Ruins
Mandala 2000/Live at Kichijoji Mandala II
[Tzadik; 2001]
Rating: 8.0
Go ahead, turn it down. Like two tigers feasting on raw flesh with the white
blades and inherent aggression nature selected for them, this is uncompromising
stuff. The pounding of the skins and various shredded tissue may seem
unnecessarily grotesque to the uninitiated, but it's no more disgusting than
your average visionary art. This is a fierce, relentless exhibition, and
something that most people aren't prepared for.
Ruins are the brawny brainchild of Japanese drummer Tatsuya Yoshida. When he
formed the band sometime in the summer of 1985, it was originally supposed to
be a power trio, but after the guitarist didn't show for their first rehearsal,
it was bumped down to a bass/drum-only duo. At the time, Yoshida was also
performing with YBO2, which featured avant-alternative guitarist K.K. Null.
The seeds of the present-day communal atmosphere of Japanese underground
musicians began sprouting with this early moonlighting affair, as Null would
go on to play with Zeni Geva (among others), and Yoshida would go on to play
with just about everyone.
From an early point, Ruins established their alliance to the avant-garde
tradition. On their earliest recordings, they teamed up with American
experimental icon John Zorn, and eventually put out albums on his Tzadik
label. Their sound is dense mix of industrial noise, prog theatrics, and
free-improvisation. Some critics have used the term "jazzcore," but there
really is no describing the duo's sound accurately. They play something of
a fusion of punk and progressive rock, with an emphasis on everything at
once. Almost all of their music features the kind of angular riffs and
meter-changes made famous by maligned prog bands such as Gentle Giant and
Emerson, Lake and Palmer, but with precisely 0% of the pretension or general
pomposity many people associate with that music.
Ruins also sing, or something thereabouts, and anyone unaccustomed to total
vocal freakishness will probably run for cover after a few seconds of this
stuff. After 12 studio albums, 10 recorded collaborations, and several EPs
(not to mention seven-inches and compilation appearances), I'm still taken a
little aback by Yoshida's jittery caterwauling and current bassist Hisashi
Sasaki's warbling falsetto. This kind of approach to vocals probably grew
from Yoshida's obsession with French bizarro-proggers Magma, who specialized in
music that was a little like Carl Orff's Carmina Burana crossed with
early-70s Miles Davis. In a phrase: the Opera of the Apocalypse, and I think
that would apply to Ruins as appropriately.
Mandala 2000/Live at Kichijoji Mandala II captures the duo in concert,
performing tunes mostly from their last couple of albums, and a fair amount of
improv. It's actually their first decently recorded live album, and is
definitely the next best thing to witnessing their brand of carnage in person.
Songs like "Gharaviss Perrdoh" and "Hyderomastgroningem" get by on sheer super
rock. That is, there's still a discernible link to toe-tapping and fist-pumping
anthem-and-roll here, though you may have to wade through a few layers of
distortion to find it. The former tune veers off the path with some fairly
harsh-- even by Ruins standards-- group improvisation, but quickly rediscovers
the groove as Sasaki's monster bass drives all its edges into the ground, while
never betraying the studied dexterity it takes to pull this music off.
"Vrresto," "Bupphairodazz" and "Pallaschtom" are more convoluted samples of
Ruins phenomena, as riffs and beats fly by so fast that it's often difficult to
really tell what's going on. Adding to the confusion is the omnipresent punk
ethos of always playing with as much intensity and reckless abandon as possible,
so you'd be forgiven for thinking sizable chunks of the music were mere walls of
noise. Listen closer (though I suggest adjusting the volume beforehand), and
you'll begin to see that it isn't just noise, and that these guys must have
spent hours rehearsing just to get through a whole tune. Either that, or
they're simply not human. You'd be forgiven for thinking that, too.
"Classical Music Medley" and "Hardrock Medley" are fairly self-explanatory:
20 or so famous classical and classic rock themes, respectively, get thrown
in the blender and spit out in two minutes or so. They're novelty tunes, to be
sure, but I mean, really, by this point in the album you'll be grateful for
anything recognizable. Additionally, there are several tunes featuring
violinist Katsui Yuji (Rovo, Bondage Fruit); the basic aesthetic remains
essentially the same, albeit slightly more colorful. I should also mention
that you only get about a second of silence in between each of the 23 songs,
so mathematically speaking, you should be prepared for less than a half-minute,
cumulatively, to catch your breath.
And so we have yet another relentless Ruins album. I shouldn't have to tell
you that these guys are an acquired taste for most people. Personally, I
think it's the best possible thing that could ever have come out of progressive
rock, but others might not even consider this music at all. For newcomers, I
would advise starting out with one of the studio albums, such as Burning
Stone or Hyderomastgroningem, before diving in here. After that,
check out Symphonica, which tones down the chaos but drastically increases
the prog factor by adding keyboards and extra singers. And then, when you're
ready to settle down to a night of thrills and spills, pop this one in. It's a
beast, and I put it to you: go ahead, turn it down, if you must. This is
hardcore. This is Ruins.
-Dominique Leone, November 26th, 2001