These songs are deeply arranged works that offer stark, nearly ambient textures and frames that evolve into utterly thunderous and ecstatic guitar freakouts where melody, harmony, and space all commingle, collide, and kiss. By far the most engaging album yet from Mono, Walking Cloud... proves that the band is an entity unto itself.

Slow dirges with incremental build-ups have become something of a post-rock clich�, but Japan's Mono manages to make music that doesn't break the mold but nevertheless remains solidly diverting on their latest full-length. While some of the aforementioned dirges, such as "16.12" and "Ode" have a baleful and ominous cast similar to those created by Godspeed! You Black Emperor and Mogwai, Mono manages a lushness of timbre on "The Sky Remains the Same as Ever" that is haunting in its delicacy. As long as they continue to compose such memorable material, there is more than enough room for Mono in the post-rock pantheon.