Storm Static Sleep: A Pathway Through Post Rock

by Jack Chuter

As Goto became increasingly acquainted with scoring for classical instrumentation, the sound of Mono transformed accordingly. “I learned everything regarding orchestration by myself,” he tells me. “On our first album, I tried incorporating one cello, then cello and violin on the second, and for the first time, I used a quartet on the third album. I just slowly learned each instrument’s uniqueness, sounds and volumes and eventually used a double quartet on the fourth album.” The fourth album was 2006’s You Are There, and marks the point at which rock and orchestration hit a perfect balance. Effects such as reverb, delay and tremolo picking were used to make the guitars resemble violins and cellos, so that the band could play their new material live even when an orchestra was absent. But the guitars were also treated like classical instruments to be scored for; on “Moonlight” they wove up and down as though in flight, with tremolo used to emulate the continuous flow of the violin. During moments like this, the guitars and strings blended into a formidable whole – both warm and fizzing, turbulent and serene.