these bands base their music on simply parts that are loud and heavy and parts that are quiet and calm, which then are contrasted one after another. How Mono then differs from these bands, is the use of full dynamic spectrum in their music - the loud and heavy parts don't come right after the quiet ones, or the other way around, but instead slowly grow and evolve from them, making it occasionally impossible to point out when the quiet movement turned into a loud one.
To this day Mono's line-up has remained unchanged, and the band is led by their main composer and guitarist Goto Takaakira. One of the main distinctive feature of Mono's sound is Goto's, and their rhythm guitarist Yoda's, extensive use of delay and reverb, creating a dreamy and wavy feel to the songs. Also Mono seems to have polished the incredibly massive wall-of-sound guitar assault to the brightest already during their first works. Fuzz-and-delay-heavy guitar sound that is tremolo-picked creates this massive guitar noise that sounds more like a distorted, bowed instrument than a regular guitar lead, creating a massive sound that is perfect to underline an important crescendo part during a lengthy song. It was used already during their debut album and to this date it remains probably the single most important feature of the so-called recognizable Mono-sound - even though it also has become one of the most mimicked features of the modern quiet/loud/quiet bands.
Also after having seen one of their live shows, I must point out that these guys really put on an impressive show. It seems to be impossible that a band of which only one person (bassist Kunishi Tamaki) is standing up - rest of them playing seated - could play with such intensity, but it is really possible. During the quiet parts the players are almost still, only moving a little to the rhythm, but once the songs reach their climax, the players heave and sway frantically, as if in trance in which they don't move to the music, but the music moves them. Combined with the incredible sound and soundscapes they create, Mono is truly an instrumental band that needs to be seen.
***
My top-10 list of songs that are worth checking out:
2 Candles, 1 Wish
Burial at Sea
COM(?)
Error #9
Halcyon (Beautiful Days)
Halo
The Battle to Heaven
The Flames Beyond the Cold Mountain
The Kidnapper Bell
Yearning
***
Reviewed albums:
Under the Pipal Tree (2001) - 90/100
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