Music: Koenjihyakkei: Nivryam (Japan)

Don't be so quick to dismiss that fundamental emotion of pleasure when we experience great music (or any art form). A song begins. Your head bobs to the beat. Then your legs move. The next thing you know, your whole body is engaged in the music. Butterflies stir in your abdomen and it's like you've been shot with some sort of love-drug. You're addicted. Even now after all of these years with headphones in my ears, walking down the street or alone at home, I am baffled that mere sounds have the power to change the very state of being.

I can't speak for all music lovers, but for me, Koenjihyakkei amplifies this emotion ten-fold. Beginning in 1994 as the visionary quest of former Ruins drummer Yoshida Tatsuya, Koenjihyakkei introduced themselves on the Tokyo music scene as an atonal force to be reckoned with, almost completely like any other music group. Although European bands in the past such as Magma and Present have employed that operatic-jazz, odd-time style, Koenjiyhiakkie is no copy cat, one-hit wonder. 

One distinguishing aspect is the ecleptic vocal range of up to 5 multi-gendered people singing simultaneously in an opratic hailstorm of unease and comfort. Best seen in the tracks "Vissqaeull" and the ending minutes of "Lussesoggi Zomn" (however present in every track), the listener is let go barely for a moment as the spectrum of dramatic vocal soundscapes bursts into calming, drawn out notes, then the next minute into desperate cries and shrills as if whoever singing is experiencing a mental breakdown. It is obvious to assume at first listen that the language being sung is Japanese, but when listening closer, one discovers that they are singing no real language at all. Instead, the language was constructed by band leader Tasuya, creating a mix of both gibberish and mixed words. Besides the large sphere of vocal play is the use of up to four synthesizers (two synthesthezier players) that transcend the standard bass-drum-guitar trio. Now there is absolutely no turning back to the realm of the familiar as the band's music ceases to be mere rock and roll and enters an almost sci-fi universe of acid jazz eloquence, and at times relentless dissonance. No better example of this is in the opening of "Axall Hasck". 

At times it can be difficult to downplay the over-abundance of Western mainstream pop-rock while promoting the new and interesting without seeming somewhat like an elitist. But elitist or not, and no matter how clear and descriptive one can be in attempting to reveal the musical and artististic confidence of Koenjihyakkei, you'll have to take it upon yourself to simply listen. After that, liking the music is the choice of your own. Koenjihyakkei will never be the next big thing, and chances are they'll break up before they even get a North American tour. Regardless, they'll swamp your ears with aesthetic bliss and make you begging for more.

Koenjihyakkei - Nivraym -- Download the album for free from MediaFire.

Comments

[Nathan Battams]

Good find. This stuff is wild.