Mono's debut album does some things very right, but is prone to some glaring faults as well. The guitar work calls to mind that of their peers Explosions in the Sky, but distinctly thicker and with more of a striking depth even in the quietest of moments. There is rich beauty being created by the quartet's meandering and mingling, but the album suffers from some of the more typical Post-Rock pitfalls. Being rather undirected in approach, Under The Pipal Tree is relatively hard to listen to in one sitting, and the guitar work starts to blend together after a while. The guitarists seem to be stuck in one particular mode throughout the inevitable rises and falls of the album.
In a short way, it's a debut that cannot overcome certain major flaws and cliches, but delivers some nice, raw emotion and impact on highlight tracks "Karelia (Opus 2)", "The Kidnapper Bell", and "Error #9" - it shows a band with potential not yet fully developed.
2 Bumps | Bump |
