Drummer Yoshida Tatsuya has been fronting (yes, fronting) the Ruins machine for over two decades, bringing those tightly stretched membranes to a measure of foreground uncharted by anyone else. The duo began in 1985 and has subsequently enjoyed the service of four separate bass players, in addition to whoever was featured on the “bassist wanted” tour, during which Yoshida was without a stable aid.
Now unreliant on others and following the 2009 Sax Ruins album Yawiquo, which — due to the evident unreliability of string players, perhaps? — comprised reworkings of Ruins classics with the complements of saxophonist/flutist Ono Ryoko, RUINS Alone is the self-title debut album from Yoshida’s well-toured one-man band. It also happens to be the momentous 100th release from Skin Graft Records, and the sheer force of the music certainly lives up to the occasion.
RUINS Alone combines the eccentricity and flamboyance of improvisational avant-rockers Henry Cow with the intensity of noise rock bands like Hella or Lightning Bolt. In fact, “HYDEROMASTGRONINGEM” begins sounding frighteningly similar to a track from Hella’s Hold Your Horse Is but transforms after only five seconds into something uniquely Ruins, complete with customary nonsensical gibberish reminiscent of Magma founder Christian Vander’s constructed “Kobaïan” language, yet seemingly with its own peculiar meanings, signs, and codes. The deranged gobbledygook, which is also part-inspired by Tuvan throat singing, can occasionally be irritating, but over time becomes oddly comprehensible. It seems, in fact, that Magma’s influence is ingrained to such a degree that RUINS Alone — succeeding each of the Ruins albums — remains sufficiently identifiable as “zeuhl,” a term originally used to describe the music of Magma exclusively.
In accordance with Ruins’ character, stylistic fluctuation takes place throughout, and several grounds intersect within individual tracks; “BAXCEMGILASZ” traverses an accelerated gamelan-esque pattern as well as the doomier confines of metal. However, it is the mesmerizing, propulsive drive of “EQUESSPALDHO” that makes the song my personal favorite, with each meticulous figure maintaining just long enough to assure itself. RUINS Alone is certainly not impervious; “GLASCHZENCK,” for example, is fairly accessible, embellished with trendy arpeggiated synths and a comfortably danceable motorik rhythm.
Above all, what separates the music of RUINS Alone from that of Ruins is the orchestration, which is at liberty from the restraints of the drums and bass combo. The songs’ arrangements are elaborate and labyrinthine, and it’s easy to get lost, but this all makes the experience more rewarding having endured them. In fact, after hearing the accomplishments of RUINS Alone and the ability of Yoshida to function independently, it shouldn’t be too surprising to find albums emerging by one-man incarnations of his other experiments.
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