MONO, Japan's post-rock monolith
You've never heard the glockenspiel until you've seen these guys live
On Wednesday Lullaby Entertainment, which brought us Mogwai, Kings of Convenience and Vampire Weekend, is treating us to the second concert of post-rock magnificence, Mono, at the National Theatre.
The eerie yet gravitating post-rock band formed in 1999 in Tokyo. Takaakira Goto, Hideki Suematsu and Tamaki Kunishi all play guitar, Tamaki switches from guitar to bass to piano, and Yasunori Takada handles the drums and synthesiser – and they all play the glockenspiel. These guys spent 1999 to 2003 touring Asia, Europe and North America continuously.
Their debut album, “Under the Pipal Tree”, came out in 2001 to critical acclaim, as did “One Step More and You Die” the following year. From 2004 to 2007, Mono was with the label Temporary Residence Limited, releasing the studio albums “Walking Cloud”, “Deep Red Sky, Flag Fluttered and the Sun Shined” and “You Are There” amid all that touring.
They took 2008 off, then stormed back with “Hymn to the Immortal Wind” and another tour that produced the 2010 live album “Holy Ground: NYC Live With the Wordless Music Orchestra”. Last October brought their sixth studio album, “For My Parents”.
People call the music minimalist, shoe-gazing and experimental, but the influence comes from both contemporary and classical music. Increasingly popular throughout their 10-year career, Mono assures massive record sales and concert attendance.
Successfully translating their powerful and violently beautiful live performances to record is no easy feat. Despite their albums’ masterful subtleties and majestic walls of noise, the consensus remains that their transcendent live shows are simply insurmountable.
After Bangkok, they continue on to Kuala Lumpur and Bandung, Indonesia.
