The experimental rockers Mono released this deeply atmospheric offering of theirs a few months ago, and if you have yet to pick up on this latest output by the Japanese ensemble, then now is the time to invest in this mesmerizing 57-minute journey through ethereal and otherworldly spheres of sound.

There is something familiar and strangely comfortable about listening to this staggering piece of work and I am having a hard time putting my finger on why that is. Perhaps it is the fact that Mono have steadily progressed through more than twenty years now and that despite the dynamics and the many changes that occur from beginning to end, listening to the record is akin to being in a trance-like state. Cohesive in every sense of the word and brimming with hypnotic qualities, everything simply ebbs and flows so effortlessly and gracefully throughout that it defies belief, and there are several times when things peak that the album seems to reach a higher plane of sorts. I am aware of the fact my words and phrases are diffuse if not vague when it comes to summing up what this instrumental post-rock opus holds and sounds like, but this is actually one of those instances where words seem futile with respect to describing the moods and emotions that course through “Pilgrimage of the Soul”. Waves of enthralling string arrangements, a constant undercurrent of melancholy, melodies that take the listener beyond the confines of ordinary existence, this record is a sonic journey with unexpected twists and is layered and textured beautifully. Just listen to what they are doing rhythmically in “Imperfect Things” or how the stirring “To See a World” is about to burst with deep-seated longing. You really just need to get your hands on this unique album.