1) Mono are a post-rock band from Tokyo, Japan formed in 1999. The songs, all of which are instrumental (their only song featuring vocals is off Rays of Darkness entitled 'The Hand that Holds the Truth' which has guest harsh vocals by Envy's vocalist), are usually focused on layered guitar melodies both epic and heavy in nature built around quieter delicate clean guitar melodies. Post-rock-styled tremolo picking can also be prominently found as well as the frequent use of strings and pianos that is featured in some songs. Mono are known for their powerful live shows, hard-hitting drumming and their complex wall of sound guitar work.
Their first EP, titled Hey, you was released in September, 2000. So far, they have released eleven full albums: Under The Pipal Tree, One Step More And You Die, Walking cloud and deep red sky, Flag fluttered and the sun shined, You Are There, Hymn To The Immortal Wind, For my parents , the double album Rays of Darkness/The Last Dawn, Requiem for Hell, Nowhere Now Here and Pilgrimage of the Soul.
They also have several other records; including a remix album, a collaborative split record with Pelican, another split with The Ocean, an album collaborating with World's end girlfriend, an EP entitled The Phoenix Tree, another EP entitled Memorie dal Futuro, several singles, a compilation, a DVD, a soundtrack and a string of live albums/EPs.
For more information, visit their official websites:
Official Website
Bandcamp
2) Mono were a British trip-hop duo which became a one-hit wonder in the late 1990s with their song "Life in Mono" featured on album Formica Blues. Mono's music shares some similarities with other such acts including Sneaker Pimps and Portishead.
3) Mono are a Dutch indie rock / post-rock band from Rotterdam. They are on Zabel Records, together with We vs. Death. Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/monotheband
4) Mono Mono is a female Austrian Reggae / Dancehall artist who now mostly collaborates with the German artist Nikitaman forming the band Mono & Nikitaman. Both have recently moved from Düsseldorf, Germany to Linz, Austria.
5) Mono is one of the names used by Jezper Söderlund, also known as Airbase, Ozone, Parc and Rah.
6) Mono (모노) was a Korean ballad trio active in the first half of the 90s. They released two albums in 1993 & 1994, and resurfaced for a new album in 2000.
7) Mono is a German field and nature recordings archival project by former STARLAB. A self-titled album was released in 2022.
Life In Mono (Banana Republic
Mono Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From someone else's dream
The leaves began to fall
And no-one spoke at all
But I can't seem to recall
When you came along
Ingenue
I just don't know what to do
The tree-lined avenue
Begins to fade from view
Drowning past regrets
In tea and cigarettes
But I can't seem to forget
When you came along
Ingenue
The song "Life in Mono" by Mono is a haunting, dreamlike ballad that explores the complex emotions of an ingenue, a naive and innocent young woman. The song opens with the image of a stranger singing a theme from someone else's dream, which sets an eerie and surreal tone. The leaves falling and the silence that follows create a sense of melancholy and foreboding. The singer then reflects on the arrival of the ingenue, who seems to have brought a new sense of hope and possibility into his life. However, he is still uncertain and confused, as expressed in the repetition of "Ingenue, I just don't know what to do."
The following verses evoke a sense of nostalgia and loss, as the tree-lined avenue fades from view and the singer tries to drown his past regrets in tea and cigarettes. However, the memory of the ingenue persists, even as the world around him changes. The final line "But I can't seem to forget when you came along, Ingenue" is both a declaration of the singer's attachment to the ingenue and a lament for the passing of time.
Overall, "Life in Mono" is a complex and evocative meditation on the bittersweet nature of love and loss, and the transformative power of new beginnings.
Line by Line Meaning
The stranger sang a theme
An unfamiliar person sang a melody
From someone else's dream
The melody the stranger sang resembled a song from another person's dream
The leaves began to fall
Autumn foliage started to drop
And no-one spoke at all
Silence was maintained
But I can't seem to recall
Although, I can’t remember exactly
When you came along
The moment when you entered
Ingenue
Innocent young woman
Ingenue
Innocent young woman
I just don't know what to do
I am unsure of how to proceed
The tree-lined avenue
A road with trees on either side
Begins to fade from view
Slowly disappears from sight
Drowning past regrets
Trying to forget previous mistakes
In tea and cigarettes
Using tea and cigarettes to soothe oneself
But I can't seem to forget
Nevertheless, I cannot seem to remember
When you came along
When you walked into my life
Ingenue
Innocent young woman
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG Rights Management
Written by: JOHN BARRY, MARTIN VIRGO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind