KWCW

OK, so I get it. In fact, I really like the idea. Japanese composer Tori Kudo (sometimes known as the “Master of Mistake”) has brought together 27 tracks full of free-jazz and complex layering, explicitly to be played by amateur musicians. In an age where every album is digitally produced, pitch & tempo can be adjusted to fix the musicians’ mistakes, and performers are expected to reproduce their music exactly like studio version, Maher Shalal Hash Baz stands out as a shining beacon of music in its imperfect glory. We’re not talking about making mistakes for mistakes sake, but rather letting the music go where the musicians and their ability takes it. Great idea! Unfortunately, the end result is an album where you will find yourself cringing at some point every track. Picture going to a middle school band recital and watching some poor kid butcher a note on his solo… that’s the kind of uncomfortable feeling some of these tracks will give you. That said, it is a very genuine, real sounding album (good thing) which has its moment of freak-folk-avant-jazz bliss (even better thing). And it does some wonderful stuff like replacing the bass guitar with a bassoon. Sadly, however, I can’t make myself want to listen to it more than a couple times.

I give this album 4.5/5 artistic visions and slaps in the faces of the culture of the perfect taking over music today, but only 2.5/5 desires to hit the “repeat all” button.

-Alan

The members of New York based Akron/Family have been working relentlessly since signing to Young God Records in 2003. The four gents have released two full length albums and a split LP with label mates Angels of Light while touring the country. The most recent of which is the exciting and challenging “Meek Warrior.” Akron/Family make it clear from the opening song that they are not attempting to simply rehash the successful formula used in their lauded debut. The frenetic guitar riff and ominous, insistent drums are a far cry from the melodic, understated finger-picking one finds on their previous record. The intensity slowly evolves into an amalgamation of hand claps, dissonant murmurs, and finally an impassioned chant. One could easily see a song like “Blessing Force” being separated into four songs due to Akron/Family’s tendency towards progressive and constant variation. At times, Akron/Family sounds like a relative of Animal Collective due to their unbridled, exuberant sing-a-long style and eccentric campfire folksy sensibilities. “Meek Warrior” is organic, cosmic, and unrestrained all at once; it’s the kind of album that can grow on you.

RIYL: Animal Collective, The Microphones, Devendra Banhart

3.5 old-style radio microphones out of 5
- Kyle Gilkeson

Give me an ensemble as dedicated to exploring and pushing the boundaries of percussion as So Percussion (”So” derived from the Japanese verb “to play”) and I get excited. Tell me that they use anything they can get their hands on (duct tape, broken ethernet port, etc) to supplement their collection of global percussion instruments and I start to sweat. Then if I find out that they reinterpreted a Steve Reich composition using only percussion, and are currently on tour with electro-avant big shots Matmos, and I might just be unable to hold it in anymore. Amid the Noise was such an exciting concept: let several percussionists who love experimental compositions loose and see what happens. I was so geared up to love it, and then I heard the album. Don’t get me wrong, it is a very nice collection of songs, generally ranging from meditative to Eno-esque ambientism. The music seems to just waft into the background, serving as the soundtrack to your thoughts. And that, is exactly the problem. The use of electronics on the album overshadows the intricate drumming that is taking place. In addition to the domination, in terms of volume and presence in the sound, the use of electronics cheapens or casts doubt upon the percussive elements. In other words, it made them feel less exciting because you started to think that they were actually digitally generated as well. To be perfectly honest, I would not have said that So Percussion was a percussion troupe had I not read a quick bio on their website. In short, the talent is there, and so is the dedication. However, what could have been a wildly exciting romp into experimental percussion was cut short by the emphasis on electronics. Sadly, this seemed to push the boundaries of percussion less than it seemed to co-opt the sound into the generally digital realm of ambient composition.

I give this album 3.5/5 ambient drones, 4/5 meditations, and 1.5/5 percussive reinvention with a sad frown of potential unattained.

RIYL: Brian Eno, Tortoise, Aphex Twins, ambientism

- Alan Blickenstaff

If the ambiguously pronounced band name (OOIOO) was not clue enough, knowing that the all-Japanese, all-female quartet is headed by Yoshimi P-we of Boredoms fame should give you a hint that this record is not going to be predictable or like many other sounds around. “Taiga” is the fifth album by the experimental group, and is clearly OOIOO at its best. Sounds are complex, running the gamut from ambient, to distortion-filled noise, to thrashing Afro-percussive dance beats, to hauntingly childlike chanting, to what I can best describe as eerie gospel thrash. Within a given track, especially the longer ones, OOIOO may take you down a dozen different avenues, giving little warning and definitely not being deterred by creating something atonal and unexpected alike. On this album, as most of OOIOO’s work, the compositions center around the masterful drumming of Yoshimi P-we, who is able to changes tempos and moods on a dime, and alter the atmosphere of a piece in a split second. A note of warning: if you are not one who likes to try new things, steer clear of this album, since the sonic structures are constantly changing, throwing the listener through hoop after wonderful hoop. But if you are feeling a little adventurous, OOIOO will not dissapoint. The result is an album that is an amalgamation of anything and everything that they could find to make the noises they wanted, to explore the ideas they wanted to delve into.Though I’d listen to this almost anytime, I can’t think of any better soundtrack to a all-night, raucous bonfire, where everyone is covered in fluorescent body paint and yelling at the top of their lungs!

I give this album 4.5/5 shouts and a giddy, doting, kinda awkward, middle-school-madly-in-love smile.

RIYL: Animal Collective, Bjork, The Go! Team, Boredoms

- Alan Blickenstaff

Returning with an EP several albums after the release of their instrumental masterpiece Spine and Sensory, San Diego outfit Tristeza hasn’t lost its knack for creepily introspective rock. On Bromas, a short EP out on Better Looking Records, the sort of experimental jazz and pseudo-electronic vibe we’ve come to expect from the band is tighter and considerably less repetitive than earlier works. However, there’s a slight sense that venturing into smooth jazz territory is not always out of the question, and the only element that prevents me from calling ‘Metheny!’ on the EP’s title track is the ominous minor-key structure of the song. It’s certainly been a while since I’ve heard evil easy listening.

“Pingle Language”, the second track, is an ever quieter brooding composed of electronic snare rolls and icy pings in the high register, featuring most notably the absence of jangly guitar that was the signature of their brand of instrumental rock. “Enveloped” mutates this brooding vibe into an ambient shuffle, a sort of unnoticed and hushed prelude into the extended mix of the title track (which doesn’t sound all that different from the original).

Bromas is certainly a mysterious EP in the fact that, at three new tracks, it may only be a single. Even more confounding to the listener is the band’s seeming abandonment of guitar as the centerpiece in the two middle songs of the album. The title track is certainly worth a listen, and the album could be considered a success on that merit alone, however, the additional guitar-less tracks keep me guessing when the guitar is going to come in, and probably intentionally so.