My first encounter with Mono No Aware was, if I remember correctly, on an open air festival in Rotterdam about two years ago. The diversity of music and happenings on this festival was enormous, and one stage was exclusively for industrial, electro and neofolk acts. Mono No Aware made a huge impression on me, partly through their very danceable but also extreme rhythmic industrial / technoize, and partly through their enthusiastic show. In general industrial bands can be quite boring on stage, staring at a screen or other gear, but these guys just totally flipped out, which was great to see.
“Kitanai Yatsu”, their debut album, was released on the well-known Hands label (Winterkalte a.o.). This album already made a very good impression, and tracks like ‘Strategisch Wertvoll’ were often played at industrial parties here. Mono’s new album is everything but disappointing! It starts out with ‘Herbstverstimmung’, a sort of introduction, followed by ‘Nemuru Bijin’; complex distorted rhythms and some screaming vocals. The real fun starts with the third track, though. ‘After the Experiment’ offers a very transparent and heavy sound, with irresistible rhythmic attacks and nice samples. Capable of making an entire industrial dance floor dance until the very end. So, what is there to say about the rest of the album? It kicks ass! The combination of very clear sounds with more distorted noisier elements keeps the tracks from becoming boring, and just makes you wanna dance!
A real surprise is one of the later tracks, called ‘Standortebestimmung’. It can’t get much better, this would definitely be my personal favourite. So, all in all a well-produced, varied and ass-kicking technoid industrial album. A must for people into this genre, and recommended to everyone who wants to arrive fully awake at work on a Monday morning without having to drink six cups of coffee first!
