js If you are looking for a CD that can really ‘bring the noise’, then “Cuts” is for you. Merzbow, Gustafson and Pandi are an avant-garde super-group of sorts in that Merzbow (Masami Akita) is the leader of the modern electronic noise genre, saxophonist Mats Gustafsson is a long time star of the free jazz scene and drummer Balazs Pandi plays in several avant-garde rock and jazz acts. Together the three raise an incredible sound that is not for the feint of heart. Once the domain of the most creative composers, during the post-punk/industrial fad the use of noise in music became common place as an indulgent expression of imagined pain and privileged complaints. Merzbow’s use of noise takes us back to the more ascetic approach as his barrages of sonic distortion and feedback carry little trace of indulgent emotion and instead seem to represent unstoppable natural forces such as a hurricane or a storm of locusts. If you are not ready for really loud intense grinding noise, then I would pass on this one.

For the first two cuts on this CD Merzbow plows ahead with a steady onslaught of feedback and natural distortion while Pandi plays along with a variety of free jazz beats and modern thrash. Generally Merzbow’s sounds are mixed a bit higher than the drums so it is not always exactly clear what is happening on the trap set. I suppose Mats is contributing electronics on these as well, but everything blends so it is hard to tell for sure. At about the ten minute mark of track two the electronics finally break down and Pandi enters with a pounding rock beat, soon the electronics began to interact sounding like an alien race attempting to rock out, there is a lot of deconstructionist humor to this section and the variety is welcome.

Track three, “the fear too: invisible.” is probably the track with the strongest resemblance to something familiar to free jazz fans. After Merzbow’s opening, Gustafsson picks up the sax for some classic 60s style free blowing while Pandi’s drums respond in kind. Merzbow’s electronics move to the background on this one as he fills in the empty spaces with odd sounds. This track might remind some of Sun Ra and John Gilmore’s most outside work and its probably the top ‘cut’ on “Cuts”. Track four continues the variety as Merzbow backs off for a bit while Gustaffson makes his horn barely recognizable with distorted electronics and turns way down for some very quiet moments. Track five opens quietly, but soon enough Merzbow is back in full force, and this time topped by Gustafsson’s shrieking saxophone. The shrill intensity of this one is incredible.

I probably don’t need to point out that this CD isn’t for everyone, a lot of this is probably too intense for even die hard free jazz fans, but if you looking for uncompromising noise mixed with modern avant-garde jazz, this is the one.

snobb Irish guitarist Mark O'Leary's "Astral Fishing" isn't avant-garde jazz album as some his previous works. Recorded in Helsinki in collaboration with two Finnish musicians - bassist Teppa Hauta-aho and drummer Olavi Louhivuori - this album contains ambient music,close to Robert Fripp's soundscapes.

Conceptual work is based on Helsinki architecture and described in liner notes as "architectural atmospheric ambience". This city is a place I discovered for myself somewhere in mid-80s and in which I am returning again and again. And it's really great how during his short visit Mark caught city's atmosphere!

Founded in 15 century Helsinki is quite young town (at least comparing with really old towns surrounding it in this part of Europe). It was a tiny place,far provincial corner of Swedish Kingdom for ages, and only in 18 century (when Sweden lost a lot of kingdom's eastern territories after unsuccessful wars with Russia)Helsinki started to grow as military for-post in North-West of Russian Empire). Still town got its recent face after Finland independence from Russia in 1918. Being a typical North European town means a lot of grey stone buildings and lot of water around.Winter time lasts almost half a year, with no sun in the sky week after week. Short and cool summer,nature almost has no bright colors at all. All you see around is not colored by different colors, but by hundred of half-tones of few ascetic basic colors (grey,brown,dark-blue, green - during short summer). Life goes a bit slower than in more southern places and doesn't show emotions in public. But it's far not a sad or depressive place - not at all!

I always reach Helsinki by same way - crossing the Bay Of Finland by ferry from thousand years old Tallinn. Few hours sea-travelling brings me from remembering early ages Tallinn's old town to the heart of Helsinki - lots of small islands and high dark Jugend-style buildings,facing the sea and coming and leaving seaboats. Vibrant open air market with fresh fish and souvenirs for tourists, small square with old cafe,children playing near city's fountain. Neo-classicist quarters are changing with more modern functionalist buildings, and you feel like you're in 30's or 50's, when technical progress and functionality looked like a civilization panacea from all troubles. The world is turned around from that time and what looked like panacea then looks like placebo now. But not in Helsinki.

Atmospheric,cold,liquid,rhytmless sound very slowly flows all album long. It's not dark or depressive, but ascetic, constructionist and has its own beauty, not in hordes,but in half-tones. Album's music is like Helsinki in wintertime - rational,never showing emotions, but optimistic and looking ahead. It's great to see how during his short visit O'Leary found out the spirit of the town!Yes, no mistake - it's true soundtrack to Helsinki's life, with ducks on clear first ice on city's lake, old trams, wooden building of winter botanical garden on the hill near lake with few red tropical flowers - the only bright points around and families,drinking hot coffee from paper cups inside... Just very few years before Robert Fripp recorded great live music one hundred kilometers south from here, in small Haapsalu church on Estonian coast. Similar soundscapes,but of quite different atmosphere - sacral and coming from early ages. O'Leary did in Art Nouveau Helsinki - and it works!

DamoXt7942 Very tough for me to evaluate this album, a splendid Japanese RIO production though.

A Japanese short-lived obscurity A-MUSIK were temporarily formed as an experimental music ensemble featuring Taisho-Goto played by Ken'ichi TAKEDA, the project leader of this combo. "E Ku Iroju" (1984) was their one and only album, in collaboration with Ryuichi SAKAMOTO (piano, ex-YELLOW MAGIC ORCHESTRA), Tori KUDO (keyboards, synthesizers), Masami SHINODA (saxophone, ex-PUNGO) and so on, released via a Japanese experimental music label Zeitgen'ssische Musik Disk. Sadly another creation of A-MUSIK "Ikiteru Uchu Ni Mirarenakatta Yume Wo" has not been released, whilst they had disappeared from our sight.

For me sounds like a cynicism and an antithesis against the Japanese policy of aggression upon the World War II, especially as for the first track upon Side B "Anti-Jap Rap (Han-Nichi Rap)" or the second one upon Side A "Vorwatz Suite" really, but mysteriously no review written about this issue has been seen around me.

Their album diagram can be thought exactly as Japanese RIO, that reminds us something like another Japanese RIO album named Taco, released two years before. Their cynical pop tunes merged with quirky saxophone snake snipes and weird Taisho-goto flows like the beginning of "La Gu'pe" by Bernard Vitet are well-matured and spooky-flavoured. Amazing for every RIO / Avant fan all around the world I guess actually ... we can hear another attraction in "On Suicide (Jisatsu Ni Tsuite)", featuring sensual female voices and saxophone explosions respectively, or a confusion with sticky swing-jazzy creampie and unpolished avantgarde jazz cramp in "There Will Never Be Another". With the danceable but not comfortable one "I Dance" we cannot dance.

Sadly for every Taco freak their aggressively-shouted saxophone-based extreme avantgarde jazz attitude is a bit monotonous and not so enough freshness can be heard as Taco. By the way, it's said A-MUSIK were founded as a short-lived temporary unit so that I'm afraid this "E Ku Iroju" might be a compilation, without any united whole. Every musician joining this combo should be a renowned, skilled one indeed, but it's a tough call in this commune not harmonization but serious music quarrels can be heard. I can appreciate this album much if it's simply a compilation, not a music theatre creation.

And let me say in conclusion, the first track "El Pueblo Unido Jamas Sera Vencido" is pretty fascinating, featuring Ken'ichi's beautiful Taisho-goto weirdness, his sixth sense!

AtomicCrimsonRush "Decease Estates" is the latest project from Superdensecrushloadfactor, a multi instrumentalist Avant prog artist, Gabe Buller. On this followup album Gabe again composed and produced the album using a 4 track recorder. He plays drums, guitar, bass, keyboards and mandolin and all vocals are courteous of his good self. His music is atmospheric RIO jazz fusion improvised using primarily guitars. This album resonated with me as a break from all the symphonic and Heavy Prog I have been listening to lately, and as an Avant album it is refreshing that it is not focussed on disturbing the listener.

'That One With Gapeworm' begins things with a repeated guitar phrase that locks in as an estranged slide guitar is heard moaning underneath. Simple structures of music make a fun way to begin proceedings and the twanging mandolin is a nice way to merge into the next piece of weirdness.

'Vandalize Stock Photos' is a lengthy piece with some outstanding free form drumming. A melodic mandolin motif chimes in giving the listener something to latch onto that may resemble an actual tune. The Avant approach is definitely present throughout but it is still accessible due to a high emphasis on creating an atmosphere that at times feels Oriental. Once again the drums are sporadic and delightfully urgent and off kilter especially the timpani and high hat interplay. The music continues with some acoustic that almost sounds like the guitar is out of tune, but I love how it is consistent in putting together chords that should not go together naturally, but Gabe makes them feel natural.

'Subliminals Repeat Until They Become Blatant' begins with some static that reminded me of Godspeed You! Black Emperor for a moment. There is quite a dark feel with the insertion of heavy notes that are dissonant and compete with natural figures. The metrical shapes on percussion are more consistent but still rough around the edges. Later the guitars are distorted and the heavier approach is welcome after all the jangly jazz playing. The drums really crash down hard and balance off the metal riffing.

'Key to the City" is a shorter blast of dissonance with off kilter guitars and augmented with vocals that are surprising after all the instrumentation. The vocals are processed and filtered giving it an unearthly sound.

'Progress' is a real strange one with actual vocals and lyrics that are esoteric. The lead break is all over the place with a rhythm that is consistent but the guitar sound is more like The Residents. I like the twin lead guitar at the end and this actually feels more like a song and therefore wonderfully out of place. The diversity of the album is compelling as one never knows what to expect next.

On cue the next track 'Oppressed Ones Take to the Tyrant With an Axe' (great song title), returns to the dissonance with sliding guitars sounding like a bottle pressed against the strings. The rhythm is fractured and again it reminds me of The Residents sound, minus the bizarre vocals. The guitar plucking in the middle is disjointed free form and very laid back, not even keeping to a time signature. It feels improvised but still keeps to the main melody, and it takes up most of the song, but I was waiting for the axe to come down. Sure enough, eventually drums crash in without warning and blast away with hyper speed and some lead guitar licks. After this shock of sound, it again settles into a nice relaxed style to finish off before cutting off abruptly.

'Vandalise Stock Photos in Your Sleep' is a very short 52 second piece dominated by acoustic finger picking. It makes a nice transition into the title track.

'Decease Estates' is the last track and the experimental jazz feel is strong. Guitars play switching from acoustic fingering to crunches of distortion. The drumming keeps a steady tempo for a while and then the cadence speeds up considerably. The track is one of the heaviest with the crashing drums and metal distortion.

Overall this is a solid Avant jazz fusion album with enough diversity to hold the interest. It is great to see that artists are maintaining an original approach to music these days, and it should appeal to those who are into experimental Avant music with strong atmospheric resonance.

AtomicCrimsonRush "Understand Non You Do Odd" is the debut album from Superdensecrushloadfactor, a one man experimental jazz Avant prog artist, Gabe Buller. Gabe wrote, composed, engineered, produced and created the whole thing. He is obviously a talented artist as he plays all instruments including mandolin, guitar, bass, keyboards and drums, and even sings some vocals in places.

The album is an instrumental project overall that is concentric in generating atmospheric RIO fused with layers of jazz improvisation, and a multiple progressive disorder of atonality. One of the reasons I even bothered to listen is Gabe is an Australian artist, from my country, and I always support rare Aussie prog artists when I can. I am the first to admit I am no mega-fan of Avant or RIO, as it gets too bleak and disturbing often, though I have time for The Residents and Frank Zappa due to the brilliant compositions and albums. Gabe's music is full of discordance and is very unpredictable switching signatures at will and stylistically is diverse fusing metal with jazz and reflective acoustics that search for a melody. This album is definitely his heaviest in terms of implementing metal distortion and fast tempos, and therefore it is my preference of the two.

'Syntax Defect' is a very experimental instrumental that is powered along by relentless jazz percussive shapes. The guitars switch at will from clean finger picking to a distorted chugging metal riff. The heaviness of this track outweighs most of the music on the followup album and for my tastes I prefer this heavier approach. The track is one of the more complex compositions from Gabe in terms of structure and interplay of generic styles. This is perhaps my favourite track from Superdensecrushloadfactor.

'I Fell Down A Whole' has vocals that are rare on these albums and I was immediately reminded of Zappa the way it is sung with a kind of low key approach. The guitars are very grungy and there is even a metal riff that locks in at 1:30. The drums sound a bit more removed from the mix on this piece. The guitars are relentless and aggressive and I like the lead guitar lick towards the end.

'Disjointed' is a track with hyper experimentation with polyrhythmic metrics and a very fractured time signature. The high hat work is excellent keeping things jazzy. The guitar licks are again present and the way the time sig switches abruptly almost at will is a master touch. There are some nice guitar sweeps and chord changes and again like the way it keeps the listener guessing as to where it will lead next.

'Recollection' is acoustic reflection and has a pleasant breezy atmosphere with some interplay of finger picking overlayed. This is a very accessible track in comparison to what has transcribed previously.

'ADHD Apes (Stopped Dead in Tracks)' is a short sharp shock of proggy distortion and off kilter drumming that blends into some twin acoustic work. It ends with a cool jazz groove that had potential to go longer and build with other instruments but it cuts off, stopped dead in its own tracks, I assume.

'Subtropical at the Red Couch' is a jazz guitar instrumental that is one of the more accessible musical pieces from Superdensecrushloadfactor. It makes a nice breakaway from all the weirdness and is jazzy throughout. Back to the high strangeness in earnest with 'Ship Emerging From The Fog', especially the backward swells of guitar chords. This is a very atmospheric sound and really does conjure images of a ship slowly moving through dark waters to its doom. I wish it was a bit longer as I really enjoyed this sound.

Mandolin dominates 'Ding Trudge' and it is another diverse sound maintaining my interest. The percussion and pulsating bass create some jazzy textures until an odd guitar sound begins a new phrase. It crashes suddenly and the cadence becomes totally ruptured.

'Understand Non You Do Odd' is driven with a heartbeat of bass that sounds like an encephalogram machine. The hypnotic cadence is augmented with a chime effect. It breaks into a free form jazz improvisation that seems to wander aimlessly. At 3:50 some killer drums explode and then it settles into a slow paced hook. The sporadic percussion is a key feature on this track and the way the guitar interplays with its own time signature competing against the drums.

'The Goats Milked Carton' is next with more time signature switches and then surprisingly more vocals come in and are very brief but appropriately breaking up the dissonance. The lead guitar is well played on this song and the odd structure reminds me of Mr Bungle in places.

'Total Flight' is the final track dominated with beautiful crystalline acoustics. The minimalism is very contemplative and serene; a real breath of fresh air. This tranquil dreamy music is a nice way to close after all the atonality and dissonance previous.

Overall this debut album is a refreshing slice of Avant jazz and I really love how the time sig switches dramatically, as it makes for a dynamic listening experience. I rate this more highly over the followup as it appeals to my senses more, but both albums are worth a listen and are very different in themselves (3 and a half stars for the debut, 3 for the followup), There are more highlights on this album for my tastes and I appreciated hearing something very unique and diverse.