Faced with pyrotechnics-by-numbers outfits like Mono, no wonder Mogwai left the guitar-pummelling field. But Mono’s bone-crunching post-rock is too derivative to be convincing. The frequent squall-and-calm tricks are predictable, while their bludgeoning attacks are lumpen and drab. It’s often forgotten that white noise aggro needs tension to instill terror, and Mono neither frighten nor create foreboding. Meanwhile, attempts at Slint-style math-rock on “Sabbath”are woefully inadequate. Finally, oddly, apocalyptic hardcore sounds dated.
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