Customer Reviews

Palmless Prayer / Mass Murder Refrain

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

...does this album have two reviews? Two. Two. Hmmm. Two.

Why does that upset -- nay, sadden -- me? Probably because 'Palmless Prayer' is, no joke, one of the most beautiful compositions I've ever heard. Really.

Two reviews... goodness. I will say, however, the only reason I sought out this album was because I heard someone else declare it to be levels above one of my most beloved bands -- Canadian post-rock 'Godspeed! You Black Emperor!'; the spite that immediately exerted itself, simply from another being putting 'Godspeed!' (qualitatively) at a lower level than any other particular musical force, was enough for me to seek out this music immediately... and so I did.

...and this guy knew what he was talking about, at least in part. No -- I will not be so bold as to praise 'Palmless Prayer/Mass Murder Refrain' an entity towering above the works of 'Godspeed! You Black Emperor'... no, I cannot do that, because, to my ears, it is not of a higher level. That said, I am both surprised and excited in being able to tout the album as reaching the same general level of greatness, because that greatness, in my experience, is not reached very often.

There are various reasons this music is haunting, but perhaps the most demanding virtue is its sense of drama; not often have I heard such sadness echoed in the form of music. At first, the sound was so unrelenting I had to take a giant step back, and proceeded to observe with skepticism, for anything this morose can so easily come off as narcissistic or, similarly, containing a mild amount of pretense. Yet, with further listens, it was obvious -- behind the seemingly 'artsy' surface, there is a permeating heart that, for me, breathes the most loving, sensitive of breaths... As a painfully somber cello segways into the angelic, minimilist notes that conclude "Trailer, 2", I sit in mere awe... Often, yes, I prefer to use words like "angelic" because they provide a powerful sentiment to anyone reading it, but admittedly I like to, at times, pull words out of the hat just to garnish attention (I want all good music to be heard!). In this case, words like angelic couldn't be more appropriate or sincere.

What's more, is that this composition really doesn't feel all that FRESH, so to speak; the more celestial sections recall ambient-master Brian Eno, the use of strings familiar to those exposed to a good deal of film music (the yearning of Tan Dun's 'Crouching Tiger'). "Trailer, 4", possibly my favorite of the elegies to be found here, is haunting and unforgettable [really]; its use of boy soprano absolutely pristine, drenched in a seriousness I rarely hear in any form of contemporary music; referring again to film (which, as the "trailer" titles in the tracks might indicate, the album has much parallels with), 'Mono/World's End Girlfriend''s use of vocals in this particular track remind me of the brilliant, (post?)modern classical/film composer Elliot Goldenthal (his works for 'Alien 3', 'Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, 'Michael Collins', etc.)... I.E., the guys' here are utilizing a formula that has existed before, but they lace it with such authenticity and deep emotion that its familiarity comes with grace and gratitude.

I'm about to check out both of these bands' other works; looks like they reside in the "post-rock" world, as far as vague categorizations go. Knowing this, 'Palmless Prayer' feels only slightly post-rock; it's too serious, too direct, and simply too draining to be compared to stuff like 'Explosions in the Sky' or 'Sigur Ros'. The sheer melancholy within compares with the best of 'Mogwai' and 'Godspeed!', and probably the most apt comparison to be made would be with 'Godspeed!''s run-off band, 'A Silver Mt. Zion', primarily because both flow to a slower tempo, provide more orchestral instrumentation opposed to guitar/bass/drums (piano/strings/soundscapes largely in place of), and on a very basic, real level, are simply more powerful.

Like 'A Silver Mt. Zion', one should probably tread lightly if they're not accustomed to such moods. It's all interpretive, of course; I have no question many would simply turn off the music after hearing it for a few moments -- "boring", a very likely response. Thus, or at least for me, it's a matter of willing the imagination to feel the pain endowed in the music, but never forgetting that birthed from this pain is a rapture of beauty too evocative, brimming with a hope that is hard to penetrate without first knowing the contrasting darkness.

Wow. This collaboration between Japanese epic art rockers Mono and their equally arty countrymen World's End Girlfriend is nothing short of gorgeous. Palmless Prayer / Mass Murder Refrain is an absolutely breathtaking five-part mood piece that enshrouds the listener in looming desolate shadows cast by classically composed guitar, strings, piano, saxophone and even a fleeting vocal chorus. A staggeringly moving work definitely for fans of Godspeed You Black Mogwai or anyone else looking to have their jaw dropped by some seriously bleak beauty.

This album is probably the saddest thing I have EVER heard. By the time I get to the sequentially titled Trailer 3 (of a five part album), I'm almost shaking with grief, unable to comprehend how mere music can possess so much power of movement. I challenge anyone to sit through this marvel and rebut my pronouncement. Mono is a Japanese instrumental post-rock band, which appeared over and over on my charts throughout the years. With multiple releases on Temporary Residence Limited, Mono has developed their own staple sound as well as a group of loyal followers (including yours truly). On this collaboration they are joined by Katsuhiko Maeda, who releases under many names, most notable of them, World's End Girlfriend with excellent albums on Midi Creative / Noble. Maeda's sound is an unclassifiable potpourri of modern classical, experimental post-rock with a touch of electronic glitch, and he has also numerously appeared on my rotations. But on this album, Maeda leaves his micro processing behind to join Mono and create an acoustic requiem which grabs at your heart and does not let go until it squeezes every last tear. I have officially found music for my funeral. Yes, I want everyone to weep freely to this nonreligious, palmless prayer.

...although this was released in 2006, is MONO & world's end girlfriend's gorgeous Palmless Prayer / Mass Murder Refrain, a five-part chamber music suite, as it were, for string quartet and post-rock band. A collaboration between Japanese composer Katsuhiko Maeda and the thunderous Tokyo quartet that is MONO, the album is surely going to be one of my favorites of the year.

Doubtless a lot of music fans more knowledgeable than I would point to music from a different tradition--say, Shostakovich, Pärt, or Gorecki--as more complex, more profoundly moving. But the difference is that MONO rocks: the moment in "Part Three" when MONO's Mogwai-influenced wall of guitar comes crashing down on the orchestra is a cathartic sonic event, only made more poignant by the calm resignation of the finale.

It's hard to describe the widescreen sorrow at the core of this music. It's something as mundane as the inherent loneliness of automobiles stranded on the freeway at sunset. But the ineffable grandeur it evokes is not just exit music for a film, it's Exit Music for real: ruined cities, a threnody for the broken earth, the dying sun's last defiant flare before the beginning of a cold, dead universe. Or as C.K. Williams puts it in his poem "Light," "...everything ends, / world, after-world, even their memory, steamed away / like the film of uncertain vapor of the last of the luscious rain."

There are experiential works and this is one of them. If you have heard Japanese post-rock band Mono before, they are one of the two acts in here, but this album is not their most accessible or typical piece. The result of the blend of styles between them and World's End Girlfriend could be compared somehow to the sound that the soundtrack for "The Fountain" if, instead of Clint Mansell, it had been Rachel's doing the score portion and, of course, if Mono had done the post-rock work instead of Mogwai. If that makes any sense to you and you are still interested, then check out "Palmless Prayer/Mass Murder Refrain". If not, I still invite you to experience the 5 parts that make up this magnificent album: you will not be disappointed if you are willing to put in what it takes into the musical adventure it will take you on.

I have been listening to Mono for almost half a year now, and whenever I hear something new by them, I am awestruck and baffled by the beauty of it. Until recently I was convinced that Sigur Ros is the greatest band on the planet, with Mono trailing not very far behind. Now, after listening to this album, I am reminded of the better aspects of classical minimalism as encapsulated by Henryk Gorecki and Arvo Part; and, having been thoroughly swept away, I see this band creates music that surpasses both of those composers in elegance and grace, and that surpasses the beautifully melodious heights of Sigur Ros. I am stunned. This music is too much. It is too gorgeous. I want the world to spend an hour listening to it. Nothing could ever be the same afterwards.

I'm terrible at explaining music so I won't attempt. I simply wanted to give the album another 5 star rating because I was absolutely love this CD.

This album is a must-have for fans of the more orchestral type of post-rock. It's reminiscent of Godspeed You Black Emperor, only a bit calmer and quite a bit more cohesive. GYBE fans should definitely find it worthwhile.

I just downloaded this album, after hearing trailer 3 on Pandora... I'm reading a book on line and I like to listen to music as I read.
So I decide to play the album. I'm reading my book, which is a tiny bit emo... but I'm pretty sturdy , so no big thing... within moments the music has my attention and I am pretty happy that I took the plunge (upon hearing only one track) and purchased the album.
I return my attention to my book and moments later am ripped away again by trailer 2...I find tears are streaming from my eyes... I'm not a crier, never have been...
So all this is to say that this is the most hauntingly beautiful albums I have heard since Siger Ros's ( ).
Amazing! My tears are still streaming as i write this review.... If you like to be moved by music... this is the album for you...Bbuy it!

If you were introduced to Mono by their Formica Blues album and you're looking to expand your collection of their work, you will find that this album is nothing like Formica Blues in the least. It is completely instrumental. It does have brief moments of drama but overall it's a melancholy, thematic composition that feels somewhat like a film score.

It feels like an album that I would like to listen to with the lights off while laying on the couch, but I personally thought it was too redundant to hold my interest for that kind of listening. From a compositional standpoint, any good composition should have a theme, some repetition, and some variation. This album did have a theme and PLENTY of repetition, but very little variation. Variation is what holds my interest. Maybe it will be good to have in the background if guests come to visit, but this album did not strike me in a profound way. I don't have a strong desire to listen to it more than once.