Frankly amazing Japanese quartet Mono are to release their fourth studio album, You Are There, through Temporary Residence on April 10th.
Like their last long-player, Walking Cloud..., You Are There was recorded by Steve Albini. Unlike its predecessor and the album before that, One Step More And You Die, You Are There is short on bombast and fury, instead emphasising the band's more delicate complexities. There's plenty of cello and more than a dash of emotive piano, put it that way.
Contrived, though, is something it's not: we know because we heard it this morning, and we're not ashamed to say we arrived at work with something of a lump in our throat. Track four, 'Are You There?', is likely to have your heart leaping clean out of your mouth; that, or it'll simply pop in your chest at the beauty of what's going on in your ears.
So, to summarise: get excited. Clicky here for more information.