When MONO began in 1999, they set out with a simple mission: From bliss to bludgeon, no matter how long or winding the path may be. Their debut album, Under The Pipal Tree, outlined that mission in twisted, psychedelic fury. Subsequent albums would see the band honing their craft, mastering their mission, and ultimately abandoning that path in favor of more grandiose pursuits. Flanked by increasingly larger orchestras, MONO performed live at some of the most prestigious venues in New York City, London, Tokyo, and Australia. MONO had become an orchestral rock band, a spectacle of extreme melancholy and melodrama. On 2012’s For My Parents, the band had finally reached the logical conclusion of that era; it was time to remember where they started, and to rethink where they were heading. Less strings? No strings? Louder?Quieter? Lighter? Darker? Yes.
The Last Dawn and Rays of Darkness are a pair of new albums by MONO. Recorded simultaneously yet conceptually and creatively disparate, the two act as both opposing and complementary sides to a story. No strangers to narratives, the two albums explore familiar themes for the band: Hope and hopelessness, love and loss, immense joy and unspeakable pain. Those elemental parts of life and the complicated relationships they create have never been more resonant through MONO’s music than they are here.
The Last Dawn is the first of these two companion albums, and is the “lighter” of the two, thematically and melodically. It contains undoubtedly some of MONO’s strongest songs ever, drawing on an array of influences from minimalist film score to vintage shoegaze. It is MONO at their absolute purest, executing an uncanny, unspoken dialogue with each other without the dozens of stringed instruments that have been so prominent throughout their catalog. The songs are also noticeably more efficient – there hasn’t been a MONO full-length record to fit on a single slab of vinyl since 2003’s One Step More And You Die – and the album benefits immeasurably from this streamlined approach. MONO have always been masters of telling compelling stories without words. But now they’ve proven they can do it without frills, too.
Rays of Darkness is the first MONO album in 15 years to feature no orchestral instruments whatsoever. That fact alone is remarkable given the band’s reputation for sweeping, dramatic instrumentals that recall Oscar-worthy film scores. Instead, Rays of Darkness more closely resembles a jet engine taking off inside a small, crowded auditorium. It is MONO’s blackest album ever, a collection of scorched riffs, doom rhythms, and an unexpected contribution from post-hardcore pioneer Tetsu Fukagawa of Envy. The album ends with the smoldering wreckage of distorted guitars and ominous drones playing out a eulogy to the days when MONO shot blinding rays of light through seemingly endless darkness.
1999 年成队之初，MONO 带着一个简单的使命便踏上了旅程：抱持轻柔亦抱持轻狂，品味极乐亦品味极妄，无论前路何其艰长。他们的首张专辑《Under the Pipal Tree》为这则使命赋予了更多扭曲而迷幻的激怒面容。之后的几张续作中，MONO 韬光养晦地打磨着匠艺。为了更辉煌的梦想，他们最终抛弃了初始之路。之后的 MONO 游走于越来越宏大的交响乐团间，足迹远至纽约、伦敦、东京和澳洲，曾在一些最负盛名的音乐现场演出过。MONO 以交响乐的名义继承着摇滚乐的精髓，创造着极端感伤却又富有戏剧性的旋律。2012 年，当他们发行了 《For My Parents》后，MONO 终于结束了先前的风格。是时候整顿情绪，重树目标了。弦乐是该减少还是该放弃？氛围是更热烈还是更安静？风格是更开朗还是更阴郁？这一切都有可能。
《The Last Dawn》和《Rays of Darkness》是 MONO 的两张新专辑。这两张同时录制的专辑有着截然不同的创作理念，是一个故事的互补两面。MONO 作品中贯有的叙事特点在这两专辑中再次得到了体现：希望与绝望的转换、爱与恨的交织以及极乐与极悲的大起大落，这些听者熟稔的主题在 MONO 这两张作品中拥有前所未有的共鸣。
《The Last Dawn》是这两张专辑中的首发专辑，相较之下主题和旋律都更为“轻柔”。毫无疑问，这张受极简电影和复古自赏音乐风格影响的专辑包含了 MONO 几首最强有力的单曲。这时期的 MONO 是最纯粹的：往昔专辑中阵容庞大的管弦乐队不再喧宾夺主；成员间默契十足，仿佛在用一种神秘的无声语言进行精神交流。与极简曲风相得益彰的是专辑中一众高度表意的曲目。要知道，自 2003 年的 《One Step More And You Die》后，还没有哪张 MONO 的全长专辑能塞得进一张黑胶中。整张专辑也在这种从简的风格中获益匪浅。一直以来 MONO 都是讲故事的好手，毋需言语便能把精彩故事娓娓道来。这次他们终于证明了自己放下架子后，亦能将听众引入新的洞天。
《Rays of Darkness》是 MONO 十五年来首张放弃任何类似管弦乐配曲的专辑。单单这件事就可称神奇。要知道 MONO 那恢弘又充满戏剧性的编曲可早已享誉在外，出现在奥斯卡影片配乐中都不足为奇。然而 MONO 却反其道而行之。作为 MONO 最黑暗的一张专辑，《Rays of Darkness》听来更像在拥挤的小礼堂中起飞的小型飞机。专辑中充斥着焦灼的 riff 和末世般的旋律，以及一段与后摇先驱 Testsu Fukagawa （Envy 成员）的出人意料的联袂。整张专辑在郁积而扭曲的吉他变声和不详的嗡嗡声中收场，仿佛在对过去那个于无边黑暗中放出万丈光芒的 MONO 唱着挽歌。
