MSBR is one of those bands who has always been good and bad. Never really been extremely focused - and perhaps this was more the later tendency. I would say from 1992 to late 90's, his work was pretty much solid. After that, perhaps little hit & miss. Especially some of the CDR's and "final harsh works" series etc.. Just like the packaging & visual power was starting to slip into regular or even cheapo packaging.
Today reminded me of two releases I consider very strong in discography. Needless to say debut LP remains total brain bomb, but this time:
"COLLAPSELAND" CD on Heel stone records 1995. Packaged in 7" size booklet. Artwork and texts, 5 tracks of length between c. 6 to 22 mins. the first long track is all what was good in MSBR of this era. Dense layering of electronics and pedal noise. It's like black hole sucking the existence in itself with fast pace, leaving just roaring audio of everything moving to oblivion. It goes forward with intense speed and massive strength. New things fade in, old things fade out, sound just goes on so seamlessly, but always with many things happening on all layers. In couple of the other tracks, MSBR even calms done into droning ambient noise. You will not have the hectic cut-ups of Merzbow or Kazumoto Endo. Less sonic violence than Pain Jerk of Government Alpha. Less fierce noise pain of Incapacitants or Hijokaidan. MSBR was easily "jap noise", yet of course different from pretty much everybody. I think the heaviness and electronic approach meant that many of these euro pe/industrial labels did carry the stuff, what maybe more free-jamming or pure fierce harsness wouldn't?
MSBR & Blazen Y Sharp "Mass For Dead Insects" CD, issues as 50 copies art edition by MSBR and regular slimcase cd on Gender-Less Kibbutz. This is very different. I can't stop praising Blazen Y Sharp in every moment I can. And perhaps thank to them, this is very different from usual MSBR if there is such. There are solo tracks from both and collaborations. If you know how these artists sound like, the mixture is perhaps quite close what you'd expect? Electronic noise meets experimental industrial / electro-acoustic sounds. Sometimes I get feeling as if I'd be still having MNEMONISTS cd on my player, what I listened while before this. Certain sounds and approaches link it closer to old "difficult music" than japanoise or usa noise. This is good choise if you want to hear different sides of project. If you aim for full on noise damage, maybe can be skipped. There seems to be one jap edition now on discogs for quite reasonable price. It's nicer looking than regular edition. I have a feeling that I may have both for years, without realizing it was actually the same release.
Just as Curious Question, maybe You can answer it. He was a Manga Drawer, but which Mangas are from him?
I have no idea. If it isn't very specialized hentai, I have zero interest in manga. No matter who did it.
Suehiro Maruo and Shintarou Kago are exceptions, but neither of them draw "trad" manga style. I guess there should be topics of these guys in art section!
What I often found intriguing with Tano's works was that he seemed to be able to focus on different styles in the same track - while evolving noise was maybe the background it often sounded as if he would reach other state of mind in the process and involve perhaps slight musique concréte layering also.
I don't have a ton of his works but as mentioned, the first LP, 10" on Praxis, Heelstone CD and a couple cassettes was indeed very good. Would need recommendations on later works - i'm sure at least some of the last stream of CD-Rs should be something worthwhile?
yes MSBR was capable of lots of different kind of sounds !
Collapseland is my favourite ; indeed there's less immediate violence like most other japanese harsh noise .
Another unusual work i like a lot is collaboration CDr with Government Alpha : Planet Of Fluctuation . Not harsh noise , mostly synth and tape loops and piano . Not even very noisy as far as i remember .
Metal Stricken Terror Action - Dedicated To Richard Rupenus old tape that was re-issued on re-mastered cd in 2005, I consider one of better TNB tributes - with source sounds taken from TNB for couple tracks. I think re-issue came little after two atrocious TNB butcherings (horrible Merzbow and Haters collabs), same time with Nobuo Yamada's good TNB remix 12", and just before Dilloway's TNB tribute, which I recall being pretty dull, but should give another try now.
MSBR stood out as pretty easily finest tribute (Perhaps just next to Emil Beaulieau) and he didn't even focus on recycling tasty TNB sounds, but just perhaps capturing some essense but doing it mostly by himself. It's been 5 years since I listened it, though.
Fom MSBR lathes I only own one. Oversized into stupid diameters. You can't put it anywhere, yet it's still such a innovative piece, can't sell it either. I recall there was one tape that came inside pig snout? Guy who used to have it, soon it was infested by maggots and had to be thrown out. Just the packaging, not the tape.
We should remember about his side-project MAGMAX too. I have got "Magmagenome" (LP+7" EP) and I guess this is the top ten of POWER ELECTRONICS canon.
I think Magmax best material was on one Xerxes compilation. He made two of those LP+7" sets, and I think one was good, and one was very poor due lazy vocals. I think it was described to be more of "electronic grind" than "pe". Althought their style of electronic grind was just noise with vocals.
Couple days ago listened re-issue of "Structured Suicide". CDr made by Tano. Not sure how much it differs from original tape as I didn't start to compare, but certainly it was much stronger than bonus material added on disc. One long piece that basically is like "Ultimate Ambience" like electronic noise on top, but gloomy atmospheric droning noise makes great addition on background.
Just listened "Ultimate Ambience" LP from long time, and it was actually very different than I remembered! I recall telling Finnish friend some nonsense of B-side having like sounds of bike wheel (metal rods.. whatever you call them..), but no no.. This is like harsh electronics what is somewhere between the "ordinary" noise and vintage electronics like some works of D.Tudor for example. Compositionally, it's pretty much just electronic blasting, but instead of "heavy wall", it is quite distinctive sound. Kind of thin slice, which has small reverb. "ultimate ambience" indeed. I think more layering found on Structured Suicide or Collapseland makes them more interesting.
And possibly Collapseland is THE MSBR release? But I'm confused, what the damn MSBR release it was with stuff that sounded like bike? Some early tape...
MSBR and Speculum Fight collaboration LP is a very appealing combination of squeal and heavy ambience. Pretty much what you could expect when these guys are put together. It is one of those less raved noise records that I return to on regular basis. Seems to be still easy to get for a reasonable price.
Quote from: Goat93 on May 26, 2010, 08:52:31 PM
Just as Curious Question, maybe You can answer it. He was a Manga Drawer, but which Mangas are from him?
Ongaku Otaku 2 and 3
I never found a "real" Manga Book from Him, think he just made some Stories
"Structured Suicide" is a great album, always an interesting listen...
My favorite MSBR track was the one from MSBR/K2/MAGMAX 3-way-split CD. It somehow expressed pure harsh noise mysticism for me. It was also really my introduction to quality harsh noise in general.
this seems interesting as i am new to this guy. im on an old flip phone and away from home, can i get some youtube links that best give an idea of what he typical sounds like? thanks. ill check them out when i get home from work.
"Collapseland" CD
because this was the first MSBR i got. I was amazed on how the sound could match the subject matter so well- later on i grabbed also the handmade version made by Tano with the debris of Kobe heartquake. It's always up there hanged on my wall.
"303 Holy Mountain Electronixx" k7
This has to be my absolute favourite of his works. Amazing tape.
"Ultimate Ambience" LP
"Destructive Locomotion" Another classic Noise CD!
"Intensification" 10"
split w/Merzbow 7"
More linked to beautiful packages:
- Stereoid acetate 7"
- Scopotophilia split w/Taint
- split w/ SShe Retina Stimulants
I need to search on my shelves for the Structured Suicide cassette. I can still recall its smell coming from Japanese newspaper covered by some kind of oil. It's a long i want to listen to it again...
Just finished listening to the Ultimate Ambience 2 CD. The first two (studio) tracks have this kind of spacey vibe to them due to how the electronics sound (I have no idea if it's an effect or a synth or something else). Track 3 is a live recording that is in much the same vein, but with a different sound, of course. Perhaps the CD is a bit too long, but it's still great because of that special sound on the first two tracks.
The M.S.B.R./Kengo Iuchi split/collab CD is also worth checking out. It's far from being consistently good, but I think the unusual pairing makes it an interesting release nonetheless. Iuchi is an obscure, somewhat Keiji Haino-like (to me anyway) "noise-folk performer", as Discogs puts it (none of his other releases are available for sane prices). There's a long solo track from each musician and a couple short live collaborations. While I don't like a lot of Iuchi's parts on his long solo track, during the collabs the two musicians often gel quite nicely. The M.S.B.R. solo track is pretty atmospheric.
I wasn't too keen on the Ultimate Ambience LP, since it's too one-dimensional for my taste. Too bad Collapseland is above my budget, since everyone seems to think it's one of M.S.B.R.'s highlights. Here's hoping it'll be reissued at one point.
I know Soddy liked Structured Suicide more than Ultimate Ambience, and i've seen it on other lists and mentioned a lot. Do you stop it short when listening? Or is this based of the cdr reissue? The title track takes the great forumla from the debut and send it down quite a trippy road. The first cut on the b-side is also great. But the two last tracks? God damn. Makes it impossible for me to appreciate it even close to the debut, when looked at as release. A real disappointing ending to a surprising and great start.
MSBR / BLAZEN Y SHARP "Mass for dead insects" CD
There was good Noisextra episode about this. I should have both, the regular, and this ltd 50 MSBR edition. Could not find regular from this mess of CD piles... but of course special CD is good to go.
Noisextra described so well the content of CD that I felt like need of re-visit it. 20 years ago when I got it, I felt like the "electro acoustic" elements of it was too much, and I just wanted the violent harsh noise. I tried it again later on, but again, was't what I was looking for at that moment.
Like the Noisextra in recent listener question episode said, sometimes its better not to be that critical when you may change your mind. Nowadays, I do prefer the hands-on dirt and physical "electro acoustic" elements of this disc. And also the "cheesy" pitch effects that are nearly unheard these days. All would be things I might or could have been critical back in the day... but now I can simply salute and worship. 2nd rotation of disc today and exactly zero criticism to give!
MSBR, Blazen Y Sharp and also cheers to Noisextra crew for reminding dozens of good discs and records that should get more rotation!
See my previous comments c. 10 years ago in opening message!
one of my favourite japanoise projects of all time. i remember when i first started listening to noise as a teenager, msbr - destructive locomotion was one of the first noise cd's i had and heard, together with some masonna, merzbow and atrax morgue. i immediately thought that there was something different about msbr compared to merzbow and masonna - a lot less spastic, more overwhelming, monolithic and massive - without being particularly aggressive like for example american harsh noise. some guy on discogs said his music could be compared to natural forces, and i agree. even though i love a lot of japanese noise, there is a special place for the slow burning intensity of msbr in my heart as i think it prepared me for the more austere approach of for example american or swedish harsh noise, which is by now my favourite style of hn. not long after i had gotten into msbr, the road was paved for stuff like macronympha, taint, sewer election, treriksröset... stuff that seemed to monotone for me when younger, at first. so yeah, probably my favourite japanese project after incapacitants - even better than merzbow, for my money, although he would probably be nr. 3. and oh yeah - RIP, legend..
Quote from: accidental on September 14, 2020, 12:42:50 PM
I know Soddy liked Structured Suicide more than Ultimate Ambience, and i've seen it on other lists and mentioned a lot. Do you stop it short when listening? Or is this based of the cdr reissue? The title track takes the great forumla from the debut and send it down quite a trippy road. The first cut on the b-side is also great. But the two last tracks? God damn. Makes it impossible for me to appreciate it even close to the debut, when looked at as release. A real disappointing ending to a surprising and great start.
That's why it's so good though :) with the off-kilter "Metacid 1 (with 24 Track Loop)". I would rather it be included, as it is, just so one can hear the full range of his ideas. Sure, it's his own idiosyncratic sound world, and since he is a true original harsh head, an
originator: I feel it is a privilege to hear his ideas at play.
For harsh goofballs only!