「ドブネズミみたいに美しくなりたい。写真には写らない美しさがあるから」<12>。簡素な言葉で物事の、社会の、そして人間の真実をぐっさりと射抜いてしまう歌詞とシンプルでタイトなバンド・サウンドによって、多くのミュージシャンたちにあまりにも大きな影響を続けるフォーピース・ロックンロール・バンドの、まさに衝撃のデビュー作。歌詞ばかりが注目されがちな彼らだが、その楽曲もかなりの高品質。また、ボーカル・甲本ヒロトの性急感とせつなさを同時に吐き出す声も、恐ろしいほどに魅力的だ。（森 朋之）

When MONO began in 1999, they set out with a simple mission: From bliss to bludgeon, no matter how long or winding the path may be. Their debut album, Under The Pipal Tree, outlined that mission in twisted, psychedelic fury. Subsequent albums would see the band honing their craft, mastering their mission, and ultimately abandoning that path in favor of more grandiose pursuits. Flanked by increasingly larger orchestras, MONO performed live at some of the most prestigious venues in New York City, London, Tokyo, and Australia. MONO had become an orchestral rock band, a spectacle of extreme melancholy and melodrama. On 2012’s For My Parents, the band had finally reached the logical conclusion of that era; it was time to remember where they started, and to rethink where they were heading. Less strings? No strings? Louder?Quieter? Lighter? Darker? Yes. The Last Dawn and Rays of Darkness are a pair of new albums by MONO. Recorded simultaneously yet conceptually and creatively disparate, the two act as both opposing and complementary sides to a story. No strangers to narratives, the two albums explore familiar themes for the band: Hope and hopelessness, love and loss, immense joy and unspeakable pain. Those elemental parts of life and the complicated relationships they create have never been more resonant through MONO’s music than they are here. The Last Dawn is the first of these two companion albums, and is the “lighter” of the two, thematically and melodically. It contains undoubtedly some of MONO’s strongest songs ever, drawing on an array of influences from minimalist film score to vintage shoegaze. It is MONO at their absolute purest, executing an uncanny, unspoken dialogue with each other without the dozens of stringed instruments that have been so prominent throughout their catalog. The songs are also noticeably more efficient – there hasn’t been a MONO full-length record to fit on a single slab of vinyl since 2003’s One Step More And You Die – and the album benefits immeasurably from this streamlined approach. MONO have always been masters of telling compelling stories without words. But now they’ve proven they can do it without frills, too. Rays of Darkness is the first MONO album in 15 years to feature no orchestral instruments whatsoever. That fact alone is remarkable given the band’s reputation for sweeping, dramatic instrumentals that recall Oscar-worthy film scores. Instead, Rays of Darkness more closely resembles a jet engine taking off inside a small, crowded auditorium. It is MONO’s blackest album ever, a collection of scorched riffs, doom rhythms, and an unexpected contribution from post-hardcore pioneer Tetsu Fukagawa of Envy. The album ends with the smoldering wreckage of distorted guitars and ominous drones playing out a eulogy to the days when MONO shot blinding rays of light through seemingly endless darkness. 1999 年成队之初，MONO 带着一个简单的使命便踏上了旅程：抱持轻柔亦抱持轻狂，品味极乐亦品味极妄，无论前路何其艰长。他们的首张专辑《Under the Pipal Tree》为这则使命赋予了更多扭曲而迷幻的激怒面容。之后的几张续作中，MONO 韬光养晦地打磨着匠艺。为了更辉煌的梦想，他们最终抛弃了初始之路。之后的 MONO 游走于越来越宏大的交响乐团间，足迹远至纽约、伦敦、东京和澳洲，曾在一些最负盛名的音乐现场演出过。MONO 以交响乐的名义继承着摇滚乐的精髓，创造着极端感伤却又富有戏剧性的旋律。2012 年，当他们发行了 《For My Parents》后，MONO 终于结束了先前的风格。是时候整顿情绪，重树目标了。弦乐是该减少还是该放弃？氛围是更热烈还是更安静？风格是更开朗还是更阴郁？这一切都有可能。 《The Last Dawn》和《Rays of Darkness》是 MONO 的两张新专辑。这两张同时录制的专辑有着截然不同的创作理念，是一个故事的互补两面。MONO 作品中贯有的叙事特点在这两专辑中再次得到了体现：希望与绝望的转换、爱与恨的交织以及极乐与极悲的大起大落，这些听者熟稔的主题在 MONO 这两张作品中拥有前所未有的共鸣。 《The Last Dawn》是这两张专辑中的首发专辑，相较之下主题和旋律都更为“轻柔”。毫无疑问，这张受极简电影和复古自赏音乐风格影响的专辑包含了 MONO 几首最强有力的单曲。这时期的 MONO 是最纯粹的：往昔专辑中阵容庞大的管弦乐队不再喧宾夺主；成员间默契十足，仿佛在用一种神秘的无声语言进行精神交流。与极简曲风相得益彰的是专辑中一众高度表意的曲目。要知道，自 2003 年的 《One Step More And You Die》后，还没有哪张 MONO 的全长专辑能塞得进一张黑胶中。整张专辑也在这种从简的风格中获益匪浅。一直以来 MONO 都是讲故事的好手，毋需言语便能把精彩故事娓娓道来。这次他们终于证明了自己放下架子后，亦能将听众引入新的洞天。 《Rays of Darkness》是 MONO 十五年来首张放弃任何类似管弦乐配曲的专辑。单单这件事就可称神奇。要知道 MONO 那恢弘又充满戏剧性的编曲可早已享誉在外，出现在奥斯卡影片配乐中都不足为奇。然而 MONO 却反其道而行之。作为 MONO 最黑暗的一张专辑，《Rays of Darkness》听来更像在拥挤的小礼堂中起飞的小型飞机。专辑中充斥着焦灼的 riff 和末世般的旋律，以及一段与后摇先驱 Testsu Fukagawa （Envy 成员）的出人意料的联袂。整张专辑在郁积而扭曲的吉他变声和不详的嗡嗡声中收场，仿佛在对过去那个于无边黑暗中放出万丈光芒的 MONO 唱着挽歌。

When MONO began in 1999, they set out with a simple mission: From bliss to bludgeon, no matter how long or winding the path may be. Their debut album, Under The Pipal Tree, outlined that mission in twisted, psychedelic fury. Subsequent albums would see the band honing their craft, mastering their mission, and ultimately abandoning that path in favor of more grandiose pursuits. Flanked by increasingly larger orchestras, MONO performed live at some of the most prestigious venues in New York City, London, Tokyo, and Australia. MONO had become an orchestral rock band, a spectacle of extreme melancholy and melodrama. On 2012’s For My Parents, the band had finally reached the logical conclusion of that era; it was time to remember where they started, and to rethink where they were heading. Less strings? No strings? Louder?Quieter? Lighter? Darker? Yes. The Last Dawn and Rays of Darkness are a pair of new albums by MONO. Recorded simultaneously yet conceptually and creatively disparate, the two act as both opposing and complementary sides to a story. No strangers to narratives, the two albums explore familiar themes for the band: Hope and hopelessness, love and loss, immense joy and unspeakable pain. Those elemental parts of life and the complicated relationships they create have never been more resonant through MONO’s music than they are here. The Last Dawn is the first of these two companion albums, and is the “lighter” of the two, thematically and melodically. It contains undoubtedly some of MONO’s strongest songs ever, drawing on an array of influences from minimalist film score to vintage shoegaze. It is MONO at their absolute purest, executing an uncanny, unspoken dialogue with each other without the dozens of stringed instruments that have been so prominent throughout their catalog. The songs are also noticeably more efficient – there hasn’t been a MONO full-length record to fit on a single slab of vinyl since 2003’s One Step More And You Die – and the album benefits immeasurably from this streamlined approach. MONO have always been masters of telling compelling stories without words. But now they’ve proven they can do it without frills, too. Rays of Darkness is the first MONO album in 15 years to feature no orchestral instruments whatsoever. That fact alone is remarkable given the band’s reputation for sweeping, dramatic instrumentals that recall Oscar-worthy film scores. Instead, Rays of Darkness more closely resembles a jet engine taking off inside a small, crowded auditorium. It is MONO’s blackest album ever, a collection of scorched riffs, doom rhythms, and an unexpected contribution from post-hardcore pioneer Tetsu Fukagawa of Envy. The album ends with the smoldering wreckage of distorted guitars and ominous drones playing out a eulogy to the days when MONO shot blinding rays of light through seemingly endless darkness. 1999 年成队之初，MONO 带着一个简单的使命便踏上了旅程：抱持轻柔亦抱持轻狂，品味极乐亦品味极妄，无论前路何其艰长。他们的首张专辑《Under the Pipal Tree》为这则使命赋予了更多扭曲而迷幻的激怒面容。之后的几张续作中，MONO 韬光养晦地打磨着匠艺。为了更辉煌的梦想，他们最终抛弃了初始之路。之后的 MONO 游走于越来越宏大的交响乐团间，足迹远至纽约、伦敦、东京和澳洲，曾在一些最负盛名的音乐现场演出过。MONO 以交响乐的名义继承着摇滚乐的精髓，创造着极端感伤却又富有戏剧性的旋律。2012 年，当他们发行了 《For My Parents》后，MONO 终于结束了先前的风格。是时候整顿情绪，重树目标了。弦乐是该减少还是该放弃？氛围是更热烈还是更安静？风格是更开朗还是更阴郁？这一切都有可能。 《The Last Dawn》和《Rays of Darkness》是 MONO 的两张新专辑。这两张同时录制的专辑有着截然不同的创作理念，是一个故事的互补两面。MONO 作品中贯有的叙事特点在这两专辑中再次得到了体现：希望与绝望的转换、爱与恨的交织以及极乐与极悲的大起大落，这些听者熟稔的主题在 MONO 这两张作品中拥有前所未有的共鸣。 《The Last Dawn》是这两张专辑中的首发专辑，相较之下主题和旋律都更为“轻柔”。毫无疑问，这张受极简电影和复古自赏音乐风格影响的专辑包含了 MONO 几首最强有力的单曲。这时期的 MONO 是最纯粹的：往昔专辑中阵容庞大的管弦乐队不再喧宾夺主；成员间默契十足，仿佛在用一种神秘的无声语言进行精神交流。与极简曲风相得益彰的是专辑中一众高度表意的曲目。要知道，自 2003 年的 《One Step More And You Die》后，还没有哪张 MONO 的全长专辑能塞得进一张黑胶中。整张专辑也在这种从简的风格中获益匪浅。一直以来 MONO 都是讲故事的好手，毋需言语便能把精彩故事娓娓道来。这次他们终于证明了自己放下架子后，亦能将听众引入新的洞天。 《Rays of Darkness》是 MONO 十五年来首张放弃任何类似管弦乐配曲的专辑。单单这件事就可称神奇。要知道 MONO 那恢弘又充满戏剧性的编曲可早已享誉在外，出现在奥斯卡影片配乐中都不足为奇。然而 MONO 却反其道而行之。作为 MONO 最黑暗的一张专辑，《Rays of Darkness》听来更像在拥挤的小礼堂中起飞的小型飞机。专辑中充斥着焦灼的 riff 和末世般的旋律，以及一段与后摇先驱 Testsu Fukagawa （Envy 成员）的出人意料的联袂。整张专辑在郁积而扭曲的吉他变声和不详的嗡嗡声中收场，仿佛在对过去那个于无边黑暗中放出万丈光芒的 MONO 唱着挽歌。

The voice of Yoko Ono with colloborations from Cat Power, The Flaming Lips, Anotno (of Antony & The Johnsons, The Apples in Stereo, Jason Pierce of Spiritualized, Peaches and many more.

MONO's theme for the WOWOW television mini-series "Kanata No Ko".

东仪＋豹（TOGI＋BAO）乐队于2004年9月在日本东京创立，由7名英俊男子组成。乐队创始人为日本著名雅乐师东仪秀树。其余6名成员钱军、刘一、俞彬、汤晓风、姚新峰、赵磊则全部为上海民族乐团青年演奏家（哈哈，全是中国帅哥哟）。东仪秀树才华横溢、外貌俊朗，是日本雅乐届的当红之星，在日本拥有大批乐迷。而上海民族乐团青年演奏家，功底扎实，技巧娴熟，是民乐艺坛上的明日之星。乐队在东仪秀树的率领下把中国民乐笛子、二胡、琵琶完美地与日本雅乐筚篥组合在一起。用中日两国传统古典音乐与现代时尚音乐联袂演奏，曲风现代，形式新颖，激情奔放，深受观众喜爱。 乐队创始人为日本著名雅乐师东仪秀树。出生于日本雅乐世家东仪家族，世代为日本皇室宫廷演奏雅乐。主要使用一种叫筚篥的乐器。看起来像袖珍版的箫，较箫细短得多，吹口处有个簧片状的哨子，音色则非常之独特，不同于我所听过的任何乐器。 乐队自2004年秋在日本东京成功演出9场之后。同年12月应邀参加澳门回归祖国五周年庆典演出。2005年2月至3月，应邀参加上海新春团拜文艺演出和日本TBS电视台、NHK电视台和东芝EMI唱片公司的演出。5月应之海之春国际音乐节组委会邀请来上海隆重献演，7目应日本TBS电视台邀请将再次赴日本全国8个城市作为期50天巡演。2005年2月乐队首张CD《春色彩华》在日本发售。

Formed in 1989 by Oyamada Keigo and Ozawa Kenji out of the remains of their previous group Lollypop Sonic, Tokyo indie pop duo Flipper's Guitar were largely responsible for instigating the magpie-like trend of influence-hunting that came to characterize so much Japanese indie music of the '90s. Wearing the influence of '80s British guitar pop on their sleeves with such song titles as "Haircut 100" and "Goodbye, Our Pastels Badges," Flipper's Guitar also acknowledged the influence of Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys, as well as borrowing from retro lounge music, jazz, and the indie/dance fusion at that time making waves in the U.K. The band's 1989 debut, Three Cheers for Our Side!, was at heart a comparatively straightforward guitar pop album, albeit a musically literate one, but the following year's Camera Talk found them expanding their musical palette, and demonstrated the duo's rapidly improving skills as producers. 1991's Doctor's Head's World Tower was another leap forward, with an increased use of sampling and the obvious influence of groups like Primal Scream and the Happy Mondays giving the album a tripped-out dance groove. Nevertheless, Flipper's Guitar weren't interested in the drug-fueled hedonism of their U.K. contemporaries, and the single "Dolphin Song," with its cut-and-paste construction and marriage of samples from the Beach Boys' "God Only Knows" to Eyeless in Gaza's "Changing Stations," indicated that the group's musical future lay elsewhere. Flipper's Guitar was to end soon after, with the group's disbandment in 1993, and no further albums of new material released. Their influence didn't stop there, though, with Ozawa enjoying immediate success as a solo musician, and Oyamada going on to become one of Japan's hippest cultural exports with his work under the pseudonym Cornelius. Flipper's Guitar's legacy also continued to influence Japanese music, inspiring a generation of musicians with similarly eclectic tastes, which would eventually be called the "Shibuya-kei" or "Shibuya style" movement, with Oyamada's Trattoria label a key gathering place for these bands. In 2004, a second generation of musicians produced a document of their admiration for the duo in a two-volume tribute album on indie label Softly! Records, featuring such "Neo-Shibuya-kei" musicians as the Aprils, Eel, and Hazel Nuts Chocolate.

两位其貌不扬的女子羽鸟美保(Miho Hatori)和本田优佳(Yuka Honda)先后由日本移居至纽约，机缘巧合下二人组成了今天的Cibo Matto。可不要太低估了她们，由最初活跃于纽约当地的地下音乐圈，到获得主流唱片公司垂青而被招揽旗下，Cibo Matto实现了众多立志要在西方乐坛闯一闯的日本女孩子的梦想。Cibo Matto即意大利语中的“食物狂”之意，而自言什么也爱吃的她们，其音乐世界也是糅合着多种不同的素材而来。无论是96年初发表的处女专集《Viva! La Woman》还是98年发表的《Stereotype A》，都叫人听得惊为天人。里边无论是不可思议、光怪陆离的混种Hip Hop音乐取向，还是丰富的音乐伴奏编排，都呈现出一种属于Cibo Matto的Self-Style风格，证明了Miho Hatori和Yuka Honda二人是那么殊不简单。 这张作品是2001年WARNER公司发行的CIBO MATTO的SINGLES COLLECTION，我想这种FAST FUSION的音乐应该会受到爵士乐和摇滚乐迷们的一致欣赏吧，这种风格的乐队并不多见，再加上非凡的实力，自然可想而知其为何如此成功和深受瞩目……

Viva! La Woman is an album by Cibo Matto released in 1996 by Warner Bros. Records. The genre has been described as "urban trip-hop". The album received mostly favorable reviews.[citation needed] Some reviewers dismissed the album as "kitschy", a fact that disappointed the band. Warner Bros. signed Cibo Matto after their self-titled EP caught the label's attention. The tracks reflected the band's live performances, with pre-recorded samples and loops. Yuka Honda has expressed regret that she did not stand up for herself when others discouraged her from replacing the samples and loops with new recordings. The album's songs all include food in some way, sometimes as a metaphor.[citation needed] Yuka Honda explains: "Food is something you can't escape. It's there every day." The band would frequently go to restaurants after rehearsal, and "Cibo Matto grew out of those restaurant times." "Apple" (Cibo Matto) – 4:01 "Beef Jerky" (Cibo Matto) – 2:28 "Sugar Water" (Cibo Matto, Ennio Morricone) – 4:29 "White Pepper Ice Cream" (Cibo Matto) – 5:10 "Birthday Cake" (Cibo Matto) – 3:15 "Know Your Chicken" (Cibo Matto) – 4:21 "Theme" (Cibo Matto) – 10:49 "The Candy Man" (Leslie Bricusse, Anthony Newley) – 3:11 "Le Pain Perdu" (Cibo Matto) – 3:29 "Artichoke" (Cibo Matto, Kudsi Erguner) – 6:41 "Jive" (Cibo Matto) – 0:18

两位其貌不扬的女子羽鸟美保(Miho Hatori)和本田优佳(Yuka Honda)先后由日本移居至纽约，机缘巧合下二人组成了今天的Cibo Matto。可不要太低估了她们，由最初活跃于纽约当地的地下音乐圈，到获得主流唱片公司垂青而被招揽旗下，Cibo Matto实现了众多立志要在西方乐坛闯一闯的日本女孩子的梦想。Cibo Matto即意大利语中的“食物狂”之意，而自言什么也爱吃的她们，其音乐世界也是糅合着多种不同的素材而来。无论是96年初发表的处女专集《Viva! La Woman》还是98年发表的《Stereotype A》，都叫人听得惊为天人。里边无论是不可思议、光怪陆离的混种Hip Hop音乐取向，还是丰富的音乐伴奏编排，都呈现出一种属于Cibo Matto的Self-Style风格，证明了Miho Hatori和Yuka Honda二人是那么殊不简单。