maher shalal hash baz

Maher Shalal Hash Baz - Blues Du Jour













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Maher Shalal Hash Baz is primarily the project of one tori kudo, a japanese ex-revolutionary who has since become a born-again jehovah's witness and released a string of really great, rather strange folk albums. good for breakfasts and wedding receptions.

the taj mahal travellers

The Taj Mahal Travellers - August 1974

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"The four sides of August 1974, each about 20-minute long (the length that fit on an LP side), present the Travellers at their most sophisticated. The first jam is a concert of cosmic hisses that ebb and flow, distortions that scour the abysses of the psyche, sinister wailing and rattling that create a metaphysical suspense. At first, it straddles the line between Pink Floyd's Astronomy Domine and Klaus Schulze's Irrlicht, but then it becomes more and more abstract, recalling Sun Ra's extraterrestrial jazz-rock. Percussions are used sparingly. Violin, harmonica, bass, tuba, trumpet, synthesizer, mandolin duet in a subliminal and obscure manner. There is no melody, there is no logic. Just "voices", both subhuman and supernatural, that resonate with a universal inner voice. The second jam is a cacophonous gathering of timbres and gamelan-like tinkling, over which Tibetan chanting and droning intone a demented psalm. Halfway into the piece, the band seems to lose interest in playing, so the rest of the track is a rarified wind of tenuous sounds. The third track continues this silent journey into the unknown, with odd percussive patterns and random dissonance. As the chaos increases and exuberant voices join in, the bacchanal turns into a surreal pow-wow dance. The last jam continues the program of eerie noises and unlikely counterpoint in an atmosphere that is both dreamy and austere. We are transported to a floating zen garden, traveling on a flying saucer. A wavering harp-like melody invites to meditation, and, for a while, the spiritual mood prevails. Then the percussions break the spell, introducing the usual element of indeterminacy and heresy, and the trip ends, one more time, in the resonating depths of distant galaxies."

sounds like: floating

hijokaidan

Hijokaidan - Tapes

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"Volume Six in the "Hijokaidan Rarity Series" is another treat for all of you into UTTER DEVASTATING NOISE. As practiced in Japan, which makes it even better. Hijokaidan, despite fierce competition from Merzbow, Masonna, and quite a few others, are still the reigning Kings Of Noise in the Land Of The Rising Sun. With a cover and title paying homage to their krautrock heroes Faust, Hijokaidan's Tapes is a crucial entry in their discography, a record originally released in 1986 as sort of a career retrospective to date, comprising tracks from various eras and lineups, all only previously available on cassette. It starts off way back in 1979 with Hijokaidan's first ever recording, the studio-destroying (so they, rather believably, claim!) electric guitar and vocal skree of "Angel Dust" as performed by the founding duo of Jojo Hiroshige and Naoki Zushi. 1980's "Circles" adds more members and instrumentation (including drums and saxophone) and certainly doesn't let up from the noisy standard set by "Angel Dust". Then there's a 1985 track by the Incapacitants (members of Hijokaidan, equally noisy on their own), followed by two lengthy cuts from '85 and '86 inspired by horror film/fiction ("The Beyond" and "Salem's Lot", the latter an especially effective/destructive 18+ minute drones n' screams attack). And then Tapes finishes up with a cover tune, their beautifully blown-out take on the classic '70s space rocker "Silver Machine" by another band of Hijokaidan heroes, Hawkwind. Good stuff. Plus, the front cover features very personal notes on each track, and a history of the band '79-'86, neatly typed up in English. How can any Hijokaidan/noise fan do without this??"

sounds like: fucked up old movies

dj 光光光

DJ 光光光 - Planetary Natural Love Gas Webbin' 199999

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"Who would have guessed that Boredoms would become a franchise? They stray so far off the beaten path, it's hard to imagine a need for side projects. Nonetheless, there are many, some of which are actually quite good. DJ Pica Pica Pica, which is the brainchild of Boredoms' brainchild Eye Yamakanta, is one of them, and Planetary Natural Love Gas Webbin' 199999 is the name he chose for his first album. And, as might be anticipated from an artist called DJ Pica Pica Pica, there is a certain dancehall flavor to it. But it's not really dance, techno, house, or even drum'n'bass, per se. And it's hard to imagine anyone actually dancing to it. There's a regular drum beat keeping things steady, but that's not what makes the album so fascinating. It's the no-holds-barred, adventurous, and impressively to-the-beat sound combinations Eye has layered over it. "3" seems to feature the sounds of jet airplane in the background. "13" rocks with what sounds like a rolling, processed didjeridu, intermittent jungle breakbeats, and any number of interesting noise arrangements you couldn't hope to describe. As always, anything goes, and, when it does, it usually goes well. This is more accessible than most Boredoms albums, but definitely wild enough for the die-hard fans."
i had to edit this review to say "boredoms" instead of "the boredoms". psh

sounds like: rollercoasters, happiness

the gerogerigegege

The Gerogerigegege - Tokyo Anal Dynamite

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"Easily the most infamous and well known release from the gerogerigegege, this one really just can't be beat, no pun intended. a little bit more than half an hour long, this album ought to come with its own built-in safety belt. if the album cover (a line of naked punk looking cartoons all simultaneously vomiting and shitting in unison) doesn't prepare you for the album, then hopefully this review will. it is basically a live recording from 1987 that is indexed into 75 (!) separate tracks. absolutely no track is more than 1 minute long. juntaro is listed as playing NOISE BASS and another person is listed as playing both drums and vocals. the liner notes are fairly confusing even though there is not much written to begin with aside from who is playing and when it was recorded. this cd is generally considered to be one of the most important and highly significant releases of the entire Japanese noise scene. even though there were about 3000 copies pressed worldwide, it seems to be one of the more difficult gero releases to get a hold of. Every song follows the same formula: "___(insert Japanese curse word, phrase, etc.)__" then a count off into short spastic bursts of pure punk-driven dissonance. Every song title is generally screamed in japanese with the occasional American cover song thrown in. although this has always been pointed out in other reviews of this same album, hearing Juntaro (or whoever) scream, "boys-a don't-a cry!" (the cure) or "I can't-a getta no satis-a-FAK-tion!" (rolling stones) actually IS completely worth whatever amount of money one is willing to spend on obtaining this obscure gem. At one point, Juntaro screams his own name and counts off only to end the song after 20 seconds to scream his name again BACKWARDS. it is completely hysterical. Near the end of the cd, there are more drawn out feedback drones and less screaming, due to obvious reasons that one could assume. The production is very gruff, although one can make out the drums quite well and the feedback and/or bass add an another layer of sound. There is not much left to say other than the fact that this is THE quintessential gerogerigegege release."

sounds like: tokyo, anuses, dynamite

ogurusu norihide

Ogurusu Norihide - Modern

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"In the white room with white curtains, Ogurusu Norihide patiently and steadily works on his distinctive techno-folk hybrid, his studio of white walls and hardwood floors is as clean and single-minded as his musical vision. Ogurusu Norihide's Modern is part of the burgeoning 'laptop folk' scene alongside fellow Carparkers Greg Davis and Takagi Masakatsu, but to limit his music to this tag would do Ogurusu a great injustice. His music follows its own path, informed as much by contemporary Japanese culture as by the ancient religious and cultural institutions of the Shinto faith. For Ogurusu Norihide is a certified Shinto priest, having completed his studies in Tokyo last year, Ogurusu has returned to his hometown of Kyoto to concentrate fully on music. Kyoto, where centuries old temples and gardens sit side by side with the offerings of new Japan, complements the music of modern well. The sounds of religious rites (hand-claps, bells) rub up against digitally-produced rhythms which are integrated with acoustic guitar and piano. Instantly familiar and totally abstract modern is informed by so many musicians but sounds like none of them. Like all great artists, Ogurusu Norihide completely reshuffles your ideas and preconceptions and deals them out in a way you didn't think was possible."

sounds like: drinking tea, early morning, cleanliness

incapacitants

Incapacitants - No Progress

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sounds like: skidding cars, fingernails

keiji haino

Keiji Haino - Tenshi No Gijnka


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"Tenshi No Gijinka finds Keiji Haino solo and without guitar. Focusing entirely on percussion and vocals, Haino builds a unique, meditative space out of drones, cymbal smacks, rings, and reverberations. Bizarre yet also beautiful, Haino creates a personalized and esoteric ritual that alternately serves as repeated tension release and representation of the inner sounds of existence. The result is a captivating immersion in sustains and overtones."

sounds like: monk rituals, animals in nature documentaries

contagious orgasm

Contagious Orgasm - The Flow Of Sound Without Parameter

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"The sounds on this CD flow without parameter as the title suggests. Recordings of the sound of a town in Germany. The sound of a park being cleaned. Recordings at a zoo. A conversation in the kitchen. The scenic sounds on a balcony. These sounds were processed, and other sounds were added with ambient beats mixed in. This gives you The Flow of Sound Without Parameter.
Hiroshi Hashimoto has been recording under the name Contagious Orgasm since 1987. Their has gone through many changes; from dark and creepy sound constructions to beat oriented music verging on dance music. This CD combines a little of all of the Contagious Orgasm styles. There is sample based sound sculptures, annoyingly repetitive looped bits of musical phrases sounding like Muslimgauze, Japussy 2000 or Climax Golden Twins and wonderful complex soundscapes combined with mellow beats that blend right in."
(from the ground fault series II)

sounds like: movies, the internet, rainforests

takagi masakatsu

Takagi Masakatsu - Eating

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"Takagi is known to us from visual collaborations with one of our current idols, Aoki Taskamasa on his dvd for the marvellous Progressive Form label from Japan. There’s something of the short film at work here, on this fine album for the unmissable Karaoke Kalk. Perfect, yet somehow open ended short pieces work in the same way as vignettes, suggesting time before and after with great aplomb. Never do you feel that these beautiful, sonorous pieces are unfinished, instead each sidles into your consciousness, like small flowers seen on a country walk. There’s acoustic elements aplenty, with pizzicato strings, wooden marimba tones, hopeful modal keys, muted horns, starkly beautiful accordion sounds, atop twinkling keys, all forming a cohesive and beautiful whole. This undemonstrative album is supremely persuasive, from its own wayside point of view. Impossibly fresh and hugely impressive, this will no doubt be one of the finest albums this year for your reviewer, and hopefully some of you out there as well. Essential music to warm the heart."

sounds like: senile grandparents, traveling in europe, smiles, semiformal courtesy