Mono no aware

I know it’s a bit pre-emptive nominating a contender for Album Of 2009 when we’re only three months into the year but in recent days I’ve become so entranced by Mono’s latest effort Hymn to the Immortal Wind I’m pretty confident that we may already have a winner. It’s their fifth studio effort but apart from the EP compilation Gone this is the first time I’ve had chance to properly check them out…and I absolutely love what I’ve found.

The band’s sound is in the vein of Mogwai or God is an Astronaut in that the songs are almost all instrumentals with keyboards and occasional samples woven in between layered guitar lines. Although there are several bands, including the two mentioned above, who fall into the category of atmospheric post-rock or shoegaze this is one of the finest examples I’ve had the pleasure to hear so far: a tender yet emotionally-charged gem of an album that balances experimental guitar noise with staggering orchestral beauty. If it isn’t the best thing we’ll hear in the next twelve months I’ll enjoy being proved wrong.

Whatever I say about Xam’d: Lost Memories in this post I must stress that I loved watching it each week. Every sunday morning, after taking a leisurely shower and brewing a pot of coffee I’d sit down to catch the latest episode, just as I used to with Macross Frontier (what I’ll replace it with I’m not sure but Code Geass is the most likely candidate in the coming weeks). It was a series that dished out its fair share of surprises but even so it didn’t quite match all of my loftiest expectations; but then my expections were really high to begin with so that doesn’t have to be a bad thing.

Coburn recently suggested that the series is probably best appreciated when either marathoned or watched in bigger chunks, and I feel inclined to agree. This isn’t a monster- or case-of-the-week series: it’s a journey in a physical, spiritual and emotional sense that I think I’d appreciate more if I rewatched it that way. The background details were the only significant disappointment for me really: I felt there was a lot that was hinted at but not followed up, which leaves me thirsty for more. Were there dead ends left unexplained or would a rewatch answer what I saw as missed opportunities?