KEIJI HAINO

Black Blues

Genre: FOLK / ROOTS, DARK AMBIENT / DRONE / METAL

Boomkat Product Review:

One of Keiji Haino's most radical projects, 'Black Blues' features the same set of songs recorded twice using just voice and guitar; the 'soft' version catches him at his most soothing, wailing and whispering ghosted, brokenhearted lullabies over almost inaudible reverberating strums., while the ‘violent’ version finds Haino at his fanged best, growling, gurgling and stabbing at his guitar to render fierce, energetic interpretations of The Blues.

'Black Blues' was originally released in 2004, and split Haino's persona into two distinct halves. Over his 50 years of activity, Haino's always been unpredictable, as likely to venture into psych rock or noise as skeletal folk or microtonal drone. But this project made the dichotomy unambiguous, using the same exact dirges, but interpreting them in substantially different ways. On the mesmerising first disc, Haino's 'soft' approach is close to some sort of sonic inversion; he uses silence itself to help emphasise his rugged minimalism, strumming hushed chords until they ring out, tearing apart each syllable so each word breaks into echoing fragments. Sometimes all you hear is sibilance, then Haino's aching melodies follow through, alongside guitar plucks, climaxing in a shimmering 14-minute closer that’s a stone's throw from Roy Montgomery's DIY dreampop.

The Violent version on the second disc is a fully scuzzed and growling wailing blues, made of jagged, raw expression. The songs are still the same, though they're barely recognisable - but Haino taps into a different part of his soul, bellowing guttural tones that sound as if they've been yanked from one of hell's lower levels. On 'Black Eyes', his voice cuts through the tinny, amp-strangled twangs like a knife thru dead flesh, howling in pain that's only dragged by distortion. He strides into deranged free-improv territory on 'Town in Black Frog', slashing out bendable riffs that position themselves between Fred Frith, Derek Bailey and Robert Johnson, while 'Drifting' is almost unrecognisable with its gentle glacial quality substituted by wailing feedback and dissonant solos that underpin Haino's jagged, redlined vociferations. On 'See That My Grave is Kept Clean' - Haino loses all traces of the Blues, instead teasing quivering, metallic chimes from his strings and coughing out words that sound as if they may as well be his last. It's terrifying, idiomatic material - especially contrasted against the whispered laments of the first disc.

Stunning, what else.

2CD (12)

2CD set, comes in two matte laminated, monochrome printed and embossed sleeve and insert cards with a 6 panel fold out poster and a download of the album dropped to your account.

Play All 2CD (12)