50 Days of Merzbow, Day 50: Annihiloscillator

1997

An old evangelist friend of mine used to say that all we needed was a good, cleansing fire. Clearly, Merzbow is down with this. Annihiloscillator is a good place to end this 50 CD mountain. Fuck any scorched earth policy. Why limit it to the ground. Merzbow burns the whole world of sound with his work: the high, the low, and the in-between. Annihilation is a gift, and Merzbow just keeps giving.

We offer our gratitude and we end with a prayer.

TRACK LIST

1. Hair Gun // 13:16
2. Kyoko Hamara Air Clyster // 12:14
3. Black Brain of Piranese // 13:26
4. Soft Parts 1&2 // 17:29
5. Wild Pair // 3:50

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Big ups to the world of sharity that gave me the files to do this. Files here . . .

50 Days of Merzbow, Day 49: Motorond

1997

t's a long way down, but I feel alright
It's a long way down, but I feel alright
And the cops get in, and the crowd gets tight
--Ryan Adams, Starting To Hurt*

Here, Akita shoots his sounds down a narrow hallway. The sonics feel caged up, but that only increases the tension release in the second track when he hits a groove that has the same rocking effect as the deepest space of Coltrane's A Love Supreme. And that's the great illusion of Merzbow. His music might sound dark, but it comes from--and is on its way to--a place of light. Color me blinded.

TRACK LIST

1. Motorond Pt.2 // 31:25
2. Motorond Pt.1 // 27:53

*A sidenote: When the last Sonic Youth album came out the fact that Thurston Moore was influenced by Black Metal made it from the press release into just about every review that was written. You know what I want to see? Somebody to give a shout out to Ryan Adams for his absolutely convincing Black Metal yowl that pops up every once in awhile. Srsly. Ildjarn would have been happy to tap this pain vein.

50 Days of Merzbow, Day 48: Space Mix Travelling Band

1997

Would like to be objective about this recording, but when Merzbow pulls out this Death Ray of his, I am a goner. Also, I did not expect to think of (early) Kitaro here. Yet, I did. Not because of the sounds, BUT the because of their shared ability to return to the same or similar sounds in creating something fresh and good.

TRACK LIST

1. Travelling 1997 // 20:04
2. Floating Manhattan // 14:06
3. Hongkong Suite // 24:52

50 Days of Merzbow, Day 47: Rhinogradentia

1996

If Michael Stipe was an icehead and in charge of a faltering Death Ray machine, this is what it would sound like. Fucking fabulous. Windout.

TRACK LIST

1. Rhinogradentia // 14:52
2. Silver Scintillator // 16:41
3. Narco // 24:02

50 Days of Merzbow, Day 46: Marfan Syndrome

1995

This album is a good example of why people say that all Merzbow albums are the same. It's also a good example of why I don't need to talk to these people about Merzbow. Be in it. Be crushed. Be done.

TRACK LIST

1. Marfan Syndrome for Blue (Remix) // 7:07
2. Oldenbergs Soft Gun // 18:39
3. Spider Nest Castle Pt.1 // 12:26
4. Un Br Che // 11:25
5. Yosef Voice // 2:12

50 Days of Merzbow, Day 45: Red Magnesia Pink

1995

The swirling dervishes of the high end cut sharply through what feels like the Aokigahara of Noise. You know all that friction is going to cause a fire in the dry season. Thankfully, in Merzbow's world there is no dry season, but things will burn anyway.

TRACK LIST

1. Minus Zero // 5:57
2. Etic // 4:08
3. Delta X // 4:33
4. Tremelo Man // 10:27
5. Euclids Pickel // 13:48
6. Chameleon Body // 9:18
7. Little Bang! // 7:38
8. You - Bahn // 5:27

50 Days of Merzbow, Day 44: Liquid City

1995

First of all, what's not to like about an album that nods to Throbbing Gristle AND has a song title as good as Cheese Car Commando?

No build-up here. We just get dropped into the middle of the explosion that is "Liquid City 17-1-95". Its non-stop assault finally peters out in the last 30 seconds. Then a short build before the helicopters of Tiabguls kick in. (Total Xhol, Motherfuckers Live alert here, btw.) The choppers stop but things keep spinning through the next song. Lastly, "Cheese Car Commando" stutter steps onto the scene before the plates melt together to form a dense metal mass that happens to be careening towards your head. Good luck with that.

TRACK LIST

1. Liquid City 17-1-95 // 19:11
2. Dalitech Filters // 21:09
3. Tiabguls // 9:16
4. Cheese Car Commando // 7:35

50 Days of Merzbow, Day 43: Exotic Apple

1994

Merzbow gets his old drum machines and samplers out, and it's a fine damn thing. Goes for a lot of high end too. Not my favorite are in the land of the rising Noise, but what he's doing in opposition to it works so well I don' t care. When his shit is on, it's ON. Make my ears bleed for all I care. Actually, fuck my ears, this is actually making my teeth hurt. I mean it. It's triggered an olfactory memory, and I can smell the dentist's drill. Music (or anti-music) does not get better than this. If I was in a dream, I'd be looking in the mirror and my teeth would be falling out in some mythopoetic kinda way. The Merzbow soundtrack would make it alright though. Like I said last time . . . Bite the apple.

TRACK LIST

1. Sunohara Youri Is Suzanna Erica // 10:16
2. Moon over the Bwana A // 5:30
3. Apple Rock 1 // 14:20
4. Apple Rock 2 // 16:17
5. Apple Rock 3 // 7:23
6. Apple Rock 4 // 7:55

50 Days of Merzbow, Day 42: Sons of Slash Noise Metal

1993

Far fucking out. Merzbow pays homage to the ever-mighty Iron Butterfly. Heavy trippiness, thy name is In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, and Merzbow's approximately titled In-a-Gadda-Veddah grinds out a spacy groove of mayhem that does its namesake proud. About midway through the groove turns into a layered wall of blackness that careens through the next two songs through the end of the album. Man. Merzbow has clearly hit a harsh stride here. Bite the apple.

TRACK LIST

1. In-a-Gadda-Veddah // 16:53
2. Cross Toad // 10:57
3. Slash Embryo // 32:34

50 Days of Merzbow, Day 41: Brain Ticket Death

1993

Brain Ticket Death relentlessly explores the pure violence of the drum. It's, quite simply, one of the harshest Merzbow releases I've ever heard. Just. Brutal. Actually, I'll go further than that. It's one of the harshest Noise releases I've ever heard. This, kids, is saying something.

TRACK LIST

1. Metal of Doom // 6:36
2. Electric Peekaboo // 3:45
3. Iron Caravan // 5:33
4. Brain Ticket Death // 34:01

50 Days of Merzbow, Day 40: Music for True Romance Vol. 1

1992

Oh, honey. I hate you.

But seriously, this is probably the only Merzbow release to remind me of both The Gerogerigegege and Ian Hunter. That's fucked up.

TRACK LIST

1. True Romance Theme // 3:52
2. Music Cave // 2:27
3. She Floating - Preparation // 15:43
4. She Mutilation - Main Ritual // 15:17
5. Injured Imperial Soldiers Marching Song // 22:29

50 Days of Merzbow, Day 39: Stacy Q, Hi Fi Sweet Leaf

1991

The Sweet Leaf reference in the title reminded me that Merzbow has mentioned that the basic goal of his music to sustain the heaviest moments of Black Sabbath. Done. Brian Eno has stated eloquently and often that rock's biggest contribution to the history of music has been texture. There are few bands outside of Sabbath that have added a more distinctive voice to the conversation. It would have been thrilling even if Merzbow had failed at his task to to harness the great white rhino of Tommy, Geezer, and Bill. But like I said, with Merzbow it's a done deal. Task over.

Oh, and Stacy Q. Heh. Two of hearts, my ass.

TRACK LIST

1. Decomposed Cockoo // 26:29
2. Stacy Q, Hi Fi Sweet Leaf // 26:28