Tycho - Past is Prologue

Past is Prologue is Tycho's, aka Scott Hansen's, first album, and it's electronica dripping with delicious, shimmering soundscapes. Like the gorgeous artwork he has personally done for all his albums (he used to be a graphic designer), Past is impressively meticulous and beautiful.

The familiar, dark dreaminess of Boards of Canada echoes through various avenues of the album, but Scott Hansen sets himself apart from their work by livening the dreamy soundscapes with beats and grooves that have your foot tapping throughout. Including a strong presence of tempo was a smart move on his part; the tempo keeps the listener on his feet as the spaciness goes on, whereas other ambient works leave you floating aimlessly. That sort of floating can sound/feel amazing, but somehow having some sort of a beat thrown in the dreamy melodies make the tracks more... clear, or fresh.

Skillfully, Hansen stays safely away from a Techno/dance-club ecstasy sound. That sort of music tends to be far too one-track and in-your-face. Scott Hansen knows that the delicate tracks of Past (and of Tycho's entire discography) would be mangled and shredded like ribbons if he were to use a fat, stupid Techno beat. What he does use to enforce rhythm is a cool, sleek snare/bass affair that fits right in with the gentle, entrancing melodies.

Past is Prologue is not strikingly different from other ambient/electronic works, but it stands out by being groovy and mesmerizing as hell. Funky, refreshing, dreamy, hypnotizing. If you liked the Boards of Canada album that I posted, or if you like electronica stuff in general, you should definitely give this album a try. If you like it, I urge you to support this guy by buying his stuff. The artwork/ presentation of his CDs and LPs is probably the best tangible work made by a band/artist. On top of that, Tycho is not very well known, and I wanna see him make more music.

Best track to start out with:

Dictaphone's Lament

Pbs

Past is Prologue

The Disconnect

A Circular Reeducation

Ohkami no Jikan

This is not an actual album of theirs that I am posting... merely three songs that I scraped off the internet (searched all night, its ALL I can find). There's one actual album of theirs called Mort Nuit, and as soon as I get that album (which may be never) I'll be sure to post it.

But yes, three long trippy jams by one of the best bands from the Japanese Psychedelia era... these guys are really chill and beautiful; the guitars are full of feedback and wonder and the whole thing kinda jazzes out into this awesome spacey noisy jam. Some of the best Psychedelic/Rock/ Garage/ whatever. You know who you are, if this is you're kind of thing, then don't wait any longer and grab what little you can of this precious band, because trust me, there's not a lot of them out there. They're a diamond in the rough for sure.

狼の時間

Stalaggh - Projekt Misanthropia

Woah... how to put Stalaggh into words... Well, its unlike anything I've ever heard before. Its one of the most disturbing and frightening things I've ever listened to.

I guess if you had to describe it, Stalaggh plays noise/drone/freak, with recordings of actual patients from a mental hospital screaming and crying. It's like listening to the mass electrocution of a room full of people. Really just totally fucking disturbing. Apparently, one of the used patients, a guy who stabbed his mother over 30 times, almost killed one of the anonymous band members during recording.

For the most part, if you're into brutal music, this is fucking it. There's no substitute. Everything else pales in comparison. Cannibal Corpse and other bands that call themselves brutal and have blood on their album covers are just a joke compared to this. Seriously, this album spooks me more than most of the horror movies I've seen.

Depending on your tastes in music, this is either absolutely essential to have, or something you want to avoid at all costs.

Oh, it's also great for Halloween parties.

Merzbow - Minazo

The Noise "artist" Masami Akita, aka Merzbow, made this 2-song album in memory of the late elephant seal Minazo (aka, the lolrus that achieved some internet fame.), who Merzbow befriended and often visited with at the Tokyo Aquarium. Merzbow was never amused by the tricks Minazo was routinely forced to perform, including his trademark act of holding a bucket and sticking out his tongue.

To most normal people, Minazo's acts were adorable and charming, but to Merzbow, this sort of shit bordered on animal cruelty, and when Minazo died in 2005 for unknown reasons, Merzbow set out to make two tribute albums "not to mourn the death of Minazo, but to avenge it."

Thus, he has recorded two albums of absolute ferocity. Long, bloody scree-scrawls of noise that leave you dazed. Headaches are to be expected for sure after about 5 minutes of this, if not less. Merzbow wasn't kidding when he said he wanted to avenge Minazo's death. These albums are weapons aimed at the ears of anyone brave or stupid enough to partake. A stunning embodiment of grief and frustration. I would say this tribute to the Beautiful Male Elephant is a damn good way to send off the gentle giant.　さよなら、美男象。

美男象一番

美男象二番

Sun City Girls - Napoleon & Josephine 7"

just a funny ten-minute interaction between some nutty mystic who rambles on about stupid conspiracies and a growingly-impatient shop-store owner. Made me laugh. This isn't typical Sun City Girls stuff, I'll be sure to post some of their actual music on this blog. I just found this amusing, and felt like sharing this lesser-known piece of funny.


Fuck you, man, you listen to my shit.

V/A - Oz Days Live

sick compilation of Japanese underground Psych-rock from 1973. Its called "Oz Days" because it's a compilation of the last few shows The Oz Rock Cafe hosted before it got shut down.

Some particularly great jams from Les Rallizes Dénudés that are just really laid-back and trippy. Kind of a "must hear" for anyone who's into stoner-rock awesomeness. There's also a really cool 22 minute-long song by Taj Mahal Travelers that's an eerie swirl of Eastern-sounding violin and droning voices. Just downright creepy and really fucking cool. I would have loved to actually see Taj Mahal play this song live. There are other bands on this album, and though they should be listened to, they're not as impressive. One of these bands, Miyako Ochi, plays some pretty fun 50's and 60's rock and bop shit, if u know what I mean, and its pretty fun to listen to. They even do a pretty sick cover of Twist and Shout.

All in all, this is a really interesting (and rare) slice of 1970s Japanese underground psychedelia, and should definitely be listened to.

Part 1

Part 2

Ground Zero - Revolutionary Pekinese Orchestra

One of the best things to come out of Japan, the unforgivably unsung Ground Zero is Otomo Yoshihide's first experimental band before he went solo. I think this is some of the best shit he's ever worked on. Revolutionary Pekinese Orchestra is simply amazing. Really good atmospheric pieces comprised of Japanese radio clips, advertisements and soundbits, as well as various other instruments and genres of weirdness. Trust me, this album is a lot more accessible than the other "noise/experimental" albums I've posted. This is just straight-up good. Everything is perfectly blended to the tune of insanity. At times beautiful and at other times disturbing, sometimes humorous, and always fascinating. An absolute fucking Trip. Download this.

best songs to start out with: Crossing Frankfurt Four Times, Paraiso 1, Grand Pink Junction Ballard, Triumphant Junction (Grand Finale).

Later, try listening to the whole album start to finish. A mindfuck for sure.

CONSUME MAO