Someone hold me back from my unrealistic desires. Would the soft vocals of Japanese singer and mutli-instrumentalist Eiko Ishibashi actually work alongside the ear-splitting frequencies that make up the noise throne of Masami Akita a.k.a. Merzbow? That type of creative confluence is easily predicted if you consider their respective solo outputs, but what’s arguably on the margins of the conversation is the fact that Ishibashi is a multi-instrumentalist, and that, in her spare time, she talks politics with Tatsuya Yoshida, hosts dinner parties with Keiji Haino, and… oh look, Jim O’Rourke is around, hovering for a platonic fulfillment that apparently only Eiko can provide. Such talented and creative company doesn’t lend itself to artistic one-dimensionality, and as such, there’s something other than a vocal massage on the upcoming collaborative Kouen Kyoudai 公園兄弟, out March 18 on Editions Mego.
Instead, imagine a massage where the tools of the masseur are hammers and sandpaper sheets. Ishibashi contributes her established piano, drum, and synth skills, while Akita complements with the electronics (and drums) that he should probably marry at this point — the result being a doubtless sonic “pull between beauty and chaos.” Actual cool-guy Jim O’Rourke did the mixing and mastering.
Pre-order, if you wish. Here’s a clip from “Slide,” a track that ultimately clocks in at 18:35:
Kouen Kyoudai 公園兄弟 tracklisting:
01. Slide
02. Junglegym
More about: Eiko Ishibashi, Masami Akita, Merzbow
