Mono were founded in January 2000 by guitarist Takaakira Goto. Working by himself, Goto completed most of Mono's demo tracks, partly influenced by guitarist Loren Connors. By late 1999 Goto began the search for band members; the first to join was fellow guitarist and long time friend Yoda. Soon afterwards the two guitarists linked up with bassist Tamaki and drummer Yasunori Takada. The group soon released a 4 track EP entitled Hey, You on the small independent label Forty-4.
Following Hey, You Mono put together its first full length album, Under the Pipal Tree in 2001 on Tzadik Records. Under the Pipal Tree, along with the EP, introduced Mono's style, which is focused on layered guitar melodies. All of Mono's songs are entirely instrumental, and Strings and pianos are also prominently featured in several songs. Under the Pipal Tree was met with somewhat mixed reviews and was referred to by Goto in a 2006 interview with Phil McMullen as a "very, very young album". Whilst recording the album, the September 11th attacks took place, which were to have a significant effect on Mono's later work.
In 2002, Mono finished their second album, One Step More and You Die. Many critics considered this as having a more distinctive sound than the preceding album. An abbreviated tour in parts of New York and Sweden took place after the album's release. The length of the tour and the behavior of some of the American crowds, who Goto said in the McMullan interview were "always talking a lot and drinking beers and making a lot of noise" left the band somewhat unsatisfied.
Soon afterward, Mono moved on to a new project in direct response to the aftermath of September 11th. This album was titled New York Soundtracks and was recorded in collaboration with several important members of the New York experimental scene, such as DJ Olive, Jackie-O Motherfucker, and Loren Connors. New York Soundtracks consists of remixes of all of One Step More and You Die's tracks.
Following Soundtracks, Mono embarked on the production of their next album, Walking Cloud and Deep Red Sky, Flag Fluttered and the Sun Shined which was released on October 5, 2004. There is much back story to this album, especially behind one of its songs, A Thousand Paper Cranes. The inspiration for this song was the story of Sadako Sasaki, a young girl from Hiroshima who contracted leukemia at the age of 13, dying shortly afterwards. While in her hospital bed, Sadako attempted to fold one thousand paper cranes, which, according to Japanese folklore, had once cured a girl of disease. Following the release of this album, Mono began a lengthy world tour.
Mono's next musical endeavor was a collaboration with Japanese solo post-rock musician Katsuhiko Maeda (World's End Girlfriend). This collaboration, titled Palmless Prayer / Mass Murder Refrain, was released in 2005. Ian Mathers of Stylus Magazine praised the album as "the single most magnificent piece of music" he'd heard all year. Palmless Prayer / Mass Murder Refrain makes significant use of string instruments such as violins and cellos, accompanied by Mono's guitar work.
On June 24, 2006, Mono released their next album, You Are There. You Are There met similar success to Palmless Prayer / Mass Murder Refrain and was accompanied by worldwide tours throughout 2006 and 2007. You Are There is the fourth album by Mono, released in 2006. It was recorded in 2005 at the Electrical Audio Studios in Chicago, Illinois, bySteve Albini.
A collection of EPs entitled "Gone", as well as a 100 minute long documentary called "The Sky Remains the Same as Ever", were released in late 2007.
As of November 23, 2008, Mono began recording their latest album called Hymn To The Immortal Wind over a period of 5 days. Release date is set to March 24, 2009.
Mono, like most bands associated with the underground music scene, tries to maintain a strong relationship with their fans. Goto, in a recent interview with Semtex Magazine, pointed out that for Mono, promotion is not a priority, they tour "to meet the crowd".
Current line-up:
- "The Flames Beyond the Cold Mountain" – 13:29
- "A Heart Has Asked for the Pleasure" – 3:43
- "Yearning" – 15:38
- "Are You There?" – 10:25
- "The Remains of the Day" – 3:41
- "Moonlight" – 13:04
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