Mono No Aware – Koritsu (Album – Hands)
Genre/Influences: Rhythmic-Noise, Industrial-Techno, Techno.
Format: Digital, CD.
Background/Info: Leif Künzel is back on track unleashing this year the eleventh installment on Hands of his Mono No Aware sonic alter-ego. The album which is Japanese for ‘solitude’ features thirteen songs plus one remix.
Content: For more than 20 years now Mono No Aware is taking the Industrial scene by force; composing merciless Rhythmic-Noise with some extra Techno-Industrial passages on top. The work is hard and driven by banging rhythms. A few tracks got a little elaboration by the addition of more explicit Electronic sequences and arrangements. Somewhere in the midst of the album you’ll find a remix by S.K.E.T.
+ + + : Mono No Aware stands for the ‘old-school’ sound of Hands; merciless rhythmic-Noise which comes over you like a big bang. There’s no real break, just constant power which is from time to time boosted by extra Techno-Industrial influences. I also noticed cuts with broken rhythms but here again it all remains extremely powerful. The remix of “Surudoi” by S.K.E.T. injects a little diversity to the tracklist.
– – – : The previous album “Shinshoo” was my personal favorite from this artist. This new work sounds a bit like getting back to basics but is missing the magic I experienced at “Shinshoo”. This one sounds more repetitive and linear.
Conclusion: Even if this is not my favorite Mono No Aware production it still sounds like a dangerous sonic weapon; Rhythmic-Noise with a nuclear warhead!
Best songs: “(Das Ist) Neu”, “Surudoi – S.K.E.T. Remix”, “On The Peak Of My Int. Pitch Rate”, “Surudoi”.
Rate: 7½.
Artist: https://mono-no-aware.bandcamp.com
Label: www.handsproductions.com / www.facebook.com/hands.official
About Mono No Aware
Mono No Aware is a rhythmic-noise project from Germany’s Ruhr area, founded by Leif Künzel in 1995 and joined for a period by Stefan Böhm before continuing as a solo project. The name refers to the Japanese aesthetic concept of mono no aware. Künzel has also released music as Norm and Ms MoNo. Mono No Aware has released numerous albums on Hands, including “Shinshoo”, followed by the eleventh album, “Koritsu”, which features a remix by S.K.E.T.
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I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.
