Review
Drowned in Sound - Review of Mono No Aware
I guess what I’m saying, ‘Madame President’, is that while in the two years since my misjudged review
of YCDB I have fallen head over heels for JFo’s entire ouvre, Mono No Aware is perhaps my
favourite album yet by them. It’s sadder and rawer – JFo playing through loss and heartbreak, surveying a
landscape of dead bands and wondering if their time will come. “You can never tell when its over,” Berrow
whispers at the end of Cliffjumper, a motif that ripples through the album.
Read the Full Review. It’s pretty awesome.
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Biography
When asked for a bio Johnny Foreigner sent along: “We used to dream now we worry about dying” -
not only a line from a Japandroids song, but also a sign that the Birmingham, UK 4 piece were meant to work
with Japandroids’ fellow Vancouverites File Under: Music (FU:M) on their One Song At A Time video single
series. “Back when we plotted out this series of videos, we knew one of the challenges would be
finding independent bands with songs ready or in the works that weren’t already too tied up in music biz
cobwebs,” elaborates FU:M label manager Steve Mann, “I saw an article about Johnny Foreigner
recording a new record and immediately sent an unsolicited email for an exciting music opportunity. Still
can’t believe they answered.”
Since then that record, Mono No Aware, was released via Lame-O in the US, Alcopop in the UK, and
Vinyl Junkie in Japan. It’s a grand victory for lovers of concentrated chaos covered in a fine mesh of vocal
hooks. Pitchfork said that the album’s “structures have a tendency to digress, evaporate, and
recombine, as if one is driving through a radically shrunken landscape,” a sentiment that also can be
applied to the just shy of 4 minute journey of unreleased track “Flooding”.
According to Johnny Foreigner’s Alexei Burrows, “Flooding is a sequel to our song
“Shipping” (from You Can Do Better) . Well, a semi-sequel. There’s significant cast changes and
it’s now mostly partially set in South Africa, but it’s still got nothing to do with water. This Flooding is
a type of psych therapy; getting over your phobia through deliberate exposure. Though I learned this week
it’s also a guitar-fixing technique; where you soak important damaged components in a magic potion and hope
they’re better afterwords. That metaphor also works for me._”
When it came to the video the band proposed Jacob Tomlinson who previously did their lyric video for
“200X”. He too tapped into the spirit of the sonic safari but took it even further with a story
that follows an unmanned but hopeful little spaceship set on a mission into deep space. The cardboard rocket
with an animated interior directly inspired by JoFo’s gear, fitting recalls the “DIY because you can’t
possibly stop” spirit of Johnny Foreigner that has gotten to them to their 10 year anniversary.
File Under: Music is thrilled to be able to contribute to the anniversary party with the digital release of
“Flooding” as a part of their “One Song At A Time” video singles series. The song
will be available worldwide Oct. 18, 2016.
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