Life In Mono.

I have been travelling around on trains a bit of late and it is a perfect time to plug in the headphones, turn up the iPod and get lost in music. My current mood has seen me playing a lot of what is rather awkwardly called 'Post Rock'. What ever it is called it is a style of music that inspires, amazes and just plain makes me smile in wonder.

My first real awareness of the genre (see I'm really trying not to use the phrase), was the day I first saw Mogwai in 1997. They blew my socks clean off and I have been hooked ever since. I've seen the Mogs 9 times now and they still can amaze me. Their recent gig at Hammersmith Apollo was a disappointment because the sound mix was dreadful but even then they exploded into general fabulousness when they played 'Like Herod'.

I went on to discover the music of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, A Silver Mount Zion, Fly Pan Am and Do Make Say Think from Canada, Beware of Safety from Portland Oregon and God Is An Astronaut from Ireland. However there is a band that for me are top of the list. They are quite mesmerically beautiful. They describe their music as more classic than 'pop' and I understand exactly what they mean. Here are the amazing Mono from Japan.