Listening to One Step More and You Die by Japanese quartet Mono, I'm trying to figure out if we're on the verge of a post-rock revival or if the stuff just never went away. Everything about this record feels very 1998, a time when a thousand bands who listened to a lot of Spiderland decided to forego vocals and make variable instrumental density the primary songwriting device. Mono formed in 2000, so the timing in terms of post-rock influence seems about right.
One Step More and You Die is their second album, after debuting in 2001 with Under the Pipal Tree on Tzadik. Yeah, it's derivative, and yeah, we've heard it before, but at least Mono apes the best from the era, capturing the crucial drama. Mogwai, for example, completely lost me with Come On Die Young, one of the dullest albums I've ever owned. But I've always liked Young Team, and it's those sort of soft/loud, tap/crunch dichotomies that Mono plays with here. When the guitars kick in, they really kick in, with bassy clipping and heavy metal thunder. Nowhere is this more evident than on "Com(?)", a 15-minute track that could almost be titled "Mono Fear Satan". "Com(?)", unfortunately, never aims for near that level of poignancy, and the central riff is more a stomping power chord than Mogwai's elegant glide, but the structure with which Mono explores the hypnotic possibility of a single riff is quite close in spirit to the beloved classic.
In keeping with their genre's tradition, Mono incorporate occasional strings and glockenspiel to add delicacy to the simple, minimalist melodies destined to be pounded into the ground by dueling guitars. Only the longer tracks use extreme dynamics, though. "Mopish Morning, Halation Whisper" sounds like an interlude off the first Godspeed album, with violin and piano wobbling at variable speed mixed with a bit of vinyl crackle. More Godspeedisms can be found on "A Speeding Car", which makes heavy use of the Slow Riot-era technique of having the band repeat a single progression over and over as the lead guitar is strummed on madly on upper-register chords to evoke a cry.
These obvious references to other bands don't erase the fact that Mono are pretty good at what they do. The guitar melodies, though simple and repetitive, are catchy enough, and Mono have a good feel for tension and release. I feel like deep down this band wants to be louder and heavier, though, because the noisiest moments on One Step More and You Die are most convincing. There's a point in "Com(?)" where the track is at its peak and the tape seems completely saturated and then, from nowhere, an additional screaming sheet of feedback comes in and you think, "Ah, so that wasn't really so loud before. This is loud!" Whereas the quieter, twining guitar bits seem much more common. Still, the occasional dull patch aside, One Step More and You Die should scratch that '98 post-rocking itch.
