Li Jianhong – San Sheng Shi 9.1

                As I listened to this, I traveled through about four different states covering hundreds of miles. Even watching everything, the sea, the forests, the decrepit cites, they felt small in comparison to this absolutely giant, massive recording. Li brings the solo guitar album to a whole another level in 51 wonderful minutes.

                Yes, that’s right. I said it. A solo guitar recording made properly. Most guitar solos wish for this sort of inspiration, but usually churn out something boring or indulgent. What’s so excellent about Li’s method is how the effects used aren’t particularly complicated: some sustain, a great deal of feedback, delays, etc. These aren’t exotic items but somehow Li’s able to use them beyond their intended purpose.

                The structure is solid. Underlying the harsher high-end aspects is an elegant theme that appears and re-appears throughout the recording. Sometimes the harsher feedback comes in full. Your mind feels like it is about to be viciously attacked by a rampaging horde of bloodthirsty hyenas, cackling at your misfortune. By this point you should give yourself up to Li’s whims, he knows what he’s doing. 

                It isn’t just the noisier parts that he does so well. By always having a lower register slowly changing, the solo feels anchored. At no point do things become unbearably loud, but they certainly flirt and toy with the idea. Good headphones help give you a better understanding of the piece, particularly the lower aspects which get lost on chintzy headphones.

                Li Jianhong created something to shut those cynics up. Guitar solos rarely sound like this. This grabs you by the throat and forces you to listen. He maintains the chaos for so long that you wonder how it is even possible to sculpt chaotic noise so well. Occasionally the madness turns into a new form of music, beyond the stereotypical definition of noise or rock.

                Easily one of the most magnificent solo outings I’ve heard for a long while. Give yourself some time with this one. Re-listens reward something this dense. San Sheng Shi virtually re-defines what the word “heavy” really means.

Otomo Yoshihide - The Night Before the Death of the Sampling Virus 7.9

I have no idea what’s going on half the time here. Otomo worked with glitches in CDs so early on (this came out in 93) that he needed to explain to people what was going on. What is now an everyday thing was not so common place, even in the experimental Japanese noise scene. 

None of this gets coherent. Samples ranges from random Japanese advertisements to harsh noise. There is no in between, no melody, no development. This is some of the most nothing music ever, it is as you’re listening to the sound of infected pop culture.

Despite this lack of coherence, there’s something very appealing in it. Even after so many people have attempted this same sort of fragmentary structure, it sounds fresh. Maybe it has to do with the amount of freedom he gives each sample. Or perhaps by having 77 tracks, some of which are only a few seconds long, things never get stuck in a rut.

Oddly appealing for anyone with an interest in experimental electronic or free jazz (of which it shares a similar disregard).

Sister Iodine – Flame Desastre 8.3

Calling this “No Wave” won’t even prepare you for the discordant mess you’re about to encounter. Riffs, sorry there aren’t any. Beats or any semblance of rhythm are immediately obliterated as soon as they are detected. In a way this is more difficult than most noise recordings, in that the sound is very abrupt, there’s tons of random starts and stops out of nowhere.

“Trope” comes across as the most normal song on here. Its bizarre wormy attempt at coherence comes closest to early Black Dice recordings.  Here the drum works as a way to keep a beat. In most instances on this record the drummer’s purpose seems to be to painting the sound and ruining any attempts at a beat. Whenever you here the pounding of the drum you can be assured it won’t be kept in anything resembling a time signature.

Some might say that their work resembles that Brooklyn-based group Sightings. I’d say that’s partly right, but unlike that group no vocalist exists. Also, there isn’t anything to anchor these songs down, no drum machine and no attempt at stability. Structures here exist only for untimely destruction.

Despite the very abrasive textures found here, they are excellent. The amount of effort required to keep something this harsh and abstract engaging is high. Sister Iodine excels at this talent. Noises that would usually be edited out of the process are the main focus. Scraping feedback, random transmissions, drum smashes, and whatever else is going on is the focus. It moves very briskly through these sonic hellscapes. 

Editions Mego released this, so that should give you some indication of the record’s harshness. It is rare that a full-fledged rock band takes on this level of brutality, but Sister Iodine performs beautifully. Not exactly something you’d return to every day, but a wonderful feat nonetheless. Shame these guys don’t get more attention.

Their Website