LPx3, Black Truffle Records, 2024
Recorded live on November 27, 2018, at SuperDeluxe, Tokyo
Overview
On their twelfth live recording, the electrifying power trio continues to expand the vocabulary of their improvised sonic sorcery. The opening LP (of the three disc set) is surprisingly void of the transcendent noise-rock catharses that characterize most of the band’s work, comprising instead of three meditative duo invocations, with each member taking a turn on the bench. These improvisations are sparse, restrained and mysterious. Haino’s expressive brushed snare on the sidelong opening track proves to be a multi-directional trigger for O’Rourke’s unamplified electric guitar gestures, which explore percussive atonality and shadowy, suspenseful harmonies. For his duet with Ambarchi, O’Rourke switches to synth and electronic machines, out of which gurgles an electrified, animated sludge that shapeshifts around Ambarchi’s minimalist trance drumming. On the final duet, Ambarchi’s focused rhythms ground Haino’s ecstatic flute, creating one of the more serene moments on the record. The moment doesn’t last long until Haino switches from flute to snare drum and initiates a mission to disrupt Ambarchi’s trance grooves, repeatedly agitating the rhythm into new shapes that resist hypnosis and open up new channels. The second and third LPs find the group returning to the primal free-rock that’s been their primary sonic trajectory for the last 15 years. The immersive power of Haino’s consuming guitar feedback never ceases to thrill, especially when it soars over pummeling drums and deep 6-string bass attacks. Through concentrated force and harnessed chaos, the trio patiently pushes primordial riffs to their noisiest, most visceral limits, striving to become the sound itself.
On the Surface
Style: Free Improvisation, Free-Psych
Vibes: Ritualistic, Primordial, Mysterious, Free, Exploratory, Devotional, Cathartic, Patient, Abstract, Cryptic, Haunting, Ecstatic, Chaotic, Psychedelic
Musical Qualities: Collective Improvisation, Dynamic, Atonal, Percussive, Noisy, Sparse, Extended Technique, Live Recording
Instrumentation: Drums, Electric Guitar, 6-String Bass, Oboe, Synthesizers, Electronics, Flute, “Strings of Dubious Origin”
