Over the past 30 years, Otomo Yoshihide has established himself as one of the most prominent and versatile figures in the realm of Japanese improvisational and avant-garde music. Never restricting himself to any one particular genre or style, Yoshihide has, in addition to a myriad of solo and collaborative material, spearheaded numerous groups and projects, ranging from the brash experimental noise-rock of Ground Zero to the recent works of his more traditional New Jazz Quintet/Ensemble/Orchestra. On Difference Between the Two Clocks, Yoshihide joins forces with French multi-instrumentalist Xavier Charles during the latter’s first tour of Japan in 2005. Consisting of both live and studio recordings, the album features the dynamic, engaging, and sometimes abrasive interaction between Charles’ clarinet and Yoshihide’s guitar.
Looking back to previous works, Yoshihide’s style as a solo guitarist can be separated into two general categories. First, there is the more accessible Sugimoto-influenced style, which is marked by delicate picking and expressive minimalism. Second, he has been known to push his instrument to the brink, creating disjointed patterns and ear-piercing frequencies that are easier to take in brief intervals than in extended listening periods. As described by the insightful YouTube user instantprincewhippit, this style “sounds like a banshee getting raped by a mutilated pig with AIDS.” While not quite reaching this level of sexiness, Yoshihide’s playing on Difference Between the Two Clocks certainly leans more towards this latter style, albeit in a more controlled and sparse (and listenable) manner. Overall, it turns out that Yoshihide’s feedback-based techniques complement and synthesize remarkably well with Charles’ clarinet playing.
Throughout the album, the two musicians explore quieter sections bordering on near silence. It is during these softer moments that the individual elements and timbres of the two instruments are most evident. Beneath the sharp, swelling guitar tones, Charles is free to showcase the mastery of his instrument, as the clarinet breaths, clicks, warbles, and chirps out various textures. While interesting on their own, these moments ultimately serve to build tension before the intensity rises and the volume and pitch soar to almost painful levels -- it's an exhilarating experience.
To be sure, the sounds laid out on Difference Between The Two Clocks are, at times, hard to take. While this is not necessarily a flaw in itself, the album is nonetheless in danger of peaking a little too early. Following the first track’s initial siren-like crescendo, the relentless feedback and clarinet tones can prove exhausting, making it difficult to stay fully engaged with the rest of the album. For this reason, listeners unfamiliar with the works of Otomo Yoshihide and Xavier Charles may find it more rewarding to discover previous works (such Yoshihide’s collaborations as a guitarist with Taku Sugimoto, or Xavier Charles’ work with Martin Tetreault and Pierre Tanguay) before tackling the sonic assault that is Difference Between the Two Clocks.
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More about: Otomo Yoshihide / Xavier Charles
