Let's start this one off with a comparison:
My Name is Rar-Rar- "Look Sharp"
http://www.mediafire.com/?zm5z2mnzyzv
Fushitsusha- "Magic IX"
http://www.mediafire.com/?jedrtjto2fm
And that pretty much sums up the difference between the American and Japanese approaches to noise music. One is a bunch of ex-hardcore mantoddlers throwing a fit over beeps and boops and lame guitar solos; the other is an ethereal sonic assault plus two scoops Japanese extremism.
Fushitsusha- Allegorical Misunderstanding (1993)
No one plays guitar like Keiji Haino. The man has been doing his thing for the Tokyo underground rock scene since the 70's; thirty years later he stands as one of the most revered noise masters in Japan. His work is similar to that of many free-jazz musicians like Kaoru Abe or John Zorn (the latter actually produced Allegorical Misunderstanding) in that it is dominated by a sort of inner logic: the music may sound chaotic, but there is definitely a system to it.
Fushitsusha is probably the most well known of Haino's projects. The various drummers and bassists that have been in and out of the roster all had to be deprogrammed- they were told to forget everything they had ever learned about traditional playing with all its rhythms and progressions. In one case Haino handpicked a non-drummer musician to learn the "pure" Fushitsusha way of drumming to make sure that no traditional habits affected his playing.
Allegorical Misunderstanding is one of the most accessible of any Haino-related albums. The distortion and feedback is toned down a notch, and Haino himself lends his characteristic voice to only a few of the tracks. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as the nuance of Fushitsusha's playing comes through that much clearer. That being said, blast this music loud. It's the best way to appreciate it.
Also: The entire album is improvised, and songs are recorded in whole takes. This is the case with 99.9% of Fushitsusha's recordings.
Lastly, please behold Keiji Haino.
Tracks
Magic I: A haunting 3-minute intro. This is about as coherently melodic as Fushitsusha gets. Really, really good track. 9/10
Magic II: Now we are in a swirling soup of vague harmonies, distortion, and indescribable drumming. Really interesting ending too. 9/10 (I uploaded the full song here)
Magic III: Fushitsusha's version of the blues: a one-minute Beefheartian escapade. 8/10
Magic IV: This song moves along like a clubfooted James Brown. Keiji Haino's fascination with traditional Japanese Music and musical silences come through as well. 7/10
Magic V: Haino is an extremely expressive singer. His voice quality sits somewhere between the most pain-stricken blues singer and a velociraptor. I love this one. 9/10
Magic VI: A steady bass drum kick! I wouldn't call this track "driving". Actually I don't know what I'd call it. "Original", perhaps. 7/10
Magic VII: This one noodles along with a somewhat eerie guitar part (one note, repeated) going the whole time. Haino's lyrics are ridiculously nihilistic, ha ha ha. 7/10
Magic VIII: Compared to the other tracks, this sounds rather uninspired. Somewhat redeemed by its 2-minute track length. 5/10
Magic IX: Prime Fushitsusha. An omnipresent bassline and sporadic, almost hazy drumming provided the backdrop for the main man to go nuts on guitar. No one plays guitar like Keiji Haino. 10/10
Magic X: This track is really hard to hear. Everyone is barely playing/singing. I don't really know what to say about it, other than it lets the listeners collect themselves after the relentless 13 minute-long "Magic IX". A fitting end to a supreme album. 7/10
Total score: 9/10
PS-Here is Keiji Haino performing with the next band I plan to review. PM me if you know who they are and I will draw you a personalized picture or something!
$$$
My Name is Rar-Rar- "Look Sharp"
http://www.mediafire.com/?zm5z2mnzyzv
Fushitsusha- "Magic IX"
http://www.mediafire.com/?jedrtjto2fm
And that pretty much sums up the difference between the American and Japanese approaches to noise music. One is a bunch of ex-hardcore mantoddlers throwing a fit over beeps and boops and lame guitar solos; the other is an ethereal sonic assault plus two scoops Japanese extremism.
Fushitsusha- Allegorical Misunderstanding (1993)
No one plays guitar like Keiji Haino. The man has been doing his thing for the Tokyo underground rock scene since the 70's; thirty years later he stands as one of the most revered noise masters in Japan. His work is similar to that of many free-jazz musicians like Kaoru Abe or John Zorn (the latter actually produced Allegorical Misunderstanding) in that it is dominated by a sort of inner logic: the music may sound chaotic, but there is definitely a system to it.
Fushitsusha is probably the most well known of Haino's projects. The various drummers and bassists that have been in and out of the roster all had to be deprogrammed- they were told to forget everything they had ever learned about traditional playing with all its rhythms and progressions. In one case Haino handpicked a non-drummer musician to learn the "pure" Fushitsusha way of drumming to make sure that no traditional habits affected his playing.
Allegorical Misunderstanding is one of the most accessible of any Haino-related albums. The distortion and feedback is toned down a notch, and Haino himself lends his characteristic voice to only a few of the tracks. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as the nuance of Fushitsusha's playing comes through that much clearer. That being said, blast this music loud. It's the best way to appreciate it.
Also: The entire album is improvised, and songs are recorded in whole takes. This is the case with 99.9% of Fushitsusha's recordings.
Lastly, please behold Keiji Haino.
Tracks
Magic I: A haunting 3-minute intro. This is about as coherently melodic as Fushitsusha gets. Really, really good track. 9/10
Magic II: Now we are in a swirling soup of vague harmonies, distortion, and indescribable drumming. Really interesting ending too. 9/10 (I uploaded the full song here)
Magic III: Fushitsusha's version of the blues: a one-minute Beefheartian escapade. 8/10
Magic IV: This song moves along like a clubfooted James Brown. Keiji Haino's fascination with traditional Japanese Music and musical silences come through as well. 7/10
Magic V: Haino is an extremely expressive singer. His voice quality sits somewhere between the most pain-stricken blues singer and a velociraptor. I love this one. 9/10
Magic VI: A steady bass drum kick! I wouldn't call this track "driving". Actually I don't know what I'd call it. "Original", perhaps. 7/10
Magic VII: This one noodles along with a somewhat eerie guitar part (one note, repeated) going the whole time. Haino's lyrics are ridiculously nihilistic, ha ha ha. 7/10
Magic VIII: Compared to the other tracks, this sounds rather uninspired. Somewhat redeemed by its 2-minute track length. 5/10
Magic IX: Prime Fushitsusha. An omnipresent bassline and sporadic, almost hazy drumming provided the backdrop for the main man to go nuts on guitar. No one plays guitar like Keiji Haino. 10/10
Magic X: This track is really hard to hear. Everyone is barely playing/singing. I don't really know what to say about it, other than it lets the listeners collect themselves after the relentless 13 minute-long "Magic IX". A fitting end to a supreme album. 7/10
Total score: 9/10
PS-Here is Keiji Haino performing with the next band I plan to review. PM me if you know who they are and I will draw you a personalized picture or something!
$$$