Mono (Japanese band)
Encyclopedia
Mono are a Japanese post rock band, formed in 1999 in Tokyo
, Kantō
, Honshū
. The band consists of Takaakira Goto (electric guitar, glockenspiel), Yoda (electric guitar, glockenspiel), Tamaki Kunishi (bass guitar, electric guitar, piano, glockenspiel), and Yasunori Takada (drum kit, glockenspiel, synthesizer).
Mono have released five studio albums. The band spent their early years, from 1999 to 2003, touring Asia, Europe, and America continuously, and released two studio albums, Under the Pipal Tree (2001) and One Step More and You Die (2002) on the Tzadik
and Music Mine Inc. record labels, respectively. From 2004 to 2007, Mono signed to Temporary Residence Limited
, released two more studio albums, Walking Cloud and Deep Red Sky, Flag Fluttered and the Sun Shined (2004) and You Are There (2006), and toured worldwide in their support. In 2008, the band took a break, returning one year later with a new studio album, Hymn to the Immortal Wind (2009), also on Temporary Residence Limited. During the tour that followed they recorded Holy Ground: NYC Live With The Wordless Music Orchestra which was released in 2010.
The band's style of post rock music is influenced by the genres of experimental rock
and shoegazing
, as well as by both the classical
and contemporary classical
periods of classical music
, and also by noise
and minimalism
. Mono's sound is characterised by the lead and rhythm guitars of Goto and Yoda respectively, both of whom make extensive use of reverb
, distortion and delay
effects. The band's live performances are noted for their intensity, both in the playing and in the dynamics
.
. In May 2000, the band entered Rinky Dink Studio in Tokyo and recorded their first extended play with engineers Tetsuya Morioka and Toshiro Kai, which was later self-released in September 2000; a Japan-only release titled Hey, You
on their own independent record label, Forty-4. The band spent the bulk of the year composing more music and performing live at various live houses around Tokyo, in the neighbourhoods of Setagaya, Shimokitazawa
, and Shibuya
. Mono also travelled to the United States
to play a one-off show in November at the Mercury Lounge
in New York
; a show which was later described by Paul Wheeler of rockofjapan.com as having a "big beautiful sound that [...] naturally [expanded] through each song."
and Sweden
. The band also made an appearance at the 2001 South by Southwest
music festival in Austin, Texas
. Between performing in Japan, Mono recorded their first studio album, Under the Pipal Tree
at Studio Take-1 and Forty-4 in Tokyo. The majority of the tracks were recorded live (a trend which the band would adopt for all subsequent studio albums) in one day, the recording session of which was funded by experimental American musician John Zorn
, with the band handling production duties. The album featured two previously released tracks (from the Hey, You extended play), as well as six original compositions. The album was released worldwide through New York City
record label Tzadik
, owned and operated by John Zorn.
at Little Bach and Sound City studios in Tokyo, with Mono again handling production duties. The album was released in Japan in October of that year on Japanese record label Music Mine Inc. The band spent most of 2003 touring in support of the album, returning to Japan, the United States, Sweden, and visiting Canada, Switzerland, Belgium, Hungary, the Netherlands, France, and the United Kingdom for the first time.
, Jackie-O Motherfucker
, and Loren Connors) remixed One Step More and You Die. The album, titled New York Soundtracks, was released in February 2004 on Human Highway, Mono's own record label, and a successor to Forty-4.
In January 2004, the band began a long partnership with Chicagoan recording engineer Steve Albini
, recording their third studio album at Electrical Audio Engineering in Chicago, Illinois. The album, titled Walking Cloud and Deep Red Sky, Flag Fluttered and the Sun Shined
was released in April 2004 on Human Highway in Japan, and on Rykodisk in Europe and Temporary Residence Limited in the United States later in the year. After the album's release, the band embarked upon a year-long tour of America, Asia, and Europe.
in 2005, releasing a collaboration studio album in December of that year, on Human Highway, and with American band Pelican
, releasing a split album with the band through Temporary Residence Limited in October 2005.
Mono spent 2006 and 2007 touring Asia, America and Europe in support of You Are There. In October 2006, the band returned to Electrical Audio Engineering and recorded a four-track extended play, which was released in April 2007 as part of Temporary Residence Limited's Travels in Constants
series, titled The Phoenix Tree. In November 2006, the band released a two-track extended play titled Memorie dal Futuro
through Vinyl Films, and also contributed a track to a Temporary Residence Limited compilation album, Thankful. In September 2007, the band released their first compilation album, compiling material from all previous extended plays, split albums, and compilations, titled Gone: A Collection of EPs 2000–2007
, as well as the music documentary DVD, The Sky Remains the Same as Ever, documenting the worldwide tours of 2006 and 2007 and the recording of The Phoenix Tree extended play.
in Somerset, England, curated by Explosions in the Sky
in May. Mono returned to Electrical Audio Engineering in June and November 2008 to record their fifth studio album, Hymn to the Immortal Wind
, which was later released in March 2009, and followed by a year-long tour of America and Eurasia. The band played a ten year anniversary show at the Society for Ethical Culture Hall in New York, United States on 8 May 2009, accompanied by the 24-piece Wordless Music Orchestra. The performance was recorded and later released as a both a live album
and a DVD
, named Holy Ground: NYC Live With The Wordless Music Orchestra, through Temporary Residence Limited in Europe and America, and Human Highway in Asia. The band has since announced that they will be taking another year-long break and going into "hibernation mode", returning to Japan to work on songs for a new album.
soundscape
s, the majority of which are composed by lead guitarist Takaakira Goto, in an attempt to channel and express the emotions of joy
and sorrow
. The band's style of music originally featured elements of minimalism
and noise, and later developed to integrate more complex, orchestral arrangements and instrumentation. Mono's music has sometimes been categorised as "post-rock
", although the band has expressed discomfort with the term, identifying more with contemporary classical music
.
Mono are primarily a live band, and have toured worldwide several times. Their live show tends to feature intense and emotional playing by the band members, as well as using extreme dynamics (in crescendos as well as diminuendos) in their attempt to create an "unforgettable" live performance. When recording their music, the band has always played live in the studio and, since 2004's Walking Cloud and Deep Red Sky, Flag Fluttered and the Sun Shined, worked with Chicagoan recording engineer Steve Albini
, who they feel accurately captures a live band's "raw emotion to [magnetic] tape
."
and Anglo/Irish shoegaze band My Bloody Valentine when making Under the Pipal Tree and One Step More and You Die. As the band broadened their musical tastes, starting with the album, Walking Cloud and Deep Red Sky, Flag Fluttered and the Sun Shined, they began to draw influence from music by sources such as German classical composer Ludwig van Beethoven
, Italian film score composer Ennio Morricone
, and later Polish minimalist composer Henryk Górecki
, among others. Lead guitarist Takaakira Goto has also acknowledged Danish film director Lars von Trier
(in particular the 1996 film, Breaking the Waves
) as a major influence since the band's formation, in terms of expressing the different depths and heights of emotion.
ist and uses a Fender Jazzmaster
through Boss
, Danelectro
, SiB
, and Morley
effects pedals, into a Fender Twin
, a Marshall JCM 2000
head, and a Marshall cabinet for amplification. Yoda, the rhythm guitarist, uses a Fender Stratocaster
through Boss, Tech 21
, Pro Co
and Electro-Harmonix
effects pedals, into a Fender Twin
and sometimes a Fender Hot Rod DeVille
for amplification. Kunishi, the group's bass guitarist, pianist and occasional guitarist uses a Gibson EB-3
through Boss and Tech 21 effects pedals, into an Ampeg SVT
head and various Sunn and Ampeg bass cabinets, as well as a Fender Rhodes, and a Fender Jazzmaster
. Takada, the drummer, uses a four-piece Ludwig
drum kit, and Paiste
cymbals, as well as a Korg
microKORG
.
As the band's career has progressed, they have incorporated string sections on record, beginning with Under the Pipal Tree, which featured use of cello
, continuing with One Step More and You Die and Walking Cloud and Deep Red Sky, Flag Fluttered and the Sun Shined which both featured string quartets, and You Are There, which featured a string quintet. On Hymn to the Immortal Wind, the band made use of a 28-piece chamber orchestra.
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Kantō
Kanto region
The is a geographical area of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. The region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures: Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba, and Kanagawa. Within its boundaries, slightly more than 40 percent of the land area is the Kantō Plain....
, Honshū
Honshu
is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait...
. The band consists of Takaakira Goto (electric guitar, glockenspiel), Yoda (electric guitar, glockenspiel), Tamaki Kunishi (bass guitar, electric guitar, piano, glockenspiel), and Yasunori Takada (drum kit, glockenspiel, synthesizer).
Mono have released five studio albums. The band spent their early years, from 1999 to 2003, touring Asia, Europe, and America continuously, and released two studio albums, Under the Pipal Tree (2001) and One Step More and You Die (2002) on the Tzadik
Tzadik
Tzadik/Zadik/Sadiq is a title given to personalities in Jewish tradition considered righteous, such as Biblical figures and later spiritual masters. The root of the word ṣadiq, is ṣ-d-q , which means "justice" or "righteousness", also the root of Tzedakah...
and Music Mine Inc. record labels, respectively. From 2004 to 2007, Mono signed to Temporary Residence Limited
Temporary Residence Limited
Temporary Residence Limited is a Brooklyn, New York-based record label. TRL was started in Baltimore, Maryland in late 1995. The label's first release was The Concord Anthology Process/Nero split 7", released April 1, 1996. After moving the operation to Portland, Oregon, owner/operator Jeremy...
, released two more studio albums, Walking Cloud and Deep Red Sky, Flag Fluttered and the Sun Shined (2004) and You Are There (2006), and toured worldwide in their support. In 2008, the band took a break, returning one year later with a new studio album, Hymn to the Immortal Wind (2009), also on Temporary Residence Limited. During the tour that followed they recorded Holy Ground: NYC Live With The Wordless Music Orchestra which was released in 2010.
The band's style of post rock music is influenced by the genres of experimental rock
Experimental rock
Experimental rock or avant-garde rock is a type of music based on rock which experiments with the basic elements of the genre, or which pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique....
and shoegazing
Shoegazing
Shoegazing is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged from the United Kingdom in the late 1980s. It lasted there until the mid 1990s, with a critical zenith reached in 1990 and 1991...
, as well as by both the classical
Classical period (music)
The dates of the Classical Period in Western music are generally accepted as being between about 1750 and 1830. However, the term classical music is used colloquially to describe a variety of Western musical styles from the ninth century to the present, and especially from the sixteenth or...
and contemporary classical
Contemporary classical music
Contemporary classical music can be understood as belonging to the period that started in the mid-1970s with the retreat of modernism. However, the term may also be employed in a broader sense to refer to all post-1945 modern musical forms.-Categorization:...
periods of classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
, and also by noise
Noise music
Noise music is a term used to describe varieties of avant-garde music and sound art that may use elements such as cacophony, dissonance, atonality, noise, indeterminacy, and repetition in their realization. Noise music can feature distortion, various types of acoustically or electronically...
and minimalism
Minimalist music
Minimal music is a style of music associated with the work of American composers La Monte Young, Terry Riley, Steve Reich, and Philip Glass. It originated in the New York Downtown scene of the 1960s and was initially viewed as a form of experimental music called the New York Hypnotic School....
. Mono's sound is characterised by the lead and rhythm guitars of Goto and Yoda respectively, both of whom make extensive use of reverb
Reverberation
Reverberation is the persistence of sound in a particular space after the original sound is removed. A reverberation, or reverb, is created when a sound is produced in an enclosed space causing a large number of echoes to build up and then slowly decay as the sound is absorbed by the walls and air...
, distortion and delay
Delay (audio effect)
Delay is an audio effect which records an input signal to an audio storage medium, and then plays it back after a period of time. The delayed signal may either be played back multiple times, or played back into the recording again, to create the sound of a repeating, decaying echo.-Early delay...
effects. The band's live performances are noted for their intensity, both in the playing and in the dynamics
Dynamics (music)
In music, dynamics normally refers to the volume of a sound or note, but can also refer to every aspect of the execution of a given piece, either stylistic or functional . The term is also applied to the written or printed musical notation used to indicate dynamics...
.
Formation and early years: 1999–2000
In January 1999, Japanese Tokyo-native electric guitarist Takaakira Goto began composing music and spent the remainder of the year searching for other musicians with which to form an instrumental rock band; eventually recruiting long-time friend and fellow electric guitarist Yoda on rhythm guitar. By December 1999, Tamaki Kunishi and Yasunori Takada had joined Mono on bass guitar and drum kit, respectively. The band played their first show in late January 2000, at Club 251 in Setagaya, TokyoSetagaya, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo in Japan. It is also the name of a neighborhood within the ward. The ward calls itself the City of Setagaya in English...
. In May 2000, the band entered Rinky Dink Studio in Tokyo and recorded their first extended play with engineers Tetsuya Morioka and Toshiro Kai, which was later self-released in September 2000; a Japan-only release titled Hey, You
Hey, You
Hey, You is the debut EP of Japanese band Mono. Karelia and L'America appear on Under The Pipal Tree.-Track listing:...
on their own independent record label, Forty-4. The band spent the bulk of the year composing more music and performing live at various live houses around Tokyo, in the neighbourhoods of Setagaya, Shimokitazawa
Shimokitazawa
is a neighborhood in Setagaya, Tokyo. It consists of the neighborhood immediately surrounding Shimo-Kitazawa Station, where the Odakyū and Keiō Inokashira Lines intersect. Also known as "Shimokita", the district is a center for stage theater and live music venues. It is home to the historic Honda...
, and Shibuya
Shibuya, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. As of 2008, it has an estimated population of 208,371 and a population density of 13,540 persons per km². The total area is 15.11 km²....
. Mono also travelled to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to play a one-off show in November at the Mercury Lounge
Mercury Lounge
The Mercury Lounge is a club/music venue, in the Lower East Side section, of New York City. The structure, at 217 East Houston Street, housed the servants to the Astor Mansion, connected to it by an underground labyrinth of tunnels...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
; a show which was later described by Paul Wheeler of rockofjapan.com as having a "big beautiful sound that [...] naturally [expanded] through each song."
Under the Pipal Tree: 2001
Following the release of the Hey, You extended play, Mono spent the next year playing live shows throughout their native Japan, as well as playing several shows in New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. The band also made an appearance at the 2001 South by Southwest
South by Southwest
South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...
music festival in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
. Between performing in Japan, Mono recorded their first studio album, Under the Pipal Tree
Under the Pipal Tree
Under the Pipal Tree is the first full-length album from Japanese post-rock band Mono. It was released in November 2001 on Tzadik Records.-Track listing:...
at Studio Take-1 and Forty-4 in Tokyo. The majority of the tracks were recorded live (a trend which the band would adopt for all subsequent studio albums) in one day, the recording session of which was funded by experimental American musician John Zorn
John Zorn
John Zorn is an American avant-garde composer, arranger, record producer, saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist. Zorn is a prolific artist: he has hundreds of album credits as performer, composer, or producer...
, with the band handling production duties. The album featured two previously released tracks (from the Hey, You extended play), as well as six original compositions. The album was released worldwide through New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
record label Tzadik
Tzadik Records
Tzadik Records is a record label based in New York City specialising in avant-garde and experimental music. The label was established by the eclectic composer and saxophonist John Zorn in 1995; Zorn is the executive producer of all Tzadik releases...
, owned and operated by John Zorn.
One Step More and You Die: 2002–2003
After the release of Under the Pipal Tree, the band spent the next year touring Japan and the United States, also visiting Germany and Taiwan in support of the album, as well as composing new material inspired by the tour. In June 2002, between shows in Japan, the band recorded their second studio album, One Step More and You DieOne Step More and You Die
One Step More and You Die is an album by Mono, released in 2002 on the Arena Rock Recording Co. label. It received generally positive reviews, and met a larger audience than their debut album had.-Tracklist:...
at Little Bach and Sound City studios in Tokyo, with Mono again handling production duties. The album was released in Japan in October of that year on Japanese record label Music Mine Inc. The band spent most of 2003 touring in support of the album, returning to Japan, the United States, Sweden, and visiting Canada, Switzerland, Belgium, Hungary, the Netherlands, France, and the United Kingdom for the first time.
Walking Cloud and Deep Red Sky, Flag Fluttered and the Sun Shined: 2004
Mono's next release was a collaboration with Japanese musician Aki Onda; whom the band met while touring New York in 2002. The band, Onda, and several notable members of the New York experimental music scene (including DJ OliveDJ Olive
DJ Olive is an American disc jockey and turntablist active in free improvisation, jazz and illbient music. He is often credited with coining the latter term....
, Jackie-O Motherfucker
Jackie-O Motherfucker
Jackie-O Motherfucker is an American experimental music group that formed in Portland, Oregon in 1994.-Biography:Jackie-O Motherfucker began as a duo consisting of multi-instrumentalist Tom Greenwood and saxophonist Nester Bucket. The group has had more than forty members drawn from the U.S....
, and Loren Connors) remixed One Step More and You Die. The album, titled New York Soundtracks, was released in February 2004 on Human Highway, Mono's own record label, and a successor to Forty-4.
In January 2004, the band began a long partnership with Chicagoan recording engineer Steve Albini
Steve Albini
Steven Frank Albini is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, audio engineer and music journalist. He was a member of Big Black, Rapeman, and Flour, and is currently a member of Shellac...
, recording their third studio album at Electrical Audio Engineering in Chicago, Illinois. The album, titled Walking Cloud and Deep Red Sky, Flag Fluttered and the Sun Shined
Walking Cloud and Deep Red Sky, Flag Fluttered and the Sun Shined
Walking Cloud and Deep Red Sky, Flag Fluttered and the Sun Shined is an album by Mono, released in 2004.The album comes with origami paper and instructions on how to fold a paper crane, a reference to the last song on the album "A Thousand Paper Cranes"....
was released in April 2004 on Human Highway in Japan, and on Rykodisk in Europe and Temporary Residence Limited in the United States later in the year. After the album's release, the band embarked upon a year-long tour of America, Asia, and Europe.
You Are There: 2005–2007
The band also spent 2005 touring Asia, America, and Europe composing music, and eventually returning to Electrical Audio Engineering in February and September to record their fourth studio album with Steve Albini. The album, titled You Are There was released in Japan in March 2006 on Human Highway, and on Temporary Residence Limited in the United States and Europe. Mono also collaborated with Japanese musician World's End GirlfriendWorld's End Girlfriend
World's End Girlfriend is the musical project of Katsuhiko Maeda, whose work blends elements of electronica, classical music, and post-rock to create a style reminiscent of several other modern day bands.-Band:...
in 2005, releasing a collaboration studio album in December of that year, on Human Highway, and with American band Pelican
Pelican (band)
Pelican is a post-metal quartet from Chicago, Illinois.-Biography and description:The band is known for its dense combinations of different melodies and extended track lengths. Its distinctive sound draws from stoner rock, doom metal, post-rock, and other influences...
, releasing a split album with the band through Temporary Residence Limited in October 2005.
Mono spent 2006 and 2007 touring Asia, America and Europe in support of You Are There. In October 2006, the band returned to Electrical Audio Engineering and recorded a four-track extended play, which was released in April 2007 as part of Temporary Residence Limited's Travels in Constants
Travels in Constants
Travels in Constants is a limited edition collection of 23 EPs issued by American record label Temporary Residence Limited. The label issued one CD from each artist involved in the project, which ran from 1999 until 2007...
series, titled The Phoenix Tree. In November 2006, the band released a two-track extended play titled Memorie dal Futuro
Memorie dal Futuro
-Track listing:-References:...
through Vinyl Films, and also contributed a track to a Temporary Residence Limited compilation album, Thankful. In September 2007, the band released their first compilation album, compiling material from all previous extended plays, split albums, and compilations, titled Gone: A Collection of EPs 2000–2007
Gone (Mono album)
-Notes:* Tracks 1 and 2 are from Hey, You. Track 3 is from the Mono/Pelican split . Tracks 4 and 5 are from the Memorie dal Futuro 10" EP. Track 6 is from Temporary Residence's "Thankful" compilation. Tracks 7, 8, 9, and 10 are all from The Phoenix Tree EP.-External links:*...
, as well as the music documentary DVD, The Sky Remains the Same as Ever, documenting the worldwide tours of 2006 and 2007 and the recording of The Phoenix Tree extended play.
Hymn to the Immortal Wind: 2008–present
In 2008, the band took a year-long break from touring, spending the time composing new music and playing a handful of shows throughout the year, including an appearance at All Tomorrow's PartiesAll Tomorrow's Parties (music festival)
All Tomorrow's Parties is a music festival which takes place at Camber Sands holiday camp in East Sussex and Butlin's holiday camp in Minehead, Somerset, England....
in Somerset, England, curated by Explosions in the Sky
Explosions in the Sky
Explosions in the Sky is an American post-rock band from Texas. The band has garnered popularity beyond the post-rock scene for their elaborately developed guitar work, narratively styled instrumentals, what they refer to as "cathartic mini-symphonies," and their enthusiastic and emotional live shows...
in May. Mono returned to Electrical Audio Engineering in June and November 2008 to record their fifth studio album, Hymn to the Immortal Wind
Hymn to the Immortal Wind
-Personnel:Mono* Takaakira "Taka" Goto - electric guitars* Tamaki Kunishi - bass guitar, piano, harpsichord, glockenspiel* Yasunori Takada - drums, tympani, cymbals, glockenspiel* Yoda - electric guitars, Hammond B3 organProduction...
, which was later released in March 2009, and followed by a year-long tour of America and Eurasia. The band played a ten year anniversary show at the Society for Ethical Culture Hall in New York, United States on 8 May 2009, accompanied by the 24-piece Wordless Music Orchestra. The performance was recorded and later released as a both a live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
and a DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
, named Holy Ground: NYC Live With The Wordless Music Orchestra, through Temporary Residence Limited in Europe and America, and Human Highway in Asia. The band has since announced that they will be taking another year-long break and going into "hibernation mode", returning to Japan to work on songs for a new album.
Musical style
Although Mono's musical style has developed throughout their career, it has primarily been characterised by dynamic, guitar-based instrumentalInstrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
soundscape
Soundscape
A soundscape is a sound or combination of sounds that forms or arises from an immersive environment. The study of soundscape is the subject of acoustic ecology...
s, the majority of which are composed by lead guitarist Takaakira Goto, in an attempt to channel and express the emotions of joy
Happiness
Happiness is a mental state of well-being characterized by positive emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. A variety of biological, psychological, religious, and philosophical approaches have striven to define happiness and identify its sources....
and sorrow
Sorrow (emotion)
Sorrow is an emotion, feeling, or sentiment. Sorrow 'is more "intense" than sadness...it implies a long term state'. At the same time 'sorrow - but not unhappiness - suggests a degree of resignation...which lends sorrow its peculiar air of dignity'....
. The band's style of music originally featured elements of minimalism
Minimalist music
Minimal music is a style of music associated with the work of American composers La Monte Young, Terry Riley, Steve Reich, and Philip Glass. It originated in the New York Downtown scene of the 1960s and was initially viewed as a form of experimental music called the New York Hypnotic School....
and noise, and later developed to integrate more complex, orchestral arrangements and instrumentation. Mono's music has sometimes been categorised as "post-rock
Post-rock
Post-rock is a subgenre of rock music characterized by the influence and use of instruments commonly associated with rock, but using rhythms and "guitars as facilitators of timbre and textures" not traditionally found in rock...
", although the band has expressed discomfort with the term, identifying more with contemporary classical music
Contemporary classical music
Contemporary classical music can be understood as belonging to the period that started in the mid-1970s with the retreat of modernism. However, the term may also be employed in a broader sense to refer to all post-1945 modern musical forms.-Categorization:...
.
Mono are primarily a live band, and have toured worldwide several times. Their live show tends to feature intense and emotional playing by the band members, as well as using extreme dynamics (in crescendos as well as diminuendos) in their attempt to create an "unforgettable" live performance. When recording their music, the band has always played live in the studio and, since 2004's Walking Cloud and Deep Red Sky, Flag Fluttered and the Sun Shined, worked with Chicagoan recording engineer Steve Albini
Steve Albini
Steven Frank Albini is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, audio engineer and music journalist. He was a member of Big Black, Rapeman, and Flour, and is currently a member of Shellac...
, who they feel accurately captures a live band's "raw emotion to [magnetic] tape
Magnetic tape
Magnetic tape is a medium for magnetic recording, made of a thin magnetizable coating on a long, narrow strip of plastic. It was developed in Germany, based on magnetic wire recording. Devices that record and play back audio and video using magnetic tape are tape recorders and video tape recorders...
."
Influences
Mono have drawn influence from various musical and non-musical sources throughout their career. When the band first formed, their main influences were American experimental rock band Sonic YouthSonic Youth
Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
and Anglo/Irish shoegaze band My Bloody Valentine when making Under the Pipal Tree and One Step More and You Die. As the band broadened their musical tastes, starting with the album, Walking Cloud and Deep Red Sky, Flag Fluttered and the Sun Shined, they began to draw influence from music by sources such as German classical composer Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
, Italian film score composer Ennio Morricone
Ennio Morricone
Ennio Morricone, Grand Officer OMRI, , is an Italian composer and conductor, who wrote music to more than 500 motion pictures and television series, in a career lasting over 50 years. His scores have been included in over 20 award-winning films as well as several symphonic and choral pieces...
, and later Polish minimalist composer Henryk Górecki
Henryk Górecki
Henryk Mikołaj Górecki was a composer of contemporary classical music. He studied at the State Higher School of Music in Katowice between 1955 and 1960. In 1968, he joined the faculty and rose to provost before resigning in 1979. Górecki became a leading figure of the Polish avant-garde during...
, among others. Lead guitarist Takaakira Goto has also acknowledged Danish film director Lars von Trier
Lars von Trier
Lars von Trier is a Danish film director and screenwriter. He is closely associated with the Dogme 95 collective, although his own films have taken a variety of different approaches, and have frequently received strongly divided critical opinion....
(in particular the 1996 film, Breaking the Waves
Breaking the Waves
Breaking the Waves is a 1996 film directed by Lars von Trier and starring Emily Watson. Set in the Scottish Highlands in the early 1970s, it tells the story of an unusual young woman, Bess McNeill, and of the love she has for Jan, her husband. The film is an international co-production led by Lars...
) as a major influence since the band's formation, in terms of expressing the different depths and heights of emotion.
Instrumentation
In terms of instrumentation, Mono are a four-piece instrumental rock band. Goto, the group's frontman, is the lead guitarLead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
ist and uses a Fender Jazzmaster
Fender Jazzmaster
The Fender Jazzmaster is an electric guitar designed as an upmarket sibling to the Fender Stratocaster. First introduced at the 1958 NAMM Show, it was initially marketed at jazz guitarists, but found favor among surf rock guitarists in the early 1960s...
through Boss
Boss Corporation
Boss is a manufacturer of effects pedals for electric guitar and bass guitar. It is a division of the Roland Corporation, a Japanese manufacturer that specializes in musical equipment and accessories...
, Danelectro
Danelectro
Danelectro is an American manufacturer of musical instruments and accessories, specializing in rock instruments such as guitars, bass guitars, amplifiers and effects units.-History:...
, SiB
SIB
SIB can refer to:*The Worst Chilean graffiti crew that means "Somewere I Belong"* As SIB, a nick for Sibtain* As Sib, a town in Oman* Savings and Investment Bank, a failed bank on the Isle of Man* Scale-Index-Base byte used in x86 instruction encoding...
, and Morley
Morley Pedals
Morley Pedals is the name of a guitar effects pedal company, famous for manufacturing wah-wah pedals and other treadle type effects for guitar. Morley pedals use electro-optical circuitry rather than a potentiometer to control the effect. The foot treadle controls a shutter inside the pedal that...
effects pedals, into a Fender Twin
Fender Twin
The Fender Twin is a guitar amplifier made by Fender. It was introduced in 1952, two years before Fender began selling Stratocaster electric guitars. The amps are known for their characteristically clean tone....
, a Marshall JCM 2000
Marshall Amplification
Marshall Amplification is a British company, founded by drummer Jim Marshall, that designs and manufactures music amplifiers, brands personal headphones/earphones , and, after acquiring Natal Drums, drums and bongos. Marshall amplifiers, and specifically their guitar amplifiers, are among the most...
head, and a Marshall cabinet for amplification. Yoda, the rhythm guitarist, uses a Fender Stratocaster
Fender Stratocaster
The Fender Stratocaster, often referred to as "Strat", is a model of electric guitar designed by Leo Fender, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares in 1954, and manufactured continuously by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation to the present. It is a double-cutaway guitar, with an extended top...
through Boss, Tech 21
Tech 21
Tech 21 is a New York based manufacturer of guitar and bass effect pedals, amps, and DI boxes which allow the user to emulate the tone of many popular guitar amps and record those sounds directly into a mixer....
, Pro Co
Pro Co Rat
The Pro Co "The RAT" is a guitar effects pedal produced by Pro Co Sound. The original RAT was developed in the basement of Pro Co's Kalamazoo, Michigan facility in 1978...
and Electro-Harmonix
Electro-Harmonix
Electro-Harmonix is a New York-based company that makes high-end electronic audio processors. The company was founded by Mike Matthews in 1968. They are most famous for a series of popular guitar effects pedals introduced in the 1970s and 1990s....
effects pedals, into a Fender Twin
Fender Twin
The Fender Twin is a guitar amplifier made by Fender. It was introduced in 1952, two years before Fender began selling Stratocaster electric guitars. The amps are known for their characteristically clean tone....
and sometimes a Fender Hot Rod DeVille
Fender Hot Rod DeVille
The Fender Hot Rod DeVille is a combo tube guitar amplifier manufactured and sold by Fender. It was introduced in 1996 as part of Fender's Hot Rod line of amplifiers, and since then has been in continuous production...
for amplification. Kunishi, the group's bass guitarist, pianist and occasional guitarist uses a Gibson EB-3
Gibson EB-3
The Gibson EB-3 is an electric bass guitar model produced by the Gibson Guitar Corporation.Introduced in 1961, the EB-3 was one of the bass guitar equivalents of the popular Gibson SG...
through Boss and Tech 21 effects pedals, into an Ampeg SVT
Ampeg
Ampeg is primarily a musical instrument amplifier manufacturer headquartered in Woodinville, Washington, though they also manufacture guitars to a small extent...
head and various Sunn and Ampeg bass cabinets, as well as a Fender Rhodes, and a Fender Jazzmaster
Fender Jazzmaster
The Fender Jazzmaster is an electric guitar designed as an upmarket sibling to the Fender Stratocaster. First introduced at the 1958 NAMM Show, it was initially marketed at jazz guitarists, but found favor among surf rock guitarists in the early 1960s...
. Takada, the drummer, uses a four-piece Ludwig
Ludwig-Musser
Ludwig-Musser is a drum and percussion instrument manufacturer that is part of the Conn-Selmer division of Steinway Musical Instruments.The first product made by the Ludwig brothers, William and Theobaldner , was a bass drum pedal capable of playing faster beats than was typical of products of the...
drum kit, and Paiste
Paiste
Paiste, a Swiss manufacturer and designer, is the world's third largest manufacturer of cymbals, gongs, and metal percussion. Paiste is an Estonian/Finnish word which means "shine"...
cymbals, as well as a Korg
Korg
is a Japanese multinational corporation that manufactures electronic musical instruments, audio processors and guitar pedals, recording equipment, and electronic tuners...
microKORG
MicroKORG
The microKORG is a MIDI-capable virtual analog synthesizer/vocoder from Korg featuring high-quality DSP analog modelling. The synth/keyboard is built in such a way that it is essentially a Korg MS-2000 with programmable step arpeggiator , a less advanced vocoder , lack of motion sequencing The...
.
As the band's career has progressed, they have incorporated string sections on record, beginning with Under the Pipal Tree, which featured use of cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
, continuing with One Step More and You Die and Walking Cloud and Deep Red Sky, Flag Fluttered and the Sun Shined which both featured string quartets, and You Are There, which featured a string quintet. On Hymn to the Immortal Wind, the band made use of a 28-piece chamber orchestra.
Band members
- Takaakira Goto – leadLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, glockenspielGlockenspielA glockenspiel is a percussion instrument composed of a set of tuned keys arranged in the fashion of the keyboard of a piano. In this way, it is similar to the xylophone; however, the xylophone's bars are made of wood, while the glockenspiel's are metal plates or tubes, and making it a metallophone... - Yoda – rhythmRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
guitar, glockenspiel - Tamaki Kunishi – bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, guitar, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, glockenspiel - Yasunori Takada – drum kitDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
, glockenspiel
Studio albums
- Under the Pipal TreeUnder the Pipal TreeUnder the Pipal Tree is the first full-length album from Japanese post-rock band Mono. It was released in November 2001 on Tzadik Records.-Track listing:...
(2001) - One Step More and You DieOne Step More and You DieOne Step More and You Die is an album by Mono, released in 2002 on the Arena Rock Recording Co. label. It received generally positive reviews, and met a larger audience than their debut album had.-Tracklist:...
(2002) - Walking Cloud and Deep Red Sky, Flag Fluttered and the Sun ShinedWalking Cloud and Deep Red Sky, Flag Fluttered and the Sun ShinedWalking Cloud and Deep Red Sky, Flag Fluttered and the Sun Shined is an album by Mono, released in 2004.The album comes with origami paper and instructions on how to fold a paper crane, a reference to the last song on the album "A Thousand Paper Cranes"....
(2004) - You Are There (2006)
- Hymn to the Immortal WindHymn to the Immortal Wind-Personnel:Mono* Takaakira "Taka" Goto - electric guitars* Tamaki Kunishi - bass guitar, piano, harpsichord, glockenspiel* Yasunori Takada - drums, tympani, cymbals, glockenspiel* Yoda - electric guitars, Hammond B3 organProduction...
(2009)
Split albums
- Mono/Pelican (2005)
- Palmless Prayer/Mass Murder RefrainPalmless Prayer/Mass Murder RefrainPalmless Prayer/Mass Murder Refrain is the collaborative album by Japanese acts MONO and World's End Girlfriend.-Tracklist:-Personnel:MONO*Takaakira "Taka" Goto - guitar*Tamaki - bass*Yasunori Takada - drums*Yoda - guitar...
(2006)
Extended plays
- Hey, YouHey, YouHey, You is the debut EP of Japanese band Mono. Karelia and L'America appear on Under The Pipal Tree.-Track listing:...
(2000) - Memorie dal FuturoMemorie dal Futuro-Track listing:-References:...
(2006) - The Phoenix TreeThe Phoenix TreeThe Phoenix Tree is the third EP from Japanese post-rock band Mono. It was released on April 2007 through Temporary Residence Limited. It is part of a collection of EP's released by Temporary Residence Limited, Travels in Constants.-Track listing:...
(2007)
DVDs
- The Sky Remains The Same As Ever (2007)
- Holy Ground: NYC Live With The Wordless Music OrchestraHoly Ground: NYC Live With The Wordless Music OrchestraHoly Ground: NYC Live With The Wordless Music Orchestra is a live album by Japanese post-rock band Mono, released 27 April 2010 on Temporary Residence Limited. The album features a DVD of live footage and a CD with live recordings of the performance....
(2010)
External links
- Official website
- Mono at Temporary Residence LimitedTemporary Residence LimitedTemporary Residence Limited is a Brooklyn, New York-based record label. TRL was started in Baltimore, Maryland in late 1995. The label's first release was The Concord Anthology Process/Nero split 7", released April 1, 1996. After moving the operation to Portland, Oregon, owner/operator Jeremy...
- Mono at Human Highway
- Mono at Live Music ArchiveLive Music ArchiveThe Live Music Archive , part of the Internet Archive, is a collection of over 60,000 concert recordings in lossless audio formats. The website is known for its extensive collection of Grateful Dead recordings.-History:...