Even people not very much interested in post-rock music usually know who MONO are. The Japanese band is one of the best recognizable one within the genre and there's little point in explaining who they are here. However, I couldn't not mention their new album Pilgrimage of the Soul on the blog, it's too big of an event this year to skip it.
MONO have also one of the most recognizable and characteristic sounds in the post-rock community. It's easy to guess you are listening to the Japanese band when you here the long compositions that usually slowly grow in power to have the whole might finally released on the listener while at the same time can be shockingly beautiful thanks to the use of piano and string instruments. They have also this peculiar vibe of being slightly lo-fi - and this is the only thing I don't like about their music. I'd rather enjoy their sound in the highest quality possible. Still, their music is nothing less than phenomenal and on the new album they only prove it for the 11th time.
It starts with a real earthquake in the rapid audio storm in Riptide and its continuation in Imperfect Things only to die down to the subtlest levels in Heaven in a Wild Flower. This shows how versatile the band is, what a multitude of emotions they can express with sound on a single album and even within a single track, especially well-audible in the album's longest Hold Infinity in the Palm of Your Hand. And everything they do feels so massive and crushingly important, no wonder every piece of new music from MONO makes me excited.
Pilgrimage of the Soul costs whatever you want to pay.
Check: Riptide
Country: Japan
Genre: massive post-rock
Label: Pelagic Records
