From Darth Vader starting off as a fatherless kid with bad acting skills to Lebron James allegedly being the product of an underground medical experiment funded by Spalding, every superhuman has their origin story.
And while many might consider Keiji Haino’s 70s trip along the Milky Way a key point in his elongated step into the Japanese noise scene, the sole didn’t come to rest until 1981, when Haino’s debut studio album Watashi Dake? was released on vinyl to a relatively small audience. The Pinakotheca label sponsored the release in a correspondingly small edition, and the only other reissue since that time (until now) happened in 1993, when the Japanese label P.S.F. marked a CD version as one of the earlier releases in its now decades-long history.
“Until now,” I say? (Don’t tell me you skipped the header and just found this article by schizo-clicking and reading.) But, yes; fine: UNTIL NOW.
It turns out a brand new label called Black Editions is partnering with P.S.F. for a series of “lost” album reissues, and the former’s very first release will be a quite desired vinyl version of Watashi Dake?, out on June 16. The reissue will come with metallic gold and silver artwork, which is supposedly what Haino “originally intended.” And just in case you haven’t been exposed to Google Translate yet, the release will also come with English translations of both the track titles and the lyrics, done by Alan Cummings. (You know, the lyrics that Haino has a tendency either inaudibly whisper or else yell at the top of his lungs like everyone one’s favorite maniac? Those lyrics.)
Here’s the pre-order link. In the meantime, stream the original screams n’ whispers down below.
More about: Keiji Haino
