With guitars, electronics and some light percussion, Norwegian bandMonopot make some of the quietest, sweetest music I've heard in awhile. They avoid the bombast of other ambient post-rock bands likeMogwai, GYBE or Low but their second disc, "Optipess" is at least asgood as anything by your those bands. The distinctive feature that setsMonopot apart is their minimalism. Optipesshas a cover of Cockney Rebel's 70's semi-hit, "Sebastian", which helpsdrive the minimalist point home: By listening to something that they'vealtered, you get to hear where they're coming from, and where they'retrying to go. Where there were cocky, playful vocals backed with aglorious choir there are now shy, whispered vocals. The string and horncrescendos of the original become a reverbed melancholic guitar playinga head-nodding version of the melody and then circling back on itself.Monopot's original material is much the same: slow, minimal, soothing."Scena Napoletana"'s low, mellow guitar tones and gentle singing on topof low drones and the guitar's pace-keeping are like a short, gentlelullaby. My only complaint about the disc is that it's only 40 minuteslong, and by the time I got to the end of the disc I wanted the musicto keep going.Read More
