Saito Koji – Tokyo Morning Loop

Hello!!!

I haven't been there for a while, and I think I won't be much able this month. So just a short post about one record I have come across lately.


Rate:5/5

Saito Koji – Tokyo Morning Loop

Just one loop expaniding and changing through a 45-minute Nippon-journey. Worth checking, even if you're not patient enough to go through the whole thing.

The label? But of course, it is Resting Bell.

Farewell to garageband

So long!!! It's been pleasure to be there!

a_forced_fixed_image - weak wrists

Rate:4/5

extremely weird
This is nice industrial music collage, extremely not appriopraite to the label of reviews (Heavy!Heavy!Loud1) but still, it's an engaging piece of music anyway. There is one nice guitar riff around 6'00'', but it's more electronic industrial than any king of loud guitar stuff.

song's site

NEVER WAS - Truth issue

Rate:5/5

surprisingly good
This is a really nice electronica/rock mixture, evoking the best years of Stabbin' Westward or Nitzer Ebb. There are few nice samples, great heavy drums, a crushing bass and a neat composition. The only drawbacks are a bit unprofessional production and too quiet vocals. It needs to be done once more, but overall impression is more than positive.

song's site

a_forced_fixed_image - Distressed Little Lamb

Rate:4/5

Nice
It is both engaging and disturbing sound collage, taking it all back to the days of glory of SPK or Psychic TV. The production is pretty neat and arrangements are deminic, so one must like it, if one like this particular genre, of course. The mood is pretty depressive and abstract, but basically... That's the point.

song's site

a forced fixed image - Hypocrite

Rate:4/5

Interesting
This is yet another industrial sound collage I stumbled upon, and it is indeed interesting. The timing in sequencing is quite well synchronized, and although this is a bit experimental it's not boring. I loved the end of it, with a children song. That was pretty catchy. The whole tune sounds like some PTV or SPK trip, and I must say it's quite enjoyable.

song's site

The Phantom Carriage – Skull exposed to March rain

Rate:9/10

This is quite an extra ordinary release. I do like the way it was edited – with four pages of extra artwork and very decent cover it is a thing that invites you warmly to listen to. The music itself is also a bit out-of-there. There are nice, lyrical ambient, spoken word voyages, overlaps with the folk songs reminding me of Bonnie Prince Billy. It’s hard to put the album into a genre, but I suppose that’s the way the beauty of it comes. Personally, I prefer the folk ones ober the electronica, so I will distinguish a cappella Blood, and a very sentimental Hawthorn Tree, however one cannot neglect the rest, especially a nine-minutes long Folly, very much in Philip Glass/David Bowie collaboration style with a country guitar twist or extremely psychedelic Three Wishes. Well... electronica covers most of the album, with its end being a very M83 Skull exposed to March rain. It is skillful and neatly produced, but I’ll wait for the whole folk The Phantom Carriage album – really, they can’t be wromg there.

Stay cool,

gz.