ALBUM REVIEW: Pilgrimage Of The Soul – MONO

Where does one start with a band like MONO? With an imposing discography spanning over two decades, there’s no-one in the world who sounds quite like them. Terms like post-rock and post-metal may begin to cover it, but the Japanese quartet have rejected such labels, stating that their aim is to transcend genre. There are some through lines to their music though, specifically an invariable quality and a daring sense of experimentation. Pilgrimage Of The Soul is their 11th studio album, and – surprise, surprise – it’s another great MONO record.

If there is one thing listeners have come to expect from MONO‘s music, it’s a masterful command of dynamics. Pilgrimage… is no exception, with the band themselves even suggesting that it’s their most dynamic record of all. That’s a big claim, but they may well have a point. Opener Riptide has us leaning in at first, with a delicate guitar line sitting atop subtle padded textures. This quiet proves momentary however, and the track soon launches into a thunderous eruption of machine gun snares and maelstrom guitars. It makes for an arresting start to an album which remains that way throughout. Crucially, while many more dynamic peaks and troughs follow, it never feels like a trick MONO are playing, but rather a carefully considered choice every time.

Dynamic isn’t the only word that’s typically associated with MONO that springs to mind when listening to this record. It certainly boasts a sense of grandeur, with orchestral flourishes often taking the music to gigantic heights. It’s also a record of intense beauty, with delicate offerings like Heaven In A Wild Flower and And Eternity In An Hour among some of the most moving pieces the band have ever written. Equally familiar are the safe hands of producer Steve Albini, who’s sat behind the desk for nearly every one of the band’s albums since 2004. He does a stellar job as usual here, capturing every rich detail the quartet have to offer. It makes Pilgrimage… a record that’s well worth repeated listens, and one that reveals new intricacies every time you hit play.

As much as Pilgrimage… ticks many of what you might call MONO‘s usual boxes, it also still sees the band pushing themselves. That’s most obvious here in their use of electronic elements and textures to accentuate their sound. It’s something they started doing on 2019’s Nowhere Now Here, but they take it further still this time around. On second track Imperfect Things for example, a floating, ethereal motif injects the piece with a pressing sense of urgency. Elsewhere, fifth track Innocence‘s distant textures recall latter era Nick Cave, especially in the song’s closing moments where they back gentle and mournful brass. Many other tracks feature similar subtleties, and while they never dominate, they do provide something of a common thread to a record which ranges as far and as freely as this does.

With the album coming into land at just shy of an hour, Pilgrimage… is obviously a long record, but it doesn’t feel anywhere near that. MONO are never in a rush, and yet somehow the songs on this record seem to pass by in just a few short breaths. It flows brilliantly too, taking listeners on a wholly instrumental journey through moments of intensity and serenity in equal measure. Again, this is something the band have always been good at, but that doesn’t make it any less impressive here. 

At this point, the idea that MONO could ever release a bad record seems absurd, so it will come as a surprise to no-one that Pilgrimage… is yet another triumph for the band. It’s an album rich in emotion and intensity, one of masterful dynamics, expert songcraft and flawless production. Returning to the question of where to start with MONO, you could probably point the uninitiated to a fair few of their records, but Pilgrimage Of The Soul is surely as good a place as any.

Rating: 8/10

Pilgrimage Of The Soul is set for release on September 17th via Pelagic Records.

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