Mono - You Are There (Temporary Residence)
4/5
By: Chris O'Toole
Mono do not make music. Instead the Japanese quartet prefers to craft environments, with the nature of these locations mirroring the mood of the artists. At times the band employs their minimalist pallet to lull the listener into an Eno-like organic haze, creating a world moving at the speed of a glacial malaise, whilst at others they choose to construct fearsome atmospheric locations, adapting a similar array of materials to achieve both aims. Stepping into 'You Are There', one enters a vortex, filled with a positive confusion of possibility, an artificial vacuum created for the mutual pleasure of the band and their listeners. Perhaps it offers the answers to the questions that haunt our sleep. Or perhaps it simply asks more questions.
Both extremes of the ensemble's musical spectrum are explored on the opening 'The Flames Beyond The Cold Mountain'. What is initially a single drone germinates from a seed, and, for a few fleeting seconds, a warm and welcoming surrounding is formed before this exhilarating intimacy is overwhelmed by layers of swelling guitar drone. Here we learn that for Mono, music is a catharsis, and only after their demons have been exorcised do they return to the picturesque settings which characterised the opening of the track. 'Yearning' follows a similar path to the opening composition, as the band evoke the secret essence of the human psyche, exploring with delicate keyboards draped across an evolving classical drone to create the voice of a siren, whispering a call across barren terrain. As 'Are You There?' progresses, the parallels with Godspeed You! Black Emperor and other Constellation ensembles emerge; Mono draw from classical leanings and filter them through a contemporary, electronic, paradigm to create an eternal environment, devoid of time and place.
Eschewing vocals Mono instead rely purely on their instruments to communicate with their audience. The slow breathing 'A Heart Has Asked For Pleasure' follows this pattern, suggesting a spectral world filled with the possibility of bliss through piano orchestration, before drifting away before these possibilities can be explored. Again, with 'The Remains of the Day' the band offers a tantalising glimpse into a different world, sketching a picture onto a blank canvas before leaving the listener to fill in the colour. Throughout the six track, hour long album Mono maintain an earnest charm, but finally with 'Moonlight' listeners are rewarded with the most overtly positive piece, creating an instrumental emotional crescendo before mournfully subsiding into the darkness.
The tone of the album is at once both sombre and exhilarating, filled with hope and sorrow. Here Mono have created a wordless manifesto, presenting the choices for a better way of life. 'You Are There' is a rewarding listen filled with mountains and valleys, leading on a journey with the listener deciding the destination.
Artists in this article: Mono
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