For My Parents is the new album by MONO, the Japanese quartet who — over the course of half a dozen albums in twice as many years — has followed their own muse, and in the process have become “one of the most distinctive bands of the 21st century.” They are an instrumental rock band whose melodies have grown increasingly lyrical, with increasingly transcendent execution. There is no doubting a MONO song when you hear it, and no denying their uncanny ability to feel perfectly at home in both pristine symphony halls and dirty rock clubs. In the way that only MONO can, For My Parents obliterates that divide, showcasing a sensitivity and maturity that simultaneously acknowledges where they came from, and where they’re going. The songwriting is sharper, the dynamics are subtler, and the production is stunning. For the recording, the band once again enlisted The Wordless Music Orchestra for support, and the collaboration has never sounded stronger. The unique combination of soul-stirring melodies, cinematic East-meets-West arrangements, and firm command of elusive emotional intangibles is what makes MONO so…well, so MONO.
BUY THE ALBUM NOW
Album title: For My Parents
Street date: 4 September 2012
Format: CD
Genre: Instrumental
Label: KittyWu Records
Catalog No.: KWR014
TRACK LISTING
1. Legend
2. Nostalgia
3. Dream Odyssey
4. Unseen Harbor
5. A Quiet Place (Together We Go)
MONO’s ‘For My Parents’ is released in Singapore under an exclusive license with KittyWu Records.
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Read Drowned In Sound’s review
Songs like ‘Unseen Harbour’ are a showcase for Takaakira Goto’s subtly emotive (HOUSE!) underplayed guitar lines. Single chiming notes, absolutely perfect in their execution, seem to drip from the speakers as though projected by a sinister ice-cream van. The album’s opener, ‘Legend’ is a different story, more about the string section, ‘soundtracky’, but in the best way possible. ‘A Quiet Place (Together We Go)’ closes in a similar, slightly more bombastic fashion.