Under the Pipal Tree

Artist: Mono
Label: Tzadik
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1

UPC: 702397723721
EAN: 0702397723721
ASIN: B00005RFK8

Release Date: 2001-11-20

Under the Pipal Tree

Related Categories:

General

| Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General

| Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock

| Pop | Styles | Music

Tracks:

Karelia (Opus 2)
The Kidnapper Bell
Jackie Says
Op Beach
Holy
Error #9
L'America
Human Highway

Similar Items:

One Step More and You Die
Walking Cloud and Deep Red Sky, Flag Fluttered and the Sun Shined
You Are There
Palmless Prayer/Mass Murder Refrain
Every Red Heart Shines Toward the Red Sun

Customer Reviews:

Very Good Debut, with two particular standouts.......2006-04-25

This album shows Mono at its infancy and only beginning to realize its creative powers. The album starts with'Karelia (Opus 2)' is definitely a powerful opening number, and even though it is essentially the same three chords played over and over again, Mono makes it interesting through their creative use of effects pedals. This song, as well as the next song, 'The Kidnapper Bell', demonstrate that even at this stage, Mono has a solid mastery of the many textures and sounds that their pedals can produce. This is generally why I favor Mono over Explosions in the Sky, as Mono's tonal variety makes for a very captivating listen, while all of Explosions in the Sky sounds the same.

The next four songs go over just fine, but they all pale in comparison to the Album's real standouts: 'Error #9,' and 'L'america.' 'Error #9' in particular is simply gorgeous. The way the introduction is played almost sounds like heavenly angels floating through a mist, and the guitar enters with a stunning repetitive melody. The guitars buildup, with Mono using their effects pedals to produce just the right sound, and then it all dies down, returning to the heavenly ambience of the beginning. Then all of a sudden, the guitar melody returns as a beckon of hope, and all of the sudden, everything crashes into a powerful guitar symphony, completely overwhelming the listener. Finally, after a few minutes, the magestic guitars trail off and the listener is left with the beginning melody, then that ends, and all is left is the ambience, trailing off into oblivion.

'Error #9' is followed by 'L'America,' which quiet and comtemplative. In a sense, it's almost a refleciton of the previous song, chilling out the listener from the previous numbers majestic heights. It's a solid number, and in the same vein of 'Sabbath,' off of their next album.

Overall, this is an excellent debut album, and is definitely worth the price of admission for Error #9 alone, and it demonstrates that even at this early point in their career, Mono is capable of expressing tremendous emotion in their music, demonstrating further that music is really a form of art.

Triumphant........2006-01-05

Brooding with such organic honesty and might, where does one begin to review such art? Although this is one album amongst a hundred others in the "post-rock" arena, I believe it's fair to say it's one of the best. I, like most others reading this review, enjoy the beauty of acts such as Godspeed and Explosions, yet am continuously searching for similar music that is passionate rather than stale or studied. Well, Under The Pipal Tree is one such releases.

It's rather irrelevant to go through the album by tracks, although necessary to develop just what exactly the album sounds like, so I will attempt to find a happy medium. For starters, this is climatic music, though subtle. All seems to have been carefully manipulated; Mono avoids climaxes that are forced resulting in extremely natural, yet extremely chaotic, progressions within the songs. Every song is minimal, and thankfully so; a dam within this album's flow would ruin it, no doubt. The minimalism adds power and depth ... in the beginning the melody will grab your heart and at the end it will tear it out. Beautiful? Indeed.

With a couple of guitars, a bass, a kit and some cello thrown in for good measure, Mono have created a work that is valiant, beautiful and ultimately glorious. You'll find no jazzed-up productions here; simply raw music with its heart upon its sleeve, to grab yours along for the ride. Buy this record as soon as you can.

Auspicious Debut.......2005-05-04

Mono have grown with each release, but their first album is also amazing. You must appreciate subtlety and silence, as well as brazen volume and guts spilling out onto the pavement. Some of the songs are simple, speaking from a purely theoretical point of view (ie, two chords, back and forth), but the effect is hypnotic and luminous. Gorgeous music, emotional as your first heartbreak, and for fans of the wailing guitar. In many ways, Japan's Mono make better American Psychedelia than any American band, taking the pioneers like Jimi Hendrix to absurd extremes. The drummer is absolutely amazing; his placement of the kickdrum is at times genius; you never thought a drumbeat could be so sad, but when the kick comes in on the second track, you really feel it; right here. And right there. Yes, silence is a large part of Mono; they will drop the volume down to inaudible for a while before kicking it back up; it's part of the yin and the yang, don't you know? In the end, this music is about growth and dynamics, in other words Change. It's not about making you feel good about your current state; it's about making you long for something Other. Now go and find It.

Interesting instrumental experience.......2003-11-03

I bought this CD by mistake (I was searching for some other CDs of MONO that made "Formica Blues"). But it was a good mistake. The only problem I have is the changin loudness (which someone might enjoy). Sometimes I can't even hear the instruments and the next minute it gets loud... It is not the CD's fault, it coresponds with the music... But other than that it is amazing mixture of instrumental experience...

Music Album:

Music Album

Music Album

Music CD

Between the Lines ~ Mike Stern

Sapphire Blue ~ Larry Carlton

Caché ~ Kirk Whalum

Next Step ~ Ricardo Scales

Christangelfox

1939 ~ Teddy Wilson & His Orchestra

Triunfo ~ Alfredo De La Fe

Lemon River ~ Klakki

Aru Tasogare ~ Yuki Chihana

Musiques Pour Films, Vol. 2 ~ Pascal Comelade