Merzbow - Dolphin Sonar (Important) 2008

I’ve lined up for the  last couple of Animal rights records that Merzbow has releaed and to be honest they just are not my favourite examples of what he does. Mizano was OK, Peace For Animals I played once and haven’t touched since and Bloody Sea (Save The  Whales) to be honest was an unrelenting mawe of power electronics. I suppose what I’m trying to say is that to me, once Merzbow decides to do one of his “issue albums” the subtlety and texture and all round excitement that his noise induces is replaced by white hot anger. And you know, I get his anger, I really do, I get why he’s angry, but an enjoyable listening experience it seldom becomes.

And it is for those reasons that it was fully my intention to give Dolphin Sonar a wide berth.  The pleasure I get from Merzbow are the attention to detail records like 1930, the death disco big beat of the Merz series and the barely there rock pig action of Aquanecromancer. Anyway, I ended up relenting and to be honest I’m glad I did. The whole point to Dolphin Sonar is to highlight the annual dolphin slaughter in a Japanese coastal village. I remember seeing a video of it form a few years ago  and indeed it’s pretty fucking brutal and you have to wonder how is in this day and age it’s still allowed to continue. where Dolphin Sonar differs from his previous issue albums is the level of texture he gets into his noise. It’s a fascinating listen. I wouldn’t recommend this as a place to start for new Merzbow enthusiasts, that cute (but very deceptive0  cover art might say otherwise. For those with a significant Merzbow habit Dolphin Sonar  not bad at all. 

Dolphin Slaughter 2007 (not Merzbow’s music obviously) Warning - It’s a fucking awful thing to watch

Merzbow and John Wiese - Multiplication (Misanthropic Agenda) 2007

I picked this up from  a couple of months ago. John Wiese himself, from time to time, sells copies of his CD’s on ebay. I took the opportunity to buy this, Black Magic Pond and the split CD Wiese did with C. Spencer Yeh. Out of those three records the spit with Yeh is my favourite but Multiplication for some reason is the one I seem to have played the most. I think the reason for the  number of plays it’s received is me attempting to define exactly what this record sounds like. I was searching for something recognisable that would make sense in a written review. Merzbow put this record together when John Wiese sent his contribution by mail. What has been created is a blistering document of extreme noise. There are no beats or relief from the relentless cluster fuck of noise this record unleashes. Ever now and then there is a small pause before the two  the two sides of the noise smash into each other again. The cover at to this record is very appropriate. To me it looks like a tear in the very fabric of the Earth and this record is so relentless that’s it’s hard to disagree with that interpretation. I wonder how many times I’ll end up playing this again. I like my Wiese and Merzbow a couple of notches back from what they produce on Multiplication. If your new to your noise and just dabbling there are way better Wiese and Merzbow records to start with. I’d give ths one a wide berth unless you know what you are getting yourself in for.

As an aside Misanthropic Agenda has a great website and online store. It has plenty on Menche, Jazzkammer  and Merzbow at really cheap prices and the postage is very reasonable. It’s well worth checking out before you make your next purchase. I’ve added their sight to the links on the top righthand of this blog.

Merzbow - Coma Berenices (Vivo) 2007

I’ve spent a fair bit of time on this blog trying to explain my reaction to Merzbow. When I read the majority of the posts there seems to be a theme based around which record encapsulates the best entry point for someone thinking of dabbling in his vast back catalogue. So as not to fuck with that theme, if I was new to this Merzbow thing I’d probably steer clear of Coma Berenices until I’d  navigated elsewhere first.

But for the initiated Merzbow listener, Coma Berenices is an absolute cracker of a record. It came out around the time of Merzbear and I’ll be honest this is a much better record. It’s dense, almost lush in it’s approach to noise. It’s certainly guitar heavy but leaves the beat heaviness of the “Merz” series behind. I’m still not clear on the whole analogue/digital divide but I read somewhere that this is one of his analogue works. I have no idea if that is right so lets just go with that. The tracks themselves are some of the most rewarding Merzbow works I’ve heard to date. This is one of the only Merzbow records where my ears don’t become “concerned with recognisable, familiar and friendly musical mechanics and motifs”. But it is still worth pointing out that there is this magic track towards the end, “Silky Feather”, which to these ears sounds like Merzbow attempting a doom track (seriously). Coma Berenices is intermediate level Merzbow. It’s now time to tackle Pulse Demon.

Merzbow - Minazo Vol 1. (Important) 2006

I’ve spent time on this blog trying to get the word out there that Merzbow is nothing to fear. Despite his reputation as a non-compromising noise artist, I’ve found a lot of the his output readily accessible, exciting and just damn enjoyable. Given the fact that this has been my main focus I’ve struggled with what to write for Minazo. From the cover art it seems like another cuddly edition to the Merzbow catalogue. If you thought that though, you’d be very wrong.

Minazo is a tribute to the elephant seal that died in 2005. Minazo was a bit of a celebrity in Japan and in the liner notes to this disc, Masami Akita despairs for the way he was treated and ponders if it caused his early death. Merzbow’s love of animals is no secret and his support for PETA is mentioned often. But how do you convey very personal feelings about the death of an animal through noise? When I first started tackling this disc I thought that it lacked the interest of some of his other records. In the last week I started to really listen to it. Not have it as some background noise when doing some other task. It was only through carefully listening that I started to get it. There are four tracks on Minazo and I have no idea whether this is intentional but there is a real feeling of panic on some of the tracks, especially the first untitled track which blew me away with the ability to covey an actual emotion like fear and panic through oscillations, pulse and noise. I felt the panic of the animal as it was kept in captivity, isolated and alone.

If you are startying out on Merzbow avoid this. It is dense and unrelenting. If you know your Merzbow then this is another classic. Seriously the man can do no wrong.

Merzbow - Merzbeat (Important) 2003

I have posted before on my difficulties in writing about noise as a genre. I think part of my battle is that whatever words I use, unless you experience the music yourself the entire exercise is pretty pointless.

I’ve been listening to Merzbeat pretty solidly for a fortnight and I know this may be getting boring, but the idea that Merzbow is a one trick pony is yet again put to rest with this record. This one here is for your inner raver. Think Chemical Brothers big beat but done Merzbow’s way. Merzbeat is the title and that’s exactly what you get. It’s extremely accessible and dare I say it, fun.

Now in my quest to get a better handle on this noise stuff I managed to get myself a copy of Paul Hegarty’s Noise/Music:A History and Brett Woodward’s fucking brilliant Merzbook.

Mr Woodward, besides being a pretty decent guy, has written a book that … well lets just say, he gets it. Part of the book comments on music criticism of Merzbow’s work and does a better job trying to articulate the thoughts I expressed in my post on 1930. Woodward also seems unimpressed with the pain/extremity references which constantly appear in reviews of Merzbow’s work. Although he doesn’t say it directly, Woodward got me thinking about the cult of Merzbow. Part of the appeal to many is the fact that Merbow’s work is “extreme” and only a few “twisted” individuals would put themselves through it. This idea of being a member of an exclusive club of die hard noise freaks is part of the charm of some of those who buy Merzbow’s work “Dude you’ll never get into this, it’s just so fucking extreme”, to which the response that is envisaged is “Man, That dude is so cool he listens to the most extreme stuff”. Is this my attempt to elevate myself above slobbering fanboy. The answer is no. I’ve liked every single one of the CD’s I’ve bought (although the split he did with Bastard Noise has a question mark over it at this stage). To me they all sound different and in my opinion anyone who says that all of his work is the same with minor tweaking isn’t paying the attention that this stuff deserves. I’m sure that I’m going to come across a Merzbow record I don’t like. I’m not quite there yet and for what its worth Merzbeat is just dandy!

However, what I am guilty of is being overly (as Woodward puts it) “concerned with recognisable, familiar and friendly musical mechanics and motifs” when tryi0ng to describe a Merzbow record. Fucking guilty as charged I’m afraid but I admit I’m just not bright enough to describe it any other way. Part of the reason I wanted to start this blog was my taste in music started to drift over to noise and avant rock, dark ambient, doom, drone and experimental electronica and a lot of the reviews I read had difficulty explaining just what these records sounded like. Now I know why.

By the way, if you see a copy of Woodward’s Merzbook and have an even passing interest in Merzbow just buy it. It is well written and informative and well worth the money.

This is my 100th post. I’d like to say thanks to all those who have left comments on this blog. I appreciate the support.

Merzbow - Merzbuddha (Important) 2005

I tell you what this Merzbow fellow is very clever indeed. I now have 13 of his records and each one is very different from the next. A case in point is Merzbuddha. Apparently Mr Akita was listening to a lot of dub before he went into the studio to produce the third of the “Merz” series. Horace Andy; all of that type of thing. But in classic Merzbow style I just don’t hear that at all. Sure there is a beat and some wonderful trance-like repetition which is kind of what you could expect when you title each of the three (very long) tracks Mantra. Merzbuddha is about as dub as Coldplay but, you know, way better. As I’ve opined before, my experience with noise is always going to be different to yours but I think Merzbuddha has a really industrial feel to it. Think Nitzer Ebb crossed with Yellow Swans and your only really half way there. The whole thing is an absolute gem. I’ll be honest I just can’t get enough of this stuff at the moment.

Merzbow - Amlux (Important) 2002

When I stated in a previous post that all I’m listening to is Merzbow, I was not kidding (OK except for that new Earth album). I’ve turned into an obsessive bastard. I recently bought the split CD with Bastard Noise, Aqua Necromancer (see below)  Doors Open at 8pm, Collapse 12 Floors, Animal Magnetism, Merzbeat, Minzano Vol.1, Pulse Demon, Coma Bernices, Merzbudda and this.  That’s eleven Merzbow records in two weeks. I’m just glad my partner doesn’t read this blog because I am in big fucking trouble if she does. despite the imminent danger I face, I feel like I’m just scratching the surface.

Amlux is supposed to be his first purely digital recording and there is a tremendous Autechre/industrial feel to the four tracks. Merzbow analougue enthusiasts will hate it but for me it has to be up there with Merzzow and 1930 for sheer pleasure. There is just so much going on here. Mr akita even allows for some pretty solid beats before smashing them to pieces with blasts of extreme noise. The first track is just tremendous. If you ever want to find out what a plague of cockroaches would sound like if they were marching in your ear canal then I highly recommend the first two minutes. This is accessible as anything I’ve heard of his and is yet (and I know I’m repeating myself) another example of how thrilling this noise stuff is.

As an aside I’ve also recently shelled out for Paul Hegarty’s book Noise/Music A History. There is a chapter on Merzbow which is the whole reason I bought it. He makes a really good point while quoting the Wire’s Edwin Pouncey, “the fact is to understand, enjoy  and eventually reach noise nirvana through Masami Akits’s work you have to listen to a hell of a lot of it.” Unfortunately for my bank account I’m finding that statement very true.

Merzbow - Aqua Necromancer (alien8 recordings) 2004

Merzbow is all I’m listening to at the moment. This can not be healthy. For some reason that Merzzow record really hit a chord with me and I’ve done the whole obesessive rock-nerd thing and tracked down as much of his back catalogue as I can hide from my partner. The first batch to arrive are from those very nice Canadian people at alien8 recordings. Their package containing Aqua Necromancer, Door Opens at 8pm, Collapse 12 Floors and Animal Magnetism arrived on Tuesday. I’ll get to the others in due course but I’ve decided to start with Aqua Necromancer for no particular reason but to stress the fact that Merzbow is no one trick pony.

Aqua Necromancer is Merzbow’s tribute to prog-rock. Think Soft machine being flogged with electronic squall. Think big fat psychedelic grooves under a blanket of fuckery. Think drums, groove and beat. Think of a prog rock concert in hell. This my friends is simply an extraordinary record. Part of my previous apprehension in approaching Merzbow was my belief that I didn’t really need much of this in my life. I though that once I’d heard one Merzbow record I’d pretty much have heard them all. How fucking wrong I was on that one. There is an inherent playfulness in all of his records when you commit yourself to the experience. This is the Merzbow record you introduce your rock nerd friends to. If they don’t get it you can point out that the fourth track in particular could be John Zorn playing with John Weise. Every rock nerd admits to liking Zorn so you’ll be on solid ground.

On the weekend someone typed in a search engine “merzbow good place to start” and were directed to this blog. If that person comes back I’d just like to say THIS IS WHERE TO START. If you can’t get into Aqua Necromancer the rest of his back catalogue is going to be a bumpy ride.

Merzbow - Merzzow (Opposite) 2002

This record was a find in the second hand section of my local rip-off independent record store. I’ll be honest, I’d never heard of this record but that wasn’t particularly suprising given how quickly Merzbow releases records. This fine example is one of his “merz” series of records (the latest of course being Merzbear.) It came out on a small US Label and I have no idea whether you can still get it. It may not have had a wide release given the fact that allmusic doesn’t even list it. So how does it stack up? Well I think this may the most accessible thing he’s done. Forget the extreme noise terror that you hear about. This record throbs! Think more Suicide and a disturbed electronic version of southern fried boogie. Think of noise getting locked in a groove. Sweet lord this could be the most poppy thing of his that I’ve heard.

The whole thing kicks off with Elephant Song which swaggers with a southern rock groove interrupted by the odd sonic gurgle and crash. It’s finished by the most sublime Suicide-esque throb since Spacemen 3. The real treat though is the tracks Inside Looking Out Pt1 and Pt2. Parts of those tracks are almost Birchville-like in their sonic subtlety and transcendent drone. There are still traditional Merzbow (whatever that means) moments on Merzzow. The track Horse is an example but it kind of feels out of place considering the sublime nature of the previous six tracks.

If you can find this and have any interest in experimental noise you need to buy it. I have no idea where to head to next with my exploration of Merzbow’s back catalogue. Any ideas?

Merzbow - Tauromachine (Relapse) 1998

My journey through the world of Merzbow continues. I don’t plan to rehash my thoughts from my post on 1930. Those comments still stand. Everyone experiences this sort of music differently. Some let the sound wash over them and others (me included) get excited by the detail. If you experience Merzbow like I do then Tauromachine is well worthwhile tracking down. I still struggle to describe this noise but here are five thoughts I had while listening to Tauromachine.

1. If ever an album cover summed up the music contained on the disc, Tauromachine would have to be up there. Notice how the two sides of the pink blobby object seem to be about to crash into each other like a tsunami. See the black, negative space that it’s about to destroy. Notice how the image in the blobs is all woozy like it’s oscillating and pulsing. It kind of look likes reality is being stretched and in a painful way.

2. Speaking of pain don’t play Track 4 too loud. I did. Uncomfortable.

3. When I listen to a Merzbow record I lose the ability to recognise the difference between a pulse, tone or beat.

4. There is a moment early in Track 3, Soft Water Rhinoceras where the sound is manipulated so it sounds like a babbling brook and it’s not until you listen to it again that you realise that its an oscillating digital tone of some sort. I thought that was very clever.

5. Merzbow does what he does pretty consistently. Some might question why anyone would need more than a couple of his records. My answer to that is because he does what he does so well.

Merzbow - 1930 (Tzadik) 1998

In my post on Merzbear I posted on my trepidation about approaching Merzbow’s vast back catalogue. With well over 200 releases I mean, fuck, where do you start? After that post I managed to come across a copy of Merzzow secondhand at my local rip-off alt-record store. That purchase I think is pretty indicative of the sheer size of his back catalogue. All Music Guide don’t even list it and that site is usually not a bad start in doing some background research on some of these artists. Using AMG as my oracle I decided that next purchase would be 1930.

So here it is and I’ve come to the conclusion that posting on records such as 1930 is completely pointless. Half the reviews I read speak to the physical reaction that the reviewer had to the music. Ears bleeding etc etc. Now I just think that that kind of description is essentially lazy (yes I know I’ve used exactly the same words in this very blog in the past). The necessity of most reviews to link Merzbow’s music to physical pain or physical reaction is merely a way for many of us to emphasise just how extreme, and at times unpleasant, noise as a genre can be. If it is causing physical pain then can I suggest that you turn it down a bit? Look, any music can cause physical pain if it’s turned up too loud. I had a very nasty experience with a Shins record a couple of days ago. The live experience of Merzbow may be very different to his records, the extreme volume causing those physical sensations that the majority of reviewers seem to suggest. The other reason for the emphasis on physical reactions is because writing about a noise record, and in particular a Merzbow record, is really hard. I admit I fucking struggle. It’s really easy to pump out a couple of hundred words if you focus on melodrama. Is Merzbow all pulses, unrelenting beats, noise loops, frequency/tonal blasts and layered distortion? Yep. The thing is, noise records are very personal things. They’re not the kind of thing you unleash at a party or play in the car with your family. Interactions with noise records are solitary moments. The shear hugeness of what’s coming out of the speakers or headphones actually alienates the listener from the world. And this is why posting on record like 1930 is pointless. My interaction with this record is going to be very different to yours.

But this is a blog about records so here goes. The thing about 1930 is that it is a record that that constantly suprises and astonishes. I think there is a sense of humour at work here. A playfulness that seems a contradiction to the extremity of the noise being produced. Take the title track for instance. It starts off as a vaguely industrial track before being eaten alive by layers of frequencies and distortion. Somehow it does not descend into the obliterating, apocalyptic noise that you would normally expect. The noise turns in on itself, stops, pauses, runs, giggles, throws it’s hands in the air before slapping you in the face (drat! Lazy lazy lazy). The joy of this album is the sheer randomness of it, a suprise after every high pitched frequency pulse and distorted noise blast. It’s like a game of acute hide-and-go-seek.

If I was to suggest just one record to someone who seeks to dabble in noise as a genre as opposed to say drone or dark ambient then I’d happily put them on to this. For me, though, part of the fun of wrestling with this record is the expectation of where to head next in this astonishing artists back catalogue.

Merzbow - Merzbear (Important) 2007

I recently got this in the mail along with CD’s by the Fire Engines and Black Dice, however it was this particular offering that caught my partner’s atttention.

Her: That’s a nice cover. What does it sound like?

Me: Like a massive electronic fart with an evil techno beat.

Her: Oh ……. not one for me then.

This is the first Merzbow recording I’ve dabbled in (besides the stuff he did with Sunn0))) on Flight of the Behemoth). I think the reason for my late arrival into the world of Merzbow is the continual references to his noise being “extreme”. For the life of me I have no idea why the mere description of “extreme” frightened me off. Anyone who reads this blog knows that I’m not afraid of a challenge but the idea of delving yet again into a noise record that had the potential of sounding like most other noise records left me cold. Anyway, I have been listening to those two tracks on Flight of the Behemoth and thought “Fuck it, now is as good a time as any.”

Now I realise that according to people that know about such things, this is supposed to be the most accessible record he’s released in some time. I have nothing to compare it to so I’m not exactly going to fucking argue. The noise is less extreme than I expected. I mean, this is still pretty full on noise but I suppose what I wasn’t expecting was the texture of the noise. This is kind of like Kid 606’s Down With the Scene record crossed with Wolf Eyes if that makes sense. In the first two tracks there is this solid electronic beat anchoring proceedings. The first track combines a thumping hard house beat with some oddly Dead C sounding guitar parts, both of which attempt to fight their way out of the electronic bog.

I enjoy this record as much as John Wiese’s Soft Punk although they are obviously very different beasts (Wiese being the extreme sound collagist, Merzbow being a more straight forward noise artist). The similarity is the precision of the noise. There is little flabby, noise-wankery on either record. Dare I say it there is a cold professionalism to Merzbear which has certainly kept me fascinated for the last couple of days. Merzbear is a great record. I’m hooked and it’s time to delve a little deeper into Merzbow’s world but with a catalogue as huge as his where the fuck do I start. Seriously I have no idea, Can anyone help?

Sunn O)))) - Flight of the Behemoth (Southern Lord) 2002

I love this doom metal/dark ambient stuff. No idea whether I’m supposed to take it seriously or not but I find the whole bowel loosening, hypnotic drone thing oddly comforting. The first two tracks on this meld into each other and are your classic Earth inspired power riffs on cough medicine. Behemoth like in fact. This, I think, was their third record and doesn’t have that whole horror-movie ooga-booga thing that they did so well on their Black One. Well at least not until the final track.

What makes this record a favourite is tracks 3 and 4 , )) Bow 1 and )) Bow 2. Sunn team up with Merzbow to do something pretty extraordinary. The first of these tracks starts with a ghostly honky tonk piano playing out of tune over a massive Sunn single tone drone and then the electronic fuckery courtesy of Mr Merzbow begins. The noise is pretty minimalist but adds a smack of menace to the track. It’s a cracker and must be one of the shortest Sunn tracks ever, coming in a touch under six minutes. The second of these tracks made me mildly nauseous. It churns and churns, the electronics co-opt the drone. It’s still obviously Sunn but brings the noise if you know what I mean. By the final track F.W.T.B.T. we’re back firmly in doom territory and it’s a pretty strong indicator where Sunn would end up on Black One. It’s the only track with vocals. Actually vocals is probably too fancy a word. Its the only track that has a demon gargling sulfur. That’s much better. Fuck there’s even some drums underneath the crushing riffs. This record is as good as White 2 and works equally well as a laxative.