Japanese band Mono are most famous for their lengthy, slowly expanding instrumental rock songs, which usually start with a whisper and build inexorably to such a deafening climax that, if you're seeing one of their justifiably renowned live shows, you'll either be reaching for the earplugs or feeling like you're being raised into a transcendental state, or possibly both. Even at their loudest, though, all the waves of feedback and noise seem to come from a place of serenity. On their latest, "Are You There," the epic tracks are broken up by a couple of short, simple, quiet songs, like this lovely piano and strings mood piece.
-- T.B.
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