Mono – Holy Ground: NYC Live with the Wordless Music Orchestra

Rock musicians and orchestras together at last – to some it sounds like a fine idea. Others cringe. Metallica botched it; critics are split on Peter Gabriel’s attempt at it. Mono, on the other hand, couldn’t screw it up if they tried. Their orchestral, cinematic compositions are filled with the kinds of crescendos and sustained dramatic tensions that leave you thinking you’ve just heard an orchestra, when if fact you’ve just heard a four-piece band. Amazingly, the Wordless Music Orchestra never overwhelms the band; they play as a unit, the three Japanese musicians seamlessly integrated into the orchestra as a whole. Fans will be happy to hear the logical and slightly overdue treatment of songs such as “Burial at Sea” and “Where Am I,” while newcomers might find it all a bit too Godspeed-on-steroids; those people aren’t likely to enjoy Mono on their own, either. The orchestral elements lends drama and density, but it doesn’t change the spirit and sound of the group.