What if a rock band wrote their songs like classical composers? Arranging every strike on the drum kit as though for a full percussion section; orchestrating each chord on the guitar like entire string sections. The result is epic and intimate and nearly indescribable. Perhaps intentionally so – MONO has been eschewing genres and labels for 20 years. As the band told Time Out magazine in 2009, “Music is communicating the incommunicable; that means a term like post-rock doesn’t mean much to us, as the music needs to transcend genre to be meaningful.” Their latest album, Nowhere, Now Here, is no different.
As I scrambled to finish my 2018 year end reflections, MONO came along and distracted me with a new record right at the beginning of 2019. Much of this album feels like a movie soundtrack. In fact, the fluttering vocals on “Meet Us Where the Night Ends” remind me specifically of Jóhan Jóhannsson’s music in Arrival, and the vibe holds true – both works of art are superficially thought-provoking with enough breathing room to allow your mind to wander. Both Nowhere, Now Here and Arrival seem to present an answerless set of questions, without the distraction of lyrics or heavy-handed narration. I find it very meditative. January was a time of deep contemplation and uncertainty for me. Weighing out different futures-after-Burgerville; coping with the fact that I’m not cut out for shopfloor organizing; struggling to support friends in need; grappling with the absence of my dear and exclusive partner. Nowhere, Now Here gave me a space to ponder and brood and daydream.
In the conclusion of his review of the album for Treble Zine, Langdon Hickman offers a supposition: “To be listened to alone, at high volume, on buses or in the rain and fog.” I did all of those things, often in tandem, and I couldn’t recommend the experience enough.
other good shit from this month:
Outer Peace by Toro y Moi
My friend, fellow organizer, and musician James Curry IV featured “Freelance” in an eclectic pre-set vamp playlist, prompting me to give this album another listen, and now I love how much of Jimmy’s weirdness I hear in it.
Remind Me Tomorrow by Sharon van Etten
My appreciation for Sharon van Etten’s craftwork parallels my relationship to Mitski’s music – she is uncompromising in pushing forward her boundary breaking art. Anyway, as Drew said when I shared this release with him: “Oof Sharon van Etten yes pls ty”
Siku by Nikola Cruz
The way Cruz blends traditional rhythms and instruments with modern electronica – especially in the exploration of the African and indigenous roots of Latin American culture – reminds me a lot of Balún. This album is more on the folk side of world music, and is certainly more experimental.
Dreaming in a Dead Language by Mo’ynoq
There is a lot of metal to sift through on bandcamp, decent and otherwise, but my goodness is this a gem. Sometimes thrashy, sometimes shoegazey, and yet undeniably black metal all the way down.
Kiss the Ring by Mount Saturn
I recently had a bizarre experience at a Cowboy Junkies concert trying to explain how my affinity for gothic Americana intersects with doom metal to a middle aged man sitting next to me and he recommended Greta van Fleet – I was stunned. The list of artists making music at the crossroads of Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath who are better than Greta van Fleet in every way is long, but this EP just came out so I guess it goes to the top.
Forrest James 