It’s been far too long since the last Mono record. At least three years, right? What was that one called, anyway? I can see the artwork in my head, but I can’t remember the title. Oh, You Are There. That album was a step back for the band. “Yearning” was a tremendous song, but as far as my tastes are concerned, I continue to return to Walking Cloud and Deep Red Sky, Flag Fluttered and the Sun Shined when I want to listen to Mono. A few weeks ago, the lead track from the band’s upcoming album Hymn To The Immortal Wind was made available by the band’s record label, Temporary Residence. This morning when I went to check my mail there was a glorious surprise hidden beneath the bills, tax forms and Jana’s latest Netflix rental: the new Mono album. Quicker than you can say, “Why don’t you listen to it and tell us all about it,” Ian started begging me to rip the contents of the album so that he could hear it. Several hours later, while I was sitting at work, I decided, “Alright, I’ll listen to the album and review it.” Eventually I arrived back at my apartment and sat down for my first encounter with Hymn To The Immortal Wind.
“Ashes In The Snow” — which I have already once posted for your listening pleasure — is a stunning opener, one which sent chills through my spine in the same way “COM?” did when I first heard it in 2003 and “16.12” did in 2004. The power and grandeur of the 28-piece chamber orchestra that plays along with the band is felt immediately. “Ashes In The Snow” is, perhaps, one of the band’s finest-ever compositions, containing all the elements of a classic “Post-Rock” song. Their ability to meld dynamic shifts, lush orchestrations and sweeping crescendos into lengthy pieces that never feel long undoubtedly earns Mono a place among the canonic bands of the genre.
“Burial At Sea” is a slow-churning, darkened war cry whose title could not be more apt. It begins with a nearly six minute-long swell juxtaposed to thunderous, tom-heavy drums. The transitional section, with its interwoven guitars spiraling around one another, is eerily reminiscent of the equally-oceanic Explosions In The Sky tune “Six Days At The Bottom Of The Ocean.” The ensuing track, “Silent Flight, Sleeping Dawn,” relies heavily on the urgent, frantic conclusion of its predecessor. Although it comes off like a poor attempt to recreate the pretty, simple piano piece “A Thousand Paper Cranes” from Walking Cloud…, the orchestra shines and adds a unique dimension that the aforementioned song does not contain.
After the feedback and white noise freak-out which concludes “Pure As Snow (Trails Of The Winter Storm),” the short (it clocks in at under four minutes!), strings-heavy “Follow The Map” offers a moment to reflect on shimmering shimmery shimmers (also piano) before commencing with a pair of ten-minute-plus songs to close the record. I was reading something during “The Battle To Heaven,” so I can’t honestly comment on whether it was good or bad. It was just kind of there, in the background, plodding along and not grabbing my attention (but also not grabbing my attention for totally sucking!). Eh, the last three minutes of the song kind of suck. What’s with that drumbeat? It sounds…wrong.
The final track, “Everlasting Light,” is pretty good, in a the-movie-is-ending, watch-this-360-degree-crane-shot-of-two-people-making-out-on-a-mountaintop-while-the-music-plays kind of way. There are ten seconds of silence at the end of the track that would have been the perfect place to insert a joke ending, but I guess no one thought that would be funny. You know what I mean, right? The song stops on a dime, then you wait ten seconds and have the full band plus the orchestra hit one more final note? It’d be funny! I’d laugh…
I’m getting a little tired of this review. This will probably be the last time I ever try to review an album while listening to it for the first time. It’s never wise to journalize [sic] without allowing the subject matter to sink in and affect you. Also, I could have spent the last sixty minutes stalking old flings on Facebook or making predictions about LOST.
The new Mono record, Hymn To The Immortal Wind, will be released on March 24th by Temporary Residence. It was recorded in Chicago by Steve Albini. When I interviewed Steve in 2006 I asked him about a wicked rumor I’d heard, which implied that Mono decided to no longer record in America because the language barrier was too complex and it led to communication problems. He answered that I should “Shut up” and then hurled a bunch of poker chips and Veleno guitars at me. Just kidding! He’s not at all an asshole. In fact, he politely answered my question by telling me in no exact terms that rumors are rumors for a reason! I think we all learned a valuable lesson that day. Seeing as how he engineered this record, I guess he and Mono will continue their recording partnership, perhaps forever. If not, then they won’t.
Mono – Ashes In The Snow
Mono – The Battle To Heaven
