Mono

post-rock

There are at least six artists sharing the name Mono: 1) a Japanese post-rock band; 2) a British trip-hop band; 3) a Dutch indie-rock band; 4) a female Austrian reggae artist; 5) a Swedish trance artist; 6) a Korean pop ballad trio; 7) a German field recordings project. 1) Mono are a post-rock band from Tokyo, Japan formed in 1999. The songs, all of which are instrumental (their only song featuring vocals is off Rays of Darkness entitled 'The Hand that Holds the Truth' which has guest harsh vocals by Envy's vocalist), are usually focused on layered guitar melodies both epic and heavy in nature built around quieter delicate clean guitar melodies. Post-rock-styled tremolo picking can also be prominently found as well as the frequent use of strings and pianos that is featured in some songs. Mono are known for their powerful live shows, hard-hitting drumming and their complex wall of sound guitar work. Their first EP, titled Hey, you was released in September, 2000. So far, they have released eleven full albums: Under The Pipal Tree, One Step More And You Die, Walking cloud and deep red sky, Flag fluttered and the sun shined, You Are There, Hymn To The Immortal Wind, For my parents , the double album Rays of Darkness/The Last Dawn, Requiem for Hell, Nowhere Now Here and Pilgrimage of the Soul. They also have several other records; including a remix album, a collaborative split record with Pelican, another split with The Ocean, an album collaborating with World's end girlfriend...