Mono, despite possessing one of the greatest “Duh, Why
didn’t I think of that?” names of all time, create music that’s perfect for the
T.R. label, but they do it so exquisitely that it probably deserves a better
title than the pretentious “post-rock” moniker.
Let’s call it what it really is: progressive instrumental
rock music. And while they take their own sweet time gearing up to the glacial
collapse that seems to come with every ending, we need to acknowledge that
they’ve put a lot of blood, sweat, and violins into that epic earthquake.
Hymn To The Immortal
Wind is exactly that, because it provides guitarists Takaakira Goto and
Yoda Suematsu work together as if they’re sharing one guitar cord, creating
beautiful countermelodies before they smash on another pedal lying on the floor
like they’re hitting a detonation box.
And then there’s those aforementioned strings which pop up
throughout Hymn, taking the album
beyond the soundtrack motif that Explosions In The Sky now seem to have a
monopoly on. Instead, there’s a clear intent that Mono have created this record
out of the love of their craft.
The chamber orchestra is something else, but it’s Steve
Albini’s documentation of these instruments that makes it all work. This might
be the most beautiful record he has ever recorded, so bully to the band itself
for allowing that distinction to fall upon his studio.
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