The Savannah, Georgia-based KYLESA, who recently finished recording
their fourth studio album, will tour Japan for the first time early
next year. The seven-show trek will correspond with the official
Japanese release of the band's acclaimed 2006 album, "Time Will Fuse
Its Worth," on Red Cobalt Industries. Additional information about the
limited-edition release, which features new artwork and packaging, can
be found on the band's MySpace page (www.myspace.com/kylesa).
Before heading to Japan, KYLESA will perform three shows alongside crust
legends Amebix. The band's complete list of upcoming tour dates is
below.
Prosthetic plans to release KYLESA's new album, named one of Decibel
Magazine's "Top 25 Most Anticipated of '09," in March. Spring touring
details will be revealed soon.
KYLESA on tour:
1/29 Bowery Ballroom - New York, NY (w/ Amebix)
1/30 AS220 - Providence, RI (w/ Amebix)
1/31 Starlite Theater - Philadelphia, PA (w/ Amebix)
2/6 Huck Finn - Nagoya, Japan
2/7 Earthdom - Tokyo, Japan
2/8 TBA - Tokyo, Japan
2/11 51 - Gifu, Japan
2/13 Graf - Fukuoka, Japan
2/14 Club Squad - Yamaguchi, Japan
2/15 Club Drop - Osaka, Japan
Showing posts with label Japanese. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Japanese. Show all posts
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Album Of The Day-Boris-"Smile" (2008)
Lately, I just can't get enough of this fuckin' band. That is why I am making "Smile" by Boris the Album Of The Day.
Review:
Ah Boris, that Japanese juggernaut that has released no less than 18 albums since their inception in 1992; for many years, the Japanese trio was an underappreciated — indeed largely ignored — group that explored virtually all dimensions and terrains of feedback-drenched stoner, drone, psychedelic, noise, and thrash metal on its own terms. As a unit, Boris have also had an irritating penchant for releasing significantly different versions of their records in Europe, Japan, and the U.S., with this or that limited-edition single tossed in the mix, vinyl editions that were significantly different than the CDs, ad nauseum. They cracked something of a culture barrier when Southern Lord issued Pink in 2007, an album directly geared toward American audiences. They followed it the same year with the album Rainbow, with Ghost guitarist Michio Kurihara, and toured the U.S and Europe to support it. Southern Lord also issued the band's second collaboration with Japanese noisemaster Merzbow, a gig recorded in 2006 but released in 2007. To round out the first quarter of 2008, Boris have released Smile, the American version of an album released earlier in Japan on the punk/metal/psych Diwphalanx imprint. Boris change up the game plan yet again by releasing their first vocal album — there have been vocals on other sets, especially where an entire side was one track, but this marks the first time that there is nearly an album full of them. Smile picks up where Pink left off, but is both more accessible and more extreme. The trio goes back to the noise aesthetic here, but also embraces something approaching noise pop in the process. They are still heavier than God fronting Blue Cheer, but they don't forget that songs usually contain recognizable melodies.
In essence, while the Japanese and American versions contain some tracks in common, they feel like totally different offerings. Alas, the Southern Lord version released in the States is solid, but it is the lesser of the two. The Japanese version kicks off with "Message," a percussion-heavy noise and sonic overload cut that feels more like something that combines Konono No. 1, Suicide, and Loop. Americans get the trippy meandering cover of the Pyg song "Flower Sun Rain" (it's in the middle of the Japanese version). It sounds as if it were recorded at a gig from far off in the audience (at least at first); it's lo-fi and so melodic you'd swear it isn't Boris at all! It's an elegiac ballad with vocals for the first minute and a half, then begins slowly layering things on until the power rises at nearly three minutes. It's still ploddingly slow and dirgelike; it's a total psych-out tripper with wind effects washing through the channels, and a killer guitar break by Wata that shows up in the middle and moves into whacked-out overdrive near the end before seguing neatly into the thrashing screamer "Buzz-In," which features Kurihara's first of three guitar wildman appearances on the album. The Japanese version of the cut is a bit shorter. Another huge difference is that on the American one its melody is easily discernible through the guitar squall; on the Japanese version it's all rush, destruction, and blur. "Laser Beam" on the American copy of Smile is "Hanate" (Shoot) on the Japanese one. It may be the same song, but here again, the mix is completely different — there's more guitar scream on "Hanate," and a lot heavier bass throb as well. "Statement" is unique to the American Smile, but not really. Freaked-out overdriven Wata solos, distorted chugging low-tuned guitars and bass by Takeshi, and popping tom-toms by Atsuo turn this into another punk metal meets Loop anthem. Why? Because it's a very different — and less ferocious — version of "Message," the cut that opens the Japanese album. Confused yet?
"My Neighbor Satan" on the American album is called "Next Saturn" on the Japanese, and features Kurihara again. The title is the only real difference here; he also appears on the beautiful spacy "You Were Holding an Umbrella." Here is where the greatest contrast between the two albums lies. On the American version of the tune, it gradually builds into a wonderful psych ballad with some chiming, droning tones that simply morph into the untitled 15-and-a-half-minute jam that closes the set and features Sunn 0)))'s Stephen O'Malley on guitar. It begins very quietly, almost Fripp & Eno-like, and doesn't catch fire until more than halfway through. On the Japanese copy of Smile, "You Were Holding an Umbrella" moves into a complete distortion bomb before it actually comes to an end nearly a minute after the American one. The untitled freakout flip-out is more sinister from the jump. Backmasked and looped guitar sounds don't resemble Fripp & Eno because they aren't that gentle. They are more brooding, droney, and tense. It begins to open itself up with elements of feedback, trash-can cymbal sounds, tripped-out vocals, and more dynamics until it begins to soar at about the halfway mark. It's more than four minutes longer than in the American Smile, and is a different track altogether. While the American Smile is a worthy follow-up to Rainbow and Pink, it's the Japanese version of the album that makes it a masterpiece. That's why this one only gets three and a half stars. Hopefully, Boris will pull another of their seemingly random market moves and make this version available on wax, or include the American CD along with the vinyl, or whatever. As if this weren't enough, the Japanese cover art is also way better than its American cousin's. (Thom Jurek, AllMusicGuide)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Track Listing:
Diwphalanx CD
1. "Messeeji" ("メッセージ", "Message") 7:06
2. "Buzz-In" 2:34
3. "Hanate!" ("放て!", "Shoot!") 5:02
4. "Hana, Taiyou, Ame" ("花・太陽・雨", "Flower, Sun, Rain"; cover of the song by Pyg) 5:35
5. "Tonari No Sataan" ("となりのサターン", "Next Saturn") 5:20
6. "Kare Hateta Saki" ("枯れ果てた先", "Dead Destination") 7:26
7. "Kimi wa Kasa o Sashiteita" ("君は傘をさしていた", "You Put Up Your Umbrella") 9:19
8. "Untitled" (bonus track, "You Put Up Your Umbrella Part 2") 19:20
Southern Lord CD
1. "Flower, Sun, Rain" (cover of the song by Pyg) 7:26
2. "Buzz-In" 2:57
3. "Laser Beam" ("Shoot!" on Japanese version) 4:29
4. "Statement" (different mix; "Message" on Japanese version) 3:24
5. "My Neighbor Satan" ("Next Saturn" on Japanese version) 5:17
6. "Ka Re Ha Te Ta Sa Ki – No Ones Grieve" 8:58
7. "You Were Holding an Umbrella" 8:54
8. "Untitled" (Features Stephen O'Malley on guitar) 15:28
Southern Lord vinyl
Side A
1. "Statement"
2. "Buzz-In"
3. "Vein"
Side B
1. "My Neighbor Satan" (alternate mix)
2. "Ka Re Ha Te Ta Sa Ki – No Ones Grieve"
Side C
1. "Flower, Sun, Rain"
2. "You Were Holding an Umbrella" (extended version)
3. "After Me"
Side D
1. "untitled"
Southern Lord Bonus DVD
1. "Statement"
2. "Pink"
3. "My Neighbour Satan"
Southern Lord
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Choice Cuts" Amazon Exclusive Drop-Card
1. "Hama"
2. "Akuma No Uta"
3. "Ibitsu"
4. "Pink"
5. "Farewell"
6. "The Sinking Belle (Blue Sheep)"
7. "Rainbow (Live 10-16-2007 @ Echoplex, LA with Michio Kurihara)"
8. "You Were Holding An Umbrella (Live 10-16-2007 @ Echoplex, LA with Michio Kurihara)"
Purchase CD Here
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Listen
MySpace
Official Website
Review:
Ah Boris, that Japanese juggernaut that has released no less than 18 albums since their inception in 1992; for many years, the Japanese trio was an underappreciated — indeed largely ignored — group that explored virtually all dimensions and terrains of feedback-drenched stoner, drone, psychedelic, noise, and thrash metal on its own terms. As a unit, Boris have also had an irritating penchant for releasing significantly different versions of their records in Europe, Japan, and the U.S., with this or that limited-edition single tossed in the mix, vinyl editions that were significantly different than the CDs, ad nauseum. They cracked something of a culture barrier when Southern Lord issued Pink in 2007, an album directly geared toward American audiences. They followed it the same year with the album Rainbow, with Ghost guitarist Michio Kurihara, and toured the U.S and Europe to support it. Southern Lord also issued the band's second collaboration with Japanese noisemaster Merzbow, a gig recorded in 2006 but released in 2007. To round out the first quarter of 2008, Boris have released Smile, the American version of an album released earlier in Japan on the punk/metal/psych Diwphalanx imprint. Boris change up the game plan yet again by releasing their first vocal album — there have been vocals on other sets, especially where an entire side was one track, but this marks the first time that there is nearly an album full of them. Smile picks up where Pink left off, but is both more accessible and more extreme. The trio goes back to the noise aesthetic here, but also embraces something approaching noise pop in the process. They are still heavier than God fronting Blue Cheer, but they don't forget that songs usually contain recognizable melodies.
In essence, while the Japanese and American versions contain some tracks in common, they feel like totally different offerings. Alas, the Southern Lord version released in the States is solid, but it is the lesser of the two. The Japanese version kicks off with "Message," a percussion-heavy noise and sonic overload cut that feels more like something that combines Konono No. 1, Suicide, and Loop. Americans get the trippy meandering cover of the Pyg song "Flower Sun Rain" (it's in the middle of the Japanese version). It sounds as if it were recorded at a gig from far off in the audience (at least at first); it's lo-fi and so melodic you'd swear it isn't Boris at all! It's an elegiac ballad with vocals for the first minute and a half, then begins slowly layering things on until the power rises at nearly three minutes. It's still ploddingly slow and dirgelike; it's a total psych-out tripper with wind effects washing through the channels, and a killer guitar break by Wata that shows up in the middle and moves into whacked-out overdrive near the end before seguing neatly into the thrashing screamer "Buzz-In," which features Kurihara's first of three guitar wildman appearances on the album. The Japanese version of the cut is a bit shorter. Another huge difference is that on the American one its melody is easily discernible through the guitar squall; on the Japanese version it's all rush, destruction, and blur. "Laser Beam" on the American copy of Smile is "Hanate" (Shoot) on the Japanese one. It may be the same song, but here again, the mix is completely different — there's more guitar scream on "Hanate," and a lot heavier bass throb as well. "Statement" is unique to the American Smile, but not really. Freaked-out overdriven Wata solos, distorted chugging low-tuned guitars and bass by Takeshi, and popping tom-toms by Atsuo turn this into another punk metal meets Loop anthem. Why? Because it's a very different — and less ferocious — version of "Message," the cut that opens the Japanese album. Confused yet?
"My Neighbor Satan" on the American album is called "Next Saturn" on the Japanese, and features Kurihara again. The title is the only real difference here; he also appears on the beautiful spacy "You Were Holding an Umbrella." Here is where the greatest contrast between the two albums lies. On the American version of the tune, it gradually builds into a wonderful psych ballad with some chiming, droning tones that simply morph into the untitled 15-and-a-half-minute jam that closes the set and features Sunn 0)))'s Stephen O'Malley on guitar. It begins very quietly, almost Fripp & Eno-like, and doesn't catch fire until more than halfway through. On the Japanese copy of Smile, "You Were Holding an Umbrella" moves into a complete distortion bomb before it actually comes to an end nearly a minute after the American one. The untitled freakout flip-out is more sinister from the jump. Backmasked and looped guitar sounds don't resemble Fripp & Eno because they aren't that gentle. They are more brooding, droney, and tense. It begins to open itself up with elements of feedback, trash-can cymbal sounds, tripped-out vocals, and more dynamics until it begins to soar at about the halfway mark. It's more than four minutes longer than in the American Smile, and is a different track altogether. While the American Smile is a worthy follow-up to Rainbow and Pink, it's the Japanese version of the album that makes it a masterpiece. That's why this one only gets three and a half stars. Hopefully, Boris will pull another of their seemingly random market moves and make this version available on wax, or include the American CD along with the vinyl, or whatever. As if this weren't enough, the Japanese cover art is also way better than its American cousin's. (Thom Jurek, AllMusicGuide)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Track Listing:
Diwphalanx CD
1. "Messeeji" ("メッセージ", "Message") 7:06
2. "Buzz-In" 2:34
3. "Hanate!" ("放て!", "Shoot!") 5:02
4. "Hana, Taiyou, Ame" ("花・太陽・雨", "Flower, Sun, Rain"; cover of the song by Pyg) 5:35
5. "Tonari No Sataan" ("となりのサターン", "Next Saturn") 5:20
6. "Kare Hateta Saki" ("枯れ果てた先", "Dead Destination") 7:26
7. "Kimi wa Kasa o Sashiteita" ("君は傘をさしていた", "You Put Up Your Umbrella") 9:19
8. "Untitled" (bonus track, "You Put Up Your Umbrella Part 2") 19:20
Southern Lord CD
1. "Flower, Sun, Rain" (cover of the song by Pyg) 7:26
2. "Buzz-In" 2:57
3. "Laser Beam" ("Shoot!" on Japanese version) 4:29
4. "Statement" (different mix; "Message" on Japanese version) 3:24
5. "My Neighbor Satan" ("Next Saturn" on Japanese version) 5:17
6. "Ka Re Ha Te Ta Sa Ki – No Ones Grieve" 8:58
7. "You Were Holding an Umbrella" 8:54
8. "Untitled" (Features Stephen O'Malley on guitar) 15:28
Southern Lord vinyl
Side A
1. "Statement"
2. "Buzz-In"
3. "Vein"
Side B
1. "My Neighbor Satan" (alternate mix)
2. "Ka Re Ha Te Ta Sa Ki – No Ones Grieve"
Side C
1. "Flower, Sun, Rain"
2. "You Were Holding an Umbrella" (extended version)
3. "After Me"
Side D
1. "untitled"
Southern Lord Bonus DVD
1. "Statement"
2. "Pink"
3. "My Neighbour Satan"
Southern Lord
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Choice Cuts" Amazon Exclusive Drop-Card
1. "Hama"
2. "Akuma No Uta"
3. "Ibitsu"
4. "Pink"
5. "Farewell"
6. "The Sinking Belle (Blue Sheep)"
7. "Rainbow (Live 10-16-2007 @ Echoplex, LA with Michio Kurihara)"
8. "You Were Holding An Umbrella (Live 10-16-2007 @ Echoplex, LA with Michio Kurihara)"
Purchase CD Here
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Listen
MySpace
Official Website
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Album Of The Day-Eternal Elysium-"Spiritualized D" (2000)
The Album Of The Day is "Spiritualized D" by Eternal Elysium.
Now here's a band whose name fits -- heavenly stoner doom metal that reaches realms of Sabbath-y paradise, thus far untouched by the band's Western world counterparts. You see, Eternal Elysium hails from Japan, not a country most people view as synonymous with obese, oppressive guitar riffing, churning leads that reek of dirty blues, or stinging, emotive, wailing vocals. Spiritualized D is simply a masterpiece of doom; why it has gotten little attention just baffles the mind. Every single track is traditional, in your face, '70s doom, dripping with oblique Sabbath, St. Vitus, Trouble, and Fu Manchu attributes. Take Sabbath's Master of Reality, Penance's Parallel Corners, Cathedral's Soul Sacrifice, Fu Manchu's In Search Of..., and any early Trouble release, fuse them together with Electric Wizard, and serve blisteringly hot. Most bands lack Elysium's musical audacity, unadulterated heaviness, and ability to capture true rock spirit, as they are usually too busy trying to look or sound cool -- Electric Wizard being the only worthy exception. This is a serious musical purging, folks. Even genre leaders like Cathedral need to take a few pointers from the dynamic sonic wall built on the Paranoid-like blues of "Trick or Steal" or the sluggish charm of "Floating Downer." The vocals are faint and familiar on opener "W.T.G.B," but somehow impossible to place, yet they are unimportant in the sonic war zone faced on Spiritualized D. The punkish "Stone Wedge" could have been snatched off an old Fu Manchu or C.O.C. record, while "Easygoin'" stirs up memories of "Fairies Wear Boots," minus Ozzy, of course. Iron Maiden's classic "Innocent Exile" is fuzzed-up and tuned down in a brave, surprisingly competent rendition on the album. Yet, it is the closing pair of instrumentals that push the musical boundaries of the doom genre to new heights. First is a bastard child of England's two prominent '90s doom bands, "Faithful '99," which sounds like Cathedral performing a punishing rocker co-penned by My Dying Bride circa Turn Loose the Swans or Angel and the Dark River. It's virtually unexplainable to deprived ears, as is the haunting, unnamed final track. A quiet, 14-minute piece of traditional Japanese composing, the song recalls the nation's -- and possibly the world's, were it not for his unfortunate obscurity -- greatest composer, Toru Takemitsu. Takemitsu gained recognition in the '60s, '70s, and '80s as an abstract film composer, who scored for the likes of Akira Kurosawa and several others famous filmmakers. Combining Western classical music with traditional Japanese flutes, percussion instruments, and other strange items, he created an ambient, eerie soundscape, thus far unmatched in classical recording's history (check him out if you are looking for dark classical music). This final hidden track is a brilliant tribute to a true genius of 20th century music, showing a mature, vulnerable, and musically introspective side to the band, which was kept hidden throughout the course of the first nine songs. What a breathtakingly beautiful end to an amazingly punishing masterpiece of an album. (Jason Hundey, All Music Guide)
Track Listing:
01. W.T.G.B. 06:21
02. Splendid, Selfish Woman 08:05
03. Floating Downer 06:04
04. Trick or Steal 02:56
05. What A Difference A Day Makes 07:39
06. Stone Wedge 02:24
07. Easygoin' 06:41
08. Innocent Exile 05:21
09. Faithful '99 03:25
Total playing time 48:56
Stream
Official Website
Now here's a band whose name fits -- heavenly stoner doom metal that reaches realms of Sabbath-y paradise, thus far untouched by the band's Western world counterparts. You see, Eternal Elysium hails from Japan, not a country most people view as synonymous with obese, oppressive guitar riffing, churning leads that reek of dirty blues, or stinging, emotive, wailing vocals. Spiritualized D is simply a masterpiece of doom; why it has gotten little attention just baffles the mind. Every single track is traditional, in your face, '70s doom, dripping with oblique Sabbath, St. Vitus, Trouble, and Fu Manchu attributes. Take Sabbath's Master of Reality, Penance's Parallel Corners, Cathedral's Soul Sacrifice, Fu Manchu's In Search Of..., and any early Trouble release, fuse them together with Electric Wizard, and serve blisteringly hot. Most bands lack Elysium's musical audacity, unadulterated heaviness, and ability to capture true rock spirit, as they are usually too busy trying to look or sound cool -- Electric Wizard being the only worthy exception. This is a serious musical purging, folks. Even genre leaders like Cathedral need to take a few pointers from the dynamic sonic wall built on the Paranoid-like blues of "Trick or Steal" or the sluggish charm of "Floating Downer." The vocals are faint and familiar on opener "W.T.G.B," but somehow impossible to place, yet they are unimportant in the sonic war zone faced on Spiritualized D. The punkish "Stone Wedge" could have been snatched off an old Fu Manchu or C.O.C. record, while "Easygoin'" stirs up memories of "Fairies Wear Boots," minus Ozzy, of course. Iron Maiden's classic "Innocent Exile" is fuzzed-up and tuned down in a brave, surprisingly competent rendition on the album. Yet, it is the closing pair of instrumentals that push the musical boundaries of the doom genre to new heights. First is a bastard child of England's two prominent '90s doom bands, "Faithful '99," which sounds like Cathedral performing a punishing rocker co-penned by My Dying Bride circa Turn Loose the Swans or Angel and the Dark River. It's virtually unexplainable to deprived ears, as is the haunting, unnamed final track. A quiet, 14-minute piece of traditional Japanese composing, the song recalls the nation's -- and possibly the world's, were it not for his unfortunate obscurity -- greatest composer, Toru Takemitsu. Takemitsu gained recognition in the '60s, '70s, and '80s as an abstract film composer, who scored for the likes of Akira Kurosawa and several others famous filmmakers. Combining Western classical music with traditional Japanese flutes, percussion instruments, and other strange items, he created an ambient, eerie soundscape, thus far unmatched in classical recording's history (check him out if you are looking for dark classical music). This final hidden track is a brilliant tribute to a true genius of 20th century music, showing a mature, vulnerable, and musically introspective side to the band, which was kept hidden throughout the course of the first nine songs. What a breathtakingly beautiful end to an amazingly punishing masterpiece of an album. (Jason Hundey, All Music Guide) Track Listing:
01. W.T.G.B. 06:21
02. Splendid, Selfish Woman 08:05
03. Floating Downer 06:04
04. Trick or Steal 02:56
05. What A Difference A Day Makes 07:39
06. Stone Wedge 02:24
07. Easygoin' 06:41
08. Innocent Exile 05:21
09. Faithful '99 03:25
Total playing time 48:56
Stream
Official Website
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
