Mono, 'Hymn to the Immortal Wind' (Temporary Residence Ltd.)
Sadly, Friday Night Lights already has a soundtrack.
By Andy Beta 05.20.09 5:18 PM
At some point in the last decade, the open-endedness suggested by the term "post-rock" narrowed down to a form more constricting than "12-bar blues," the rhythmic playfulness of Tortoise becoming the solemn portent of Explosions in the Sky. Japan's Mono share both a label and aesthetic with the latter -- Hymn's plodding quiet-LOUD-quiet dynamics and wordless minor-key dirges repeatedly force you to wait before they finally turn major. Opener "Ashes in the Snow" and "The Battle to Heaven" invoke the CinemaScope bombast of Ennio Morricone, but even their added orchestral heft barely nudges Mono out of a windy, instrumental morass.
Listen: Mono, "Ashes in the Snow" (DOWNLOAD MP3)
When you listen to this AND Explosions in the Sky, you might have to remember there is more to what you are hearing than just music. Ever since my introduction listening to You Are There, I found something other than just the music. With You are There, it sounds like it starts with the midnight turning from dawn to light morning, back to night. The concept was a whole day in an hour (60:03 in my CD player). Hymn to the Immortal Wind is again more than just the music. The music felt "cold", so I kept listening only to discover the concept was the wintertime. Just listen deeper and let your imagination wander, and there will always reveal more.
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