01. Cold Was the Ground
02. Blues Trip #1
03. Blues Trip #2
04. Blues Trip #3
05. Utusimi
06. Holy Letter
07. Ben Ares Blue
08. Blues Trip #4
09. Troll
10. Blues Trip #5
11. Kiev
7"
A1. Azrini
B1. Harvest
All tracks composed and arranged by L except [1], composed by Blind Willie Johnson
L [Hiroyuki Usui] ~ 6-string, 12-string, bottleneck, bass, vibes, drums, assorted percussion, tam-tam, organ, harmonium, didjeridu
Taku Sugimoto: electric guitar [9]
Masaaki Motoyama: cello [6]
Engineered and produced by L
'L is the moniker of Hiroyuki Usui, one-time drummer for Fushitsusha and member of Marble Sheep. Recorded in 1989-90 and subsequently self-released with abysmal distribution, the venire is often serene, but the roiling white-heat psychedelia of Fushitsusha is present but sublimated; electric instruments, when present, vie with harmonium, didjeridu, cello and various assorted percussion, all creating a sonic blend in which every individual sound can be heard with stunning clarity. Even field recordings of muffled voices, waves and thunder – sounds that can easily be buried – are heard as stark backdrops against the silence. When the brew does reach boiling point, as in several of the five pieces called 'Blues Trip,' the tam-tam and kettle drum eruptions are momentary, transient microcosms of emotion which then submerge again into the uneasy calm.' ~ dusted
'Holy Letter is a barely-circulated masterpiece of deeply felt self-expression. Recorded in 1989/1990 by Hiroyuki Usui, Holy Letter beautifully captures the spirit and substance of a half-dozen of the key sub-underground pillars of sound. Working with guitar, vocals, vibes, harmonium, bass, drums, cello, field recordings, digeridoo, and more, Usui-san blends delicate folk, psychedelia, and experimental sounds into a mostly subdued but undeniably glowing suite. The layered but careful instrumentation on tracks like the epic 'Holy Letter' and 'Troll' backs the alternately plain-spoken and crooning vocals perfectly. Odd touches like snatches of throat singing and bowed vibraphone leap out of the mix at just the right time. There are overt references to the blues [the first track is an oblique cover of 'Cold Was The Ground'] - but other than the occassional slide guitar touch, the connection is overwhelmingly in the timeless feeling and atmosphere. I can hardly think of anything else like 'Holy Letter' but suffice to say if you like Richard Youngs, Popol Vuh, Six Organs of Admittance, Tim Buckley, acid-folk, japanese underground - anything like that - this is an essential purchase. Really, I'm not doing it justice.' ~ press hype
4 track superhero 'L' dropped this hazy vision of way out loner folk when i was still listening to honeywell erryday. at some point in the late neindeez, a wisened sage thoughtfully floated me a cassette with this album on one side & the black vial on the flip. still one of the best tapes anyone has ever made a bra. amazing how fresh it still sounds. here goes me 320 rip of the album & a scrounged rip of the accompanying [comparatively mediocre] 7" . oh, vhf re-issued this nugget awhile ago & that version can still be found on the cheap & even has an extra track. moody lo-fi fun
No comments:
Post a Comment