Mikami Kan, Moto Yoshizawa, Haino Keiji – Live in the First Year of Hesei
These two volumes by three of Japan’s underground master musicians were among the first releases on Tokyo’s awesome PSF label a decade ago—just before Haino-mania swept the dimly-lit English-speaking world.
The music filling these albums is among the very best from all three participants: folk mega-legend Mikami Kan’s unique acoustic guitar strum with his charismatic command of human vocal chords; Moto Yoshizawa’s skewing of the upright bass tethers just so; and, of course, the black-clad one himself, Keiji Haino’s “background” spacely / otherplanetly outbursts on overly-reverbed and fedback electric guitar.
“Bang” on Volume 1 is the ultimate document of these utterly human / alien hybrid occurrences: Haino’s non-sequitur noise explosions compliment Kan’s neck hair-raising screams and gentle strum perfectly, yet at the same time grate against them completely from another plane. These efforts are so original and one-of-a-kind, it’s just head-shakingly perplexing, smilingly wonderful and tearfully wrenching. Essential listening.
Label: PSF Catalog Number: PSFD-5, PSFD-6 Format: LP, CD Packaging: LP jacket, jewel case Tracks: PSFD-5: 5; PSFD-6: 6 Total Time: PSFD-5: 41:47; PSFD-6: 42:00 Country: Japan Released: 1990 Related Artists: Fushitsusha More: Forced Exposure, Official, Poison Pie, Wikipedia
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