KOREKYOJIN

Korekyojinn's albums have been pretty regular in my listening habits since I first heard the band last year. Something about this combination of musicians really hits me in all the right ways. I didn't get this album until I was already familiar with the group via the incredible albums Jackson and Swan Dive, and while it doesn't pack quite the same magnitude of punch as those two it's still pretty incredible stuff. Reading the other reviews here when I ordered it, I was a bit wary about what I was getting, even though three stars is still good, I wanted excellent. Thankfully I got what I'd consider in the very good/excellent range.

As others have said (and I've said in my reviews of other albums), the lineup of this group is Yoshida Tatsuya (needs no introduction if you're into the Japanese avant scene, drummer for Ruins/Koenjihyakkei/Acid Mothers Temple SWR, Daimonji, and about 10000 other bands), Kido Natsuki (guitarist from Bondage Fruit and Salle Gaveau), and Nasuno Mitsuru (bassist from Altered States/Ground Zero, etc). Together, they play some sort of bizarre funk/jazz/avant rock instrumental music. Along with the pre-composed pieces, there are three short improvs, which provide some contrast to the rest of the album. The composed pieces are electric, while these three tracks are mostly acoustic (the only exception seems to be Nasuno's electric bass, but it fits in well). Most of the music on display here is really exceptional though; a few of my favorites are the tracks "Four Holes in the Sky", "Out of Head" and "Poet and Peasant", all of which show up again on live albums in the future.

Future albums will take what's on display here and really refine it and concentrate it, but we can already see the incredible tightness of the music on display, and the seemingly psychic ability of all three to know what's going to happen with the music. There are tons of changes and shifts in the music, and they all flow along incredibly. This is a very solid debut, coming from three exceptionally solid musicians who seem to be enjoying themselves as well as playing the music, which is always a big plus for me. Four stars from me, easily earned.