Only Mondo could write an album with only four songs that yet total over an hour in playing time! Ah well, here we go.
I Know It's The Trees – Q'uq'umatz (Mondo Bungle) - 2016
There's a very abrupt and sudden opening to “I know it's the trees part 1”,which took me by surprise, as Mondo's albums (or any I've heard) always take a long time to slowly filter in. But this is, I guess, more a Black Metal effort and so it's more immediate. A lot more heavy sharp guitar and not so much the long droning synths. Growling vocals, which are I think the first time I've heard vocals on one of his albums. Are they his? Don't know; he might confirm that later. Slowing down now in the third minute and becoming more of a groove than a thrash (sounds like there could be flutes there? Maybe not) and now we have some sort of tribal drum rhythm coming in. Pretty sweet. Even some funky stuff coming in around the eight-minute mark. Very impressive I must say. Good sort of industrial ending. This first track has not been the endurance test I had feared. I'm actually looking forward to the rest of the album now.
And part two flows directly from that, the industrial, mechanical sounds being shortly tailed back and then cut out altogether by some expressive guitar, almost pastoral (acoustic?) with what may be the synth now coming in behind it. This one is only (!) sixteen minutes long. Like the birdsong, especially given the subject matter. Has he sampled that, or just added it? Somehow it seems to be moulding itself to the melody – oh, he's segueing it into a flute piece. There are definitely flutes. Clever. Very clever. Tribal drums fading in slowly now, Nice busy bassline as things begin to happen fairly rapidly from the sixth minute on, hard to keep up with everything. Think there are screeched vocals there, mad drum solo, swirling synths, punishing guitars, and so on. Like I said, busy. Perhaps slightly organised chaos to a degree. Some excellent shredding now in the eighth minute, really brilliant. Love this.
Getting very frantic and frenetic from the twelfth minute, lot of power and energy here. Starting to fade out now to a squealing synth and bringing back in rolling percussion, finishing up in a flurry of activity and taking us into part three, by far the longest on the entire album, at just short of twenty-eight minutes. Yeah: nearly as long as parts one and two put together! The wailing voices that ended part two continue into part three, but only for a few seconds before the track establishes its own identity, with sharp snappy guitar leading the line, the percussion slower and more deliberate, the basic rhythm reminding me of the Police at times, kind of a white reggae feel to it for a few moments before it breaks out all over the place in an explosion of drums and guitar. Oh, and we're only two minutes in! Some odd animal-like noises now; not sure if that's meant to be singing or to signify beasts in the forest? Slower guitar, grinding along then picking up and running into some more great shredding. More industrial influences coming in as we hit the eighth minute and then it gets a little psychedelic perhaps?
Militaristic drumming with attendant flute in the tenth minute with what sounds like “Angels we have heard on high”
being played on the guitar in a very sparse and repeating pattern. Twelfth minute gets very atmospheric with soft acoustic guitar and possible distant vocals, sound effects and a very slow drumbeat, and now it's orchestral keyboard in a very dramatic passage taking us into the thirteenth minute, with flute also joining in and what sounds like slightly discordant piano. Amazing stuff, truly amazing. This guy is finally (to me anyway) showing the superb breadth of musicianship he possesses. This is professional quality stuff. Flute and orchestral keys drop out now as muted electric guitar comes in as we move from the fifteenth minute to the sixteenth, though I think I can hear the flute playing a few more notes in the background (could be synth) and then hammering drums as everything flies off again.
Almost twenty minutes in now and it's been a hell of a ride, and a very enjoyable one. Did not expect this at all, which I hope is not taken as offence by Mondo, but everything I've heard from him to date has been a little hard to get through, whereas this is something I could listen to all day long, reminds me of my buddy from Panopticon. Yeah, that good. Taking another turn for the tribal here with shakers (?) and flute grabbing centre stage with a mere four minutes to go. Kind of a warped, twisted ending but it's all good, finishing on soft acoustic guitar and lonely flute. That was the easiest close to half hour single track I have sat through in a long time. And the flutes take us into the closer, a mere six minutes and change as we head into “The forest of revisitation”, with a building line of percussion and feedback (maybe; could be synth) that kind of revisits (obviously) some of the themes of the main album.
Track listing and ratings
I know it's the trees part 1
I know it's the trees part 2
I know it's the trees part 3
The forest of revisitation
Now I see, finally, why everyone says Mondo is such a great musician. This is far and away the best I've heard, not only from him, but is right up there with the best this Showroom has sampled. One of the gems of the musical talent scattered throughout Music Banter, and I look forward to hearing more at some point. Without question, a high watermark in Mondo's compositions, and something that should be selling respectable units at itunes or wherever. Excellent.
