Four Japanese guys
mic'ed up by Steve Albini
quiet loud quiet

Mono provide complex instrumental compositions in the same vein as Godspeed You! Black Emperor or Mogwai. Clocking in at exactly one hour, You Are There explores the peaks and valleys of serenity and turbulence, happiness and sadness, often at the same time.

Although there are a pair of three-minute tracks on the album, there's no pop to be found here. The boys of Mono take their time building up a song, sweeping from fragile string melodies to tremolo whirlwinds, smashing things up with a flurry of percussion, and slowly descending, paving the way for the next interlude.

Despite the classical base that Mono draw from, there's no doubt as to their place in time: there's enough distortion on the album to keep you from falling asleep, and it is used to good effect for the most part, but might be a little over the top if you're listening on a treble-heavy setup.

It's difficult to discern the mood of the album. As a happy melody progresses, it often slips back into the melancholy, only to dust itself off and tilt optimistic. For every sleepy rumination, there is a nightmare of ridden cymbals and faded, sustained guitar griding through the soundscape.

Behind it all, there is some seriously impressive composition and performance to be found on You Are There. There are no flaws dragging down the album's depth and no reliance on clichés: Mono is its own beast, and fans of the genre should not be disappointed.
www.age.fm/~sound/mono
www.temporaryresidence.com

Listen to a song from this album in our Radio section!

Joe Luchansky

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 Past Constructive Criticism

Joe posted the following Constructive Criticism: James -- you'll forgive my attempt to review the musical content of the album and not scrutinize the sex composition of the group. You'd do well to look to Sam's post for the proper way to bring a man to his ignorance and not sound like a pent-up geek. Hot female bass player noted. Rock on, Mono.

Sam posted the following Constructive Criticism: Brilliant review and i'm left with high hopes about this album - expecting it on my doorstep in 10 days time.And yep, Mono's bass player is a woman (and a very beautiful one too!)

eduardo torres posted the following Constructive Criticism: disco de mono maquina, estoy llorando, alucinando. Desde el sur del mundo (chile;Lanco) un amen a los salvadores del post rock MONO

James posted the following Constructive Criticism: You know the band is made up of 3 men and a woman don't you?