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Feb 01, 2019 Web Exclusive By Michael James Hall

Back in league with longtime engineer Steve Albini, Japan’s foremost orchestral guitar-rock exports MONO offer up their 10th studio album in their 20th year as a band.

Songwriter and band leader Takaakira Goto doesn’t ever stray too far from the widescreen, soaring peaks and troughs of the more intelligent end of post-rock but, as ever, there’s so much passion and atmosphere conjured by his group of inimitable musicians that it’s impossible to complain.

There are some changes: we’re treated to a debut vocal from long-time member Tamaki Kunishi on the woozy “Breathe” and elsewhere elements of electronica rear up in an in a fitting, progressive way.

But it’s the band’s adherence to a formula of slow building, ever-increasing slow-burn-and-explode epic rock that keeps us returning to and, duly, celebrating, these masters of math. (www.monoofjapan.com)

Author rating: 7/10