BONDAGE FRUIT III - R?CIT

"Récit" is Bondage Fruit's third album and the first oen without a permanent position in the vocal department. Guitarist-keyboardist-main writer Kido Natsuki persistently provides bizarre ideas for the ensemble to perform in a most defying manner. These guys really can show off their taste for Rio tradition and Zheul ideology without sounding dated, on the contrary, bringing a renewed neurosis and particular spirit to the standards of radical avnt-garde prog. "Récit" is a catalogue of various ideas powerfully adorned and expanded by the robust use of skilfull improvisation. The opener 'Odd-job' starts as a muscular exhibition of psychedelic rock in which the essence of KC, the energy of classic Led Zeppelin and the eerie dementia of Hendrix are fruitfully combined. Then comes a more restratined mid section in which the concise touches of vibes and violin seem to float above the jazzy rhythm section, while the guitar provides weird Frippian atmospheres. At minute 8, the final sections brings a red hot climax, very much in the vein of exotic post-punk (it might remind the average listener of Hoyry-Kone), that culminates in a brief reprise of the initial motif. 'Kagee ka Hieru' sets a more languid pace based on the minimal sounds of vibraphone, upon which the guitar and violin provide nuances effectively counterpointed by normal and programmed drums. Some emotional guitar leads that appear afterwards complete the picture in an amazing way. The final result is like a mixture of Philip Glass and GYBE! - go figure. The less tha 3 minutes long 'Shortwaves from Outer Space' consists of monologues and electronic effects (very sci-fi b-movie, indeed), eventually joined by bizarre percussive storms during the last 45 seconds. The end of this track serves as a prelude to the following one, 'Frost and Fire'. This one retakes and amplifies the full frotnal energy of the opener, with Natsuki's guitar and Youichi's drum kit serving as parellel cornerstones for the whole ensemble's sound. The powerfully demented jam is momentarily interrupted by an industrial-oriented middle section, in which the Rio thing is replaced by the krautrock's walls of pulsation (a-la Can). The namesake track is the losngest one: it lasts 28+ minutes. Its incendiary edge equals that of tracks 1 and 4, albeit with a more pronunced jazz-rock vibe. The inclusion of free jazz elements and alleatory avant-garde (a-la Zappa) enriches the whole thing, in this way taking things to an even more disturbing level of sonic experimentation. The sense of energy provided by the percussive duo of Youichi and Kumiko has to be heard to be believed: these guys manage to become the leading actors in this theater on fire for the first 10 minutes. Their precision and strength are simply ultrahuman!! For this number's calmer passages, the atmosphere shifts to one of unscrutable introspection. Gradually, a tension of war is slowly yet consistently building up under the guidance of the lead guitar, until hell breaks loose toward the exulting, nerve-wrecking reprise of the opening motif. The closing explosion is an evident tribute to King Crimson's 'Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Part II'. Finally, the album is closed down by a live rendition of a track from the band's debut, this time in an instrumental format. Being very similar to the predominant violent vibe of most of the srudio material, it is a very coherent closure, indeed. Zheul is not dead, it is still alive and with infinite fire in store for all friendly listeners to discover and enjoy! Check Bondage Fruit, especially this amazing album - "Récit" is a true 4.5 star-gem of contemporary avant-rock.