Mono, Hymn To The Immortal Wind

Mono
Hymn To The Immortal Wind
Temporary Residence

There are myriad differences between classical music and most other types of music, but one of the main differences is that, while most other forms of music are circular — meaning that they’re made up of repeating parts (e.g. verse, chorus, verse, chorus, solo, verse, chorus) — classical music can generally be described as linear, because it starts in one place and ends in a different place, rarely repeating anything. Unlike simple 1-2-1-2 song structures, linear composition goes a long way in making music dramatic: it accentuates the emotive elements of a composition through rising and falling movements.

While the Japanese band Mono is rightfully classified as a rock band rather than a classical ensemble, there’s more than just a shred of that linear nature in their music. The band’s effective modus operandi of imparting drama is plainly evident in long, transitive musical journeys that, despite quietly tense passages of lilting and fluttering guitar and the subtlety powerful underpinning tides of bass and piano, can explode into thunderous rock most often described as massive instrumental metal.

Hymn To The Immortal Wind, Mono’s fifth full-length release, is a natural extension of the band’s oeuvre — the sound is so signature that fans will undoubtedly find plenty of familiarity in the record’s seven tracks, and per usual, only two of these songs clock in at less than 10 minutes — but it also just might be their most ambitious release to date. Employing a 28-piece chamber orchestra to augment the group’s already epic musical movements, the traditionally dilatory, subtly complex and slowly building progressions are that much more dramatic, which sets even grander stage for the explosive riffage that inevitably follows. It creates gigantically anthemic songs like “Burial At Sea” and inspirational rolling tunes like “The Battle For Heaven.” The one notable exception on the album is “Follow The Map,” a four-minute number that makes the most of the accompanying orchestra, in concert with upfront guitar playing — assertive slide set against somber picking, as tasteful as it is masterful — to paint a scene that, despite the song’s melodramatic peak courtesy of a swirling string section, never does build to a cacophonous rock crescendo. It makes the record that much more dynamic.

It’s Mono’s ability to slide deftly from the clean, clear and quiet to crashing, crushing volume that establishes this band as the frontrunner of the quiet / loud rock pack, and adds a very soundtrack-y vibe to everything they do. That’s where the linear classical music vibe comes from — these songs tell stories with true arc.

Mono, “Burial At Sea,” Hymn To The Immortal Wind:

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On a personal note, the first (and last) time I saw the Japanese quartet perform live was at The Independent in San Francisco a couple of years ago, where they played with High On Fire, who were wrapping up a long US tour with a headlining slot at a hometown show (sort of…they’re from Oakland). I was totally amazed that night not only by Mono’s massive sound and perfect performance, but also by the fact that they held a room full of rabid, local High On Fire fans completely, silently entranced for over an hour. I’ve never seen so many bearded, toothless jaws on the floor — a ringing endorsement if ever there was one.