Post-rock is a strange genre. It can fall prey to monotony and there are many clones to be found. But it can also offer new worlds and highlighted emotions, and some of the works can be downright stunning. Mono typically falls into the latter, and their new album Oath is a careful masterpiece.
Mono hails from Japan. They’ve been active for about 25 years now. The band includes Takaakira ‘Taka’ Goto on guitar, Tamaki on bass and piano, Yoda on guitar, and Dahm on drums. You will also hear several guest performers on cello, violin, orchestrations, trumpet, trombone, and French horn.
Yes, Mono plays post-rock, meaning that they write songs with slow-burning melodies that explode into crescendos near the end. They utilize rock sounds, but the songs aren’t really rock songs usually. On this record, and some of their previous, the band rides the line between post-rock and art rock. This album is full of wonderous, nostalgic melodies, and the band masterfully layers melody upon melody and rhythm upon rhythm to construct sheer works of liberating art.
I want to dwell on that point for a moment. Mono is particularly good at choosing themes and then writing songs that evoke those themes emotionally and cinematically. They do this with hook-laden melodies and a sense of anticipation or memory. It’s the little things that matter in their music. While there are moments of bombast, Mono thrives in the nuance and in the subtle flourishes that come together to form a glorious tapestry of light.
Because of this, Oath feels like “high” post-rock. It feels like the definitive and best version of that genre, what so many other bands are trying to achieve—and they may, someday. Mono has had two decades to refine their gorgeous sound. Oath is especially potent, too, because of the string and brass sections that add a heightened sense of storytelling and drama. Some of the best moments on the album are driven even higher because of a subtle violin hook or a chorus of horns.
This album, in all honest, feels like a sister to the new Alcest record. They don’t share melodies or anything like that, but they both have the same celestial, hopeful, determined tone. The same message is coming through, if you know what I mean. It is a message of confident hope, resolute love, and blissful tomorrows. Maybe it is something in how hopeless the world feels right now, and maybe artists are the most sensitive to what we need to hear when the darkness is deepest.
Oath is a lengthy album at about 1 hour and 11 minutes. It doesn’t feel that long, but it also didn’t surprise me when I looked it up because the band takes their time here. They don’t rush anything. They allow the flourishes to dance and the hooks to come back around in their good time. And we are the better for this.
Let me highlight some favorite tracks. First, I love the title track; this piece is so evocative and wholesome. It feels like everything you know and love is growing and thriving before your eyes. It doesn’t even need the crescendo, honestly, to leave a great impact. I like “Run On” for its thriller tone and subtle violin hook that never gets old. “Hear the Wind Sing” is a harmonious tune with naturalistic and fairy tale flourishes that feel so genuine and beautiful.
The second half may have my favorites, though. “Hourglass” and “Moonlight Drawing” feel like they go together. They are both hovering pieces heavy on the strings with warmth and life in their veins. “Holy Winter” is probably my favorite overall, being the most dynamic piece. Its combination of piano, searing guitar leads, and a cinematic ending really cements itself into your brain. The album ends with two terrific songs, “We All Shine On” and “Time Goes By”. I love the purposeful and encouraging melodies of the former, especially in its crystal clear second half, and I love the casual lumbering nature of the latter that closes the album with thundering drums transitioning into a lush, pure ambience.
Mono knows how to control the structures of their songs for maximum emotional effect. This album curates our minds with beautiful melodies and assurances of beauty and of light. I love how picturesque it seems, how full of space and triumph it is. Fans will love this album, and I think plenty of new fans could find the band through it.
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The PROG Mind 