ONE STEP MORE AND YOU DIE

Mono is one of the leading bands in the post-rock genre. Their sound is tipical post-rock. With emotional guitars, soaring drum play, sad violin, insanely loud climaxes and, above all, very emotional in a melancholic way.

Their sound can be compared to Explosions In The Sky. The difference is that they are louder and softer than them. They also have a darker atmosphere and that sad violin that always gets me no matter on what band plays it. The song Com (?) is a perfect example of what the band sounds like starting softly, but shortly so it can quickly reach to the full of energy climax. After releasing some stress they turn down the volume really low so it can rise again with another insanely loud climax with every player trying to sound as loud as they can. The other songs are more on par with the rest. They vary from soft to loud and somewhere in between. There aren't any "fillers" except Mopish Morning, Halation Wiper, but it flows nicely with the other songs and they fit with the atmosphere they're trying to create. One of my favorite songs of the album is A Speeding Car. Reading the title track and then listening to the song helps you enjoy it better because the song pretty much does what the tracks says. Just close your eyes and let the music flow, you'll be in for a surprise at the end of the song ;)

This band is one of the "usual suspects" of the post-rock genre. So if you're looking for a good base to then start looking into more unknown bands don't forget to pick up some Mono and this album seems like a nice place to start (I only have this one and Walking cloud... and its also a good place to start listening to them too)

4.0

Obviously Mono were influenced by what Mogwai were doing, because I think if Mono hadn't Mogwai to look at for inspiration they simply may not have existed at all. Perhaps that may come across as somewhat too critical, but in the context of things I believe it to be a fair statement. The wave of contemporary progressive rock bands, or post rock acts as they are more constantly referred to, seem to have issues when it comes to progression. Perhaps not Godspeed You! Black Emperor to a degree, or to another extent Mogwai, but that lacking of progression is definitely vivid with Mono as they mimic and repeat to great effect. And it is only when playing their back catalogue in a chronological manner does this ring though. One Step More and You Die is the Japanese bands second full length effort, and it is a decent slab of melancholic ideas, and drones, and it leaves their more recent work in the post rock rip off shade, because they have of late being running out of ideas and running the same post rock thing down. One More Step And You Die has more depth, and is simply more interesting. The album has enough variation to keep the listener interested. It would even appear that the band had much more to give at this early stage but in the context of the bands output, at least up until You Are There, this is probably Mono's peak moment. Sometimes it sounds too much like Mogwai for its own good, and may just lack some identity, some Japanese identity maybe? But Mono produce the goods to make the album something worthy all the while. What exactly? Who knows. I certainly enjoy One More Step And You Die, but like much of the post rock world it is derivative, often repetitive and screams bandwagon jumper. Post rock can hardly be progressive because it so often sounds the same and swarms around the same emotive over and over to the point of overkill. But hey, a decent enough album. But the more I delve into this post rock movement the thinner and more shallow it becomes. Like a place that can look enticing on a postcard but not all that fantastic when actually there for a period, and just like other places you have been. A touch more than three stars.

MONO have grown from their “EXPLOSIONS meets GYBE” roots pretty quickly. On their second album one can easily notice that band gains its own style (flourished on last two albums). Nothing common with GYBE spiritually, in fact. In their heavy parts GYBE are filled with urban angst while MONOs are rather a stoner/sludge band of PELICAN kind (in climaxes). In their quiet pieces GYBE are in despair and desolation of their empty houses, Blaze reciting poems and street preachers, while MONO is rather a intelligent classic-influenced band of CRIMSON’s “Islands” or even neo-classic kind. Best tracks are stoner blues “Com” and these typical “structured” MONO tracks like “Halo” and “Speeding Car”. Others are mostly these gentle interludes, pretty enjoyable but not that groovy man ;) . Recommended.

Mono is Japan's answer to the GYBEs and Mogwais of the Western-European continent. Not being a specialist in neither post-rock nor the Japanese music scene, I can't judge the originality and artistic credentials of Mono, but I sure do hear wonderfully composed and emotionally charged post-rock on this album.

The party kicks off with Where I Am, a deceivingly gentle piece of hesitant guitar picking, rich in atmosphere and an excellent prelude to the epic Com(?) monster. It's the cornerstone of the album and an excellent showcase for the band's knack to vary moody melodic music with wildly soaring stoner rock and noisy climaxes. Their heavier parts are actually more reminiscent of Kyuss then of any other post-rock band, which may be a satisfying explanation why I like the album so much. Mono keeps going back and forth between dreamy sadness and heavy noise rock, with Sabbath, A Speeding Cars and Halo as further highlights.

Beautifully textured, emotive and powerful music that flows very naturally. Not too much noodling and no pretence. Tastes like more!

To my ears, One Step More and You Die seems to be a bit of a darker and stormier prospect than the band's debut album (Under the Pipal Tree), with some really outrageously noisy crescendos which begin to verge on metal territory - I'm inclined to agree with Bonnek that there's just a touch of Kyuss in the mix there. Since this came out at around the time that Isis came up with their revolutionary fusion of post-rock and metal on Oceanic, this album proves that Mono were no mere imitators, but had their fingers right on the pulse of the post-rock scene and were at the forefront of its developments and trends.