By: Chad Murray
Kusanagi | facebook | bandcamp |
So, somehow this album hasn’t already been covered by any of our many Kusanagi fans (my bad, I got confused – Ed.) so the decision was made to leave it to the resident Wirralien turned Scouser confirming that old axiom; if in doubt send Kusanagi my way and we’ll get into it.
“Instrumental/Post-Rock had been a bit stagnant for a while”; play this album and tell me that, that is the case. I will call you a liar and tell you to get in the bin. ‘Celestial’ kicks off the album with punch and groove; subtle hints of math-rock, post-rock and djent can be found in playful rhythms, milkshake smooth production and colossal post-rock jabs early in the track. Yugen in Japanese culture refers to a dim, deep or mysterious aesthetic or so my friends at Google tell me; I have to say simply from this opening track, the album is living up to its name. A warm brooding beginning with an impressively cohesive performance by the band and a dark fiery ending that erupts into a post-rock oblivion at the end (complete with little tweety bird Ctuhulu chimes possibly as an eastern nod).
‘Dancing Fire’ is an excellently befitting song title. Instantly the song is firing on all cylinders a total math-fest for fans of bands like Giraffes!? Giraffes!?, Cleft and Alpha Male Tea Party (also from Merseyside); it’s absolutely overwhelmingly awesome. What some bearded gents may refer to affectionately as “MATH UP YOUR ASS!” The beautiful thing about the track is the way it breaks down so sweetly only to come back harder, better, faster…and even stronger. The great thing about the track though is that the band maintain the balance and the pace excellently, sometimes math-rock can become a bit absurd or unpleasant, I think Dancing Fire is a great example of how math-rock should be done.
‘Lemuria’ is a bit closer to post-rock in its approach but, the math elements are still strong in this one. I love the palm muted section in this track, not only the rhythm and tone of the actual playing itself but, the production on it is great. A shining example of musical ostrenanie. ‘Lemuria’ is overall a real slow burn leading from fanciful post-rock right into face-melting riffage at the end. Rhythmic blasts of climactic fun. Full-band chaos ensuing to great effect.
‘Valley of The Wind’ is a very Mogwai track in my opinion… which means it’s excellent post-rock. It’s interesting, one of the last instrumental rock bands that I really loved was MinionTV and the lighter segments of this track remind me of them quite a bit. Further evidence that the instrumental music scene in Merseyside is highly underrated and bands like MinionTV, Alpha Male Tea Party and Kusanagi prove that. The inherent menace in the track is a great part of its charm and it is perfectly captured in the climax of the track that spins the likes of Mogwai, MONO and This Will Destroy You into an impressive grand finalé.
A fairly flowery track is ‘Beneath The Open Sky’; the drums are the driving force behind this gem and the consistent pounding throughout helps to reign in the bright traversing melodies and soaring guitars and keep them grounded. The track has quite a large amount of ground to cover and I think a big part of why it works can be found in the drumming. Although, the rest of the music is consistently good as ever, there just seems to be a particular magnetism to the drums in this track.
‘Lightning Flowers’ is a pretty funky bass driven track. It immediately reminds me of bands like Cleft and Liverpool’s Muto Leo through it’s upbeat style of math-rock. Jingly riffs and radio friendly guitar hooks. It’s a pretty nice track and definitely one that will appeal to most people. Whether attempting to nod in time or tapping your foot discretely, this is a track that will will you to move in your tracks. It’s kind of infectious in that regard. The breakdown is my favourite part, for whatever reason it reminds me of bands more rooted in prog such as Pink Floyd and Crippled Black Phoenix. It’s very brief but, there’s something about the way the chords dissipate that it is just so good. It also highlights how with a band like Kusanagi the album has so many different movements and moments, motions and motifs that there are just so many aspects to enjoy in every song. There seems to be something for everyone and each listen will likely yield different results for the audience.
Another jaunty riff that strikes into thunderish crashes. Colossal riff. Math chaos. This is how I imagine the band devised the song structure and who can argue with that formula? My favourite bit comes nearer towards the end of the track. Dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun. MATH-Ah-Aaaah. The band executes a delightful Flash Gordon-esque breakdown then comes back with some “death to Ming” riffage to close things off. Like a lot of the tracks on this album, I found this one to be a really fun listen. It’s an interesting album in that way; there’s great contemplation periods, fun jams and awe-inspiring crescendos.
‘Letters on Paper Trees’ is a more serene addition to the album exploring “jazzier” post-rock passages and calming interludes. It’s a lot more sparse than anything else on the album and adds a welcome respite within the album. The track adds emphasis on the different individual contributions from the band by giving each instrument time to breathe.
‘Axis Mundi’ is well juxtaposed against its predecessor with an upbeat pace and an energetic fervour. The track really shines its downtrodden moments though, Yugen is really a great album for contrasts between highs and lows; the dynamics are a large part of what makes it all so well but, the way the mood changes from one moment to the next makes the album a really exciting, unpredictable listen with a range of pleasures and treasures hidden in each track.
This has such a beautiful intro. ‘Enceladus’ features a fantastic ambient melody as its opening hook, it’s one of those moments in the album that is just so great and revisitable. But, Yugen is like a dream, you pass through a countless amount of great moments and arrive in others without knowing how you got there or where you’ll go next, you just don’t want it to end. ‘Enceladus’ has so many great moments from the exquisite ambient opening, to the mysterious middle section, to the closing crescendo that packs so much steam you could cook a packet of noodles under it. It’s just an awesome closer to an album but, also one that wraps all the ideas in Yugen into one and even has the chivalrous generosity to give us a little more as well.
Overall, Yugen is a superb instrumental rock album combining elements from a number of sub-genres to make a thoroughly enjoyable collection of excellently produced, excellently played and excellently displayed music (I like the artwork too…)
