ONLY WANTING TO MELT BEAUTIFULLY AWAY IS IT A LACK OF CONTENTMENT THAT STIRS AFFECTION FOR THOSE THINGS SAID TO BE AS YET UNSEEN (2011)

ANOTHER COLLABORATION WITH AMBARCHI AND HAINO (THERE ARE A FEW OF THESE, AT LEAST SIX BY MY ESTIMATES) BUT COMPLETELY DIFFERENT FROM THE LAST ONE REVIEWED. THAT ONE SAW THE THREE STUTTER INTO ACID-FRIED SOLAR-POWERED EARTH-BATTERING ROCK, WHICH AT TIMES WAS TROUSER-FLAPPINGLY TRANSCENDENT. 

THIS RECORD IS A MORE RESTRAINED AFFAIR. JIM PLAYS THE 12-STRING ACOUSTIC, AMBARCHI STAYS BEHIND THE TRAPS, WHILE HAINO SINGS PLAINTIVELY AND SWITCHES BETWEEN AN ARSENAL OF INSTRUMENTS INCLUDING THE KANTELE/PSALTERY. LOOK:

RECORDED LIVE AT ROPPONGI ARTVENUE SUPERDELUXE (RIP), MELT... FINDS ALL THREE IN DECENT FORM. I THINK THEY'RE NATURAL COLLABORATORS AND ONE THING THAT IMPRESSES ME ABOUT AMBARCHI IS HIS RESTRAINT AND GIVING OF SPACE. HE'S LIKE THE CENTRAL MIDFIELDER YOU DON'T SEE IN A FOOTBALL GAME, DOING ALL THE DIRTY WORK AND LETTING OTHERS TAKE THE SPOILS.

SOUND-WISE THE RECORD DEVOLVES FROM A PLEASANT OPENING OF FOLK-INSPIRED CHANTING AND PLAYING INTO A FAIR OLD MESS OF NOISE. HAINO DOWNS THE KANTELE AND PLAYS A SYNTH WITH A LITTLE MALICE. ONCE YOU COME OUT OF THE OTHER SIDE, DEEP INTO SIDE B THEY RETURN TO EARTH WITH A GENTLE THUD. 

JUST DYING FOR THESE THREE TO GET THEIR ACT TOGETHER AND DELIVER FOR A FULL-LENGTH RECORD. IT CAN BE DONE! IT MUST BE DONE!

ACOUSTICS (1994)

FABLED AXEMAN HENRY KAISER RETURNS TO JIM'S SIDE ALONG WITH ACCLAIMED VIOLIN PLAYER MARI KIMURA AND ALTO PLAYER JOHN OSWALD TO PUT TOGETHER A HEAD-EXPANDING HOUR OF ACOUSTIC JAMS. THE COVER TELLS US THIS MUCH:

THIS RECORD IS FREE IMPROVISATION AT ITS SMUG WORST. BEFORE I EVEN GET INTO THE RECORD ITSELF I HAVE TO POST UP THE LINER NOTES IN FULL. I AM ALL FOR A BIT OF KNOWING HUMOUR BUT THIS GOES RIGHT PAST THAT AND INTO A REALM BEYOND.

THIS IS UNLISTENABLE AND INTOLERABLE. THE PRESENTNESS OF ACOUSTIC INSTRUMENTS SEEMS TO LEND AN ADDED DIMENSION TO OBNOXIOUSNESS THAT THE PERCEIVED DETACHMENT OF SYNTHS (EMULATING ACOUSTIC SOUNDS) OR COMPUTERS (NON-ORGANIC NEW SOUNDS) CANNOT. IT'S LIKE SOMEONE IS BEING AN ASSHOLE RIGHT IN YOUR FACE. AND HERE IT'S FOUR GAPING ASSHOLES FOR ONE HOUR (THAT FEELS LIKE 3!)

IT FEELS LIKE A PARODIC FREE EXPLORATION GROUP THAT FRASIER CRANE WOULD TAKE HIS DAD ALONG TO SEE, ONLY I AM THE MARTY CRANE HERE AND EVERYONE ELSE GETS THE JOKE BUT ME. MUSIC LIKE THIS PARALYSES MY OWN SENSE OF INTELLIGENCE BECAUSE I START TO DOUBLE- AND TRIPLE-THINK MYSELF. THIS IS AWFUL, MY KNEE JERKS. BUT SOME PEOPLE REALLY DEVOTE THEIR LIFE TO THIS CRAFT, I COUNTER. BUT IT STINKKKKKKKKKKKS, I YELL, TRYING TO REASSERT THE PRIMACY OF MY GUT.

THIS SHOULD BE SHOT OUT OF A CANNON. DUD.

CHINA IS NEAR (2005)

THE SAGA OF ALL TOMORROW'S PARTIES AND ITS OWNER BARRY HOGAN IS QUITE THE INDIE ROCK TALE OF HUBRIS BUT LET'S FACE IT: IT GOT A LOT OF PEOPLE PAID AND SOME HUGE EXPOSURE FOR MUSICIANS THAT COULD HAVE EASILY JUST RUN AROUND IN MASTURBATORY CIRCLES IN WHATEVER CITY THEY'RE FROM (PROBABLY NEW YORK BUT LET'S NOT BE TOO REDUCTIVE).

ONE SUCH EXAMPLE IS NEW YORK (*COUGH*) DUO WHITE OUT, WHOSE APPROACH TO 'INCENDIARY NEW MUSIC' SURELY REQUIRED THE PATRONAGE OF HOGAN AND HIS SLIGHTLY DUPLICITOUS ACCOUNTANCY TECHNIQUE.

GOING IN I WAS A LITTLE SUSPICIOUS: OFF THE RUN OF SEVERAL BAD-TO-ABYSMAL THURSTON MOORE-RELATED RELEASES, ANY TRACEABLE PATH TO MR. MOORE IS A RED FLAG. WHITE OUT'S EARLY RELEASES COME ON MOORE'S ECSTATIC PEACE LABEL AND WILLIAM WINANT FEATURES ON A SONIC YOUTH IMPROV RECORD, SO WE'RE WADING IN MUCKY WATERS TO START WITH.

MUSICALLY THE LANDSCAPE FALLS SOMEWHERE BETWEEN AVANT JAZZ AND THE OCCASIONALLY AUSTERE SONIC TEXTURES THAT MIGHT HAVE COME OUT OF A GERMAN HOCHSCHULE FUR MUSIK IN THE 1960S. THERE ARE PORTIONS OF NEGATIVE SPACE, WHERE PREGNANT MOMENTS BETWEEN PROVOCATIVE SOUNDS SEEM TO AMPLIFY IN YOUR BRAIN. IT CERTAINLY ISN'T ILL-CONSIDERED OR ROTE FREE EXPLORATION. ONE MIGHT EVEN SUGGEST SOME LEVEL OF DESIGN CONSCIOUSNESS.

HOWEVER I MUST LISTEN WITH REASONABLE AMOUNTS OF PREJUDICE AND REPORT WITHOUT FEAR OR FAVOUR AND THIS IS JUST NOT DOING ANYTHING FOR ME. IT'S COOL THAT WINANT AND WHITE OUT'S DRUMMER HAVE SOME SLIGHTLY LOBOTOMISED TAPPING AND CLANKING, AND THE TEXTURES AND TONES WRESTLED OUT OF O'ROURKE AND WHITE OUT'S MUSICIAN ARE IDIOSYNCRATIC. BUT IT'S JUST A DIFFICULT LISTEN - A SERIOUS UNDERTAKING, AND NOT A DUD - AND ONE I WILL STRUGGLE TO RISE TO AGAIN NOW I KNOW WHAT LIES AHEAD.

FEAR NO FALL (1998)

THE 1997 KLAPSTUK FESTIVAL IN LEUVEN, WHICH IS KINDA HALFWAY BETWEEN BRUSSELS AND THE BORDER WITH THE NETHERLANDS, SAW SEVERAL BIG NAMES IN THE WORLD OF FREE IMPROVISATION, EXPERIMENTAL JAZZ, MODERN COMPOSITION, AND OTHER GENERAL FLAVOURS OF NON-CONFORMIST MUSIC-MAKING COME TOGETHER FOR A 5 DAY JAMBOREE OF INTERPLAY AND MAYHEM.

ON EACH DAY OF THE FESTIVAL A DIFFERENT LINE-UP OF MUSICIANS COMPRISING SOME *BUT NOT ALL* (EXCEPT ONE TRACK) OF THE ABOVE-NAMED PERFORMERS IN A KIND OF SHAPE-SHIFTING EXPLORATORY VOLTRON. I DON'T KNOW WHETHER THEY HAD A BRIEF TO PURSUE A PARTICULAR THEME OR FOLLOW ON FROM THE PREVIOUS SESSION (IT DOESN'T REALLY SOUND LIKE IT) OR WHETHER THE PROMOTER JUST SAID "HAVE A GREAT TIME OUT THERE U GUYS" AND THE PERFORMERS DID THE REST.

THE BEST STUFF IS THE STUFF WITH BELGIAN PERCUSSIONIST DIRK WACHTELAER; HE'S A GREAT DRUMMER BUT IMPORTANTLY HE IMPOSES SOME SEMBLANCE OF STRUCTURE ON MUSIC THAT GETS, FOR ME, A BIT ONANISTIC IN PARTS. FOR INSTANCE THE PIECE BETWEEN VETERAN SAMPLER DAVID SHEA AND JIM O'ROURKE SOUNDS LIKE SOMEONE TUNING UP AND THEN A JAW'S HARP OR SOMETHING. UNEDIFYING.

TO BE HONEST MOST OF THE BEST STUFF HERE DOESN'T FEATURE O'ROURKE: THE TOSHINORI KONDO/WACHTELAER TRACK IS A JAM. THE SHOWPIECE MEETING OF SIX MINDS ON ONE TRACK SUFFERS FROM A TOO MANY COOKS/NOT ENOUGH CHIEFS THING.

IT'S FREE IMPROVISATION FOR FREE IMPROVISATION FANS AND THUS IT ISN'T FAIR TO EXPECT TRADITIONAL FORMS. I DID EXPECT TO HATE IT FROM THE OPENING 5 MINUTES BUT THERE ARE SOME TREATS SCATTERED THROUGHOUT, BUT NOT ENOUGH FOR ME TO THINK THESE GUYS MISSED A CHANCE TO BECOME THE HOT BAND OF THE 00S.