Arcane Candy

Indeed: very crude, jagged etchings. Five tracks, 46 minutes of free form improv in the form of gargled, garbled, squeaking and screeching dentist patient vocals fused with and exploding from quirky, upright bass confusion courtesy of a duo of very non-toddlers. This should work as the perfect soundtrack for your sister’s wedding. The nice, white cover features a “silhouetted” image of a disassembled microphone and a photo of each musician inside.

Label: PSF Catalog Number: PSFD-74 Format: CD Packaging: Jewel case Tracks: 5 Total Time: 46:30 Country: Japan Released: 1996 Related Artists: Fushitsusha More: Forced Exposure, Official, Poison Pie, Wikipedia

Haino’s second domestic CD features one 59-minute track containing much more placid phases of space-filling guitar and voice bliss with occasional sections of rising volume. Yet another slab of wonder to throw on your ever-growing Keiji Haino / Fushitsusha pile, and it comes in an all-black cover with a fold-out flap inside that reveals a photo of Haino’s head and hands propped up by a cane.

Label: Table of the Elements Catalog Number: ARGON Format: CD Packaging: Jewel case Tracks: 1 Total Time: 59:30 Country: United States Released: 1996 Related Artists: Fushitsusha More: Forced Exposure, Official, Poison Pie, PSF, Wikipedia

Another British import containing two long tracks of solo guitar and voice that meld into universal sound expansion. When Keiji Haino says “I Love You,” he’s speaking to the universe as a whole—existence itself—and much of his music does indeed take on “cosmic” proportions.

The first track is a torrential, 43-minute cyclone of effects pedal warehouse and towering amp carnage that is so corroded with heavy voltage low-end crumble and insanely ascending high-end wail–all assembled with human spark spontaneity and smeared logic intuition–that it just left me sitting shaking my head in disbelief. And that’s even after listening to all of his other releases many times, which is kind of shocking. Track two is an 18-minute descent into ultra low-tuned rudra vina activity with beautiful, melancholy vocals fading in and out as the strings threaten to fall off at any second.

Label: Blast First Catalog Number: BFFP-109 Format: CD Packaging: Jewel case Tracks: 2 Total Time: 61:43 Country: England Released: 1996 Related Artists: Fushitsusha More: Forced Exposure, Official, Poison Pie, PSF, Wikipedia

This is quite a revelation: a 4-CD box set from 1995 chronicling the first decade of Keiji Haino’s career: from Lost Aaraaff in 1971 on through solo home recordings and eventually to the birth of an early version of Fushitsusha near the end of that decade.

Disc one contains 58 minutes of music featuring two long tracks of live mayhem from Keiji Haino’s very first group, the free-jazz-inspired Lost Aaraaff. The vocals / keyboards / drums approach here is very similar to their lone effort reissued by PSF, just way more lo-fi and obviously recorded live in front of a festival audience, as a few screams, shouts and catcalls are flung back toward the stage by the restless mob. But it’s no match for the hyperactive haunt-screech of Lost Aaraaff, as the trio offer their skittering, drifting, exploding, spontaneous wares to the Gods of cacophony. And the clouds nod in approval—never mind the audience.

Disc two is a solo Haino affair called Suite Reverberation that contains 12 tracks and 55 minutes of very personal, endearing, lo-fidelity bedroom sound. A very short spate of harmonica backed by indeterminate clacking and rustling sounds with mega tape hiss opens the disc; while a solemn organ punctuated by lots of silence and periodically accompanied by unknown high-pitched squeals takes up track two. On three, held horn notes hover with unknown string plucks. Appearing next is 47 seconds of solo, unaccompanied, incredibly high-pitched screams and screeches that could easily disturb, oh, just about anyone. Track five is largely comprised of motor-on-violin screech-torture with a lot of nice, muffled tube-humming. A long patch of mangled, sped-up tape chaos with fuzzy, mumbled vocals and a sheet of trebly noise make up track six. Seven is just a very short electric drone. A melodic recorder pipes a curious little tune on eight, as nine unveils simple, rhythmic plucking on acoustic string instruments. A long piece of improvised cello torture is featured on 10, as track 11 sports a lengthy array of mysterious, springing, tapping, rattling and muffled sounds. The disc is closed out with some dry, muffled knocks with subtle surface hiss. Confounding.

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The 73 minutes of space on this CD are all filled up with four long hurdy gurdy drones that effortlessly form absolutely beautiful, drifting, sunset clouds. Ranging from long, floaty tones that sparkle and shimmer as the fabric of reality crackles with life and dances around you to more severe shards of shrill twine and pissed vocal bites, this is yet another sonic monster from the hands of one of planet Earth’s master musicians who seems to wrench magic from almost everything he touches. Heavily recommended—a must-hear, ya hear? And it comes all wrapped up in a black cover with two photos of Haino holding the instrument.

Label: PSF Catalog Number: PSFD-68 Format: CD Packaging: Jewel case Tracks: 4 Total Time: 73:13 Country: Japan Released: 1995 Related Artists: Fushitsusha More: Forced Exposure, Official, Poison Pie, Wikipedia

This CD contains 70 minutes of music from 1995 in the form of three long, untitled tracks of spiritual lift-off. Track one is an 18-minute solo electric guitar, pedals and amp stack overload with tons of subtle, high-pitched string wailing occurring under washes of non-generic feedback–as always, “not using overdubbing” as the liner notes say–ending with a very jarring and painful series of aluminum slashes. Track two is a 12-minute, ugly / beautiful, brooding lake of electronics that is excellent for a long night swim alone. The supremely tortured vocals appearing later make the hair on my goosebumps stand on end.

Clocking in at 39 minutes, track three is another extended foray into Keiji Haino’s infinite interior and our reality’s infinite exterior. It’s a swirling galaxy of endless solo guitar mangling that starts off in the heavy improv mode, with his patented stuttered / spluttered vocals thrown in, and eventually coalesces into an incredibly dense electrical storm. The last 10 minutes mellow into an incredibly moving, quiet cloud of amp hum that sounds like a billion year-old signal coming from some dead radio station on the far edge of the universe. Near the end, Keiji Haino’s voice—now so beautiful and gentle—cuts straight to the core as the sound fades. A nice, smeared photo of Haino playing guitar adorns the cover.

Label: Forced Exposure Catalog Number: FE 036 Format: CD Packaging: Jewel case Tracks: 3 Total Time: 70:17 Country: United States Released: 1995 Related Artists: Fushitsusha More: Official, Poison Pie, PSF, Wikipedia

This is a collection of nine percussion tracks recorded at BC Studios in New York and released in 1995. The total time clocks in at 55 minutes, and the music ranges from very resonant gong tones with shouted, gargled vocals to plenty of crashing “lid” hits with deep chanting and higher-pitched singing off in the background (Wait a minute. Oh my God! There’s overdubbed vocals on this! I want my money back!) to barking, chirping vocals with spare drum hits and doubled screaming to extended, ringing metal percussion to low-pitched, bell-like tones with delicate, yet agitated singing to stringed instrument plucks with metallic percussion washes to wailing wind instruments with low, muttered vocals. Track eight is my favorite: a very atmospheric piece of low-pitched plucks, high-pitched percussion whines, muted string melody and gong washes vaguely similar to Toho Sara or Marginal Consort. This CD maybe drags a bit in places, but overall there are some interesting, floating billows to fill your pillows with. And there’s a nice blurry, grainy photo of Haino beating a drum on the cover, as well.

Label: Tzadik Catalog Number: TZ 7203 Format: CD Packaging: Jewel case Tracks: 9 Total Time: 55:40 Country: United States Released: 1995 Related Artists: Fushitsusha More: Forced Exposure, Official, Poison Pie, PSF, Wikipedia

Recorded on August 1, 1992 at a small New York record store, but not released until 1995, this release features one 24-minute track of quietly improvised duo guitar work from two global fans of the “no practicing” school of action. No distortion, just sometimes sparse, sometimes rather intricate lines of interlocking and dissipating electric guitar airs from two blues fans. Not very “bluesy” in the way you’re thinking, though—more like a non-repeating stream of dream amble down future lane. It comes tightly sheathed in a white mini-LP-style jacket with a nice graffiti photo paste-on by Byron Coley. Those lame, clear plastic inner sleeves scratch the hell out of CDs, though.

Label: Persona Non Grata / Father Yod Catalog Number: Persona Non Grata #2 / FYP-C06 Format: CD Packaging: Mini-LP cardboard sleeve Tracks: 1 Total Time: 24:38 Country: United States Released: 1995 Related Artists: Fushitsusha More: Forced Exposure, Official, Poison Pie, PSF, Wikipedia

I know the little bird who put this out, but I can’t really say who it is. (I sure didn’t have anything to do with it.) This one-hour video tape documents Keiji Haino performing live at the Hong Kong Cafe in Los Angeles on May 12, 1994 with just voice, guitar, effects pedals and two Marshall full stacks. In near total darkness, Haino shifts back and forth many times between full-bore feedback boilers and plaintive, floating, graveyard walks. A little light thrown on the subject would’ve been nice—at first you can barely make out a silhouette meandering about, but the situation is illuminated a slight bit more as the tape spools on. Especially nice moments occur during the frequent 35mm camera flashes wherein Haino’s full-body-flailing workouts are fleetingly captured. The xeroxed cover pilfers the Affection CD photo on the front, plus the back cover photo from the Execration That Accept To Acknowledge CD on the other side.

Label: (Bootleg) Catalog Number: None Format: VHS Packaging: Plastic VHS case Tracks: 1 Total Time: 60:00 Country: United States Released: 1995 Related Artists: Fushitsusha More: Forced Exposure, Official, Poison Pie, PSF, Wikipedia

This French import is a collection of live performances recorded in Japan and Europe and serves as a great introductory “sampler” of Keiji Haino’s work. It contains 11 tracks of variety—from cathartic, solo vocal exorcisms to delicate, pristine guitar and vocal hazes to more exploded electric “axe” annihilation—not to mention a track or two of subtle whispers and moans. Mind-mincing, for sure. It comes cloaked in a digi-pack with a booklet of Japanese / English lyrics and excellent live photos.

Label: Les Disques du Soleil et de L’Acier Catalog Number: CDSA 54029 Format: CD Packaging: Digi-pack Tracks: 11 Total Time: 56:49 Country: France Released: 1995 Related Artists: Fushitsusha More: Forced Exposure, Official, Poison Pie, PSF, Wikipedia