Japanese act makes spacey, epic jamsSoft music proves its value with Japanese outfit Mono’s soon-to-be-released fifth CD, just in time to meet a 10-year anniversary deadline.
Mono’s Hymn to the Immortal Wind follows a pattern similar to Sigur Ros. The songs sound very calm, very hopeful and even romantic. Both bands fill records with epic songs that have a sweet, little beginning that leads up to the more dramatic climax and ending.
The differences between Mono and the Icelandic band Sigur Ros, though, are that Sigur Ros actually uses words — not English ones, though — and that Mono is a Japanese group. Different sides of the globe seem to breed different sounds.
Watch for the instrument variety alert: Japan’s instruments are based in the lute and banjo sections more often than not. Also, there seems to be a specific sound and beat that always brings cherry blossoms to mind in Japanese music.
Along with this traditional peaceful ring, Mono has the majesty of an orchestra. Piano, organ and the instruments with odd-on-your-tongue names like glockenspiel and tympani all show up under the band’s musically inclined belts.
Mono doesn’t sound like anything typically heard on the radio. Or like what teens will blast during parties. Rather, the CD encompasses the vision of a symphony visiting Heinz Hall.
Mono’s 10th anniversary album starts out pretty. “Ashes In The Snow” host’s tiny bell-like chimes that are graceful, soft and deserves the meek word, “pretty.”
Listeners who would rather create a story than be told one will find this appealing — the songs are all instrumental. They are lyric-free, an empty canvas ready to be filled.
Of course, there are title limitations. One of the more electrifying and drum-driven song hosts the title “Burial at Sea,” so there might not be much imagining unless it involves the Black Pearl. Other restrictively inspiring track names include “Follow the Map” and “The Battle to Heaven.”
Each poetic title belongs to a song Pittsburgh’s own symphony might be proud of. Emphasis on might — the Pittsburgh Symphony does not allow guitars quite yet.
The pretty tracks are also pretty long — an average of 11 minutes long. Do the lengthy songs wear out the listener, though? Not exactly. While 11 minutes is a long time to pay attention to anything, the band’s steady flow of repeated melodies and building musical intensities keep things interesting.
Of the seven songs featured, five are over 10 minutes long. So patience is not a virtue, it’s a necessity. Hardcore head-bang fans will find this to be a brand new experience and maybe not an appealing one — too slow, too beautiful. But Mono was never shooting for that type of listener.
Fans of Sigur Ros will feel the opposite.
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