Program Music I – Kashiwa Daisuke (2007) (Re-review)
GENRES – Electronic, Contemporary Classical, Post Rock
Tracks
Stella – 35:56
Write One, Run Melos – 25:59
With the recent deletion of ‘My Favourite Things’ (My journal with former member 4ZZZ), I decided to go over some of the albums I previously reviewed for those poor saps who happened to miss them. This lead to the creation of ‘Passage In Time’, my soon to be started Dead Can Dance discography review. The other album of note from the old journal is Kashiwa Daisuke’s extravagant ‘Program Music I’, which is an album anyone should check out. With only 2 tracks, it breaks the hour in total length, an amazing electronic/contemporary classical based album, which explores some dizzying heights, and is one of the pieces in which I personally can attain bliss. The best band/person to compare would be the previously reviewed ‘World’s End Girlfriend’. I hate the term, but this really is the ultimate in ‘post rock’ music, even if it is heavier on the electronics and classical elements.
Stella is a 36 minute spectacular roller coaster ride that follows the conventional sense of song structure, but hides it extremely well. Just like any good rollercoaster, it starts in a lull, giving only the occasional hint of greater things to come, as small samples and levels of distortion/feedback are spliced to break the minimal piano solo. The nature of the build up almost suggests that one can lull in concentration, but each sound and beat is so precise that, although it feels like 5 minutes have passed, only 1 or 2 have.
The introduction of basic acoustic guitar strings being plucked and looped initiate the more post rock elements and all the way through, every sight and sound delights the senses. A basic drum beat is introduced to pick up the proceedings, and the works really steps into its own. Believe it or not, we are only 5 minutes into the song. Whether it is the strings singing in ecstasy, the obscure guitar riff or intensely strange and beautiful electronic samples and sounds, nothing is left plain or without detail. At times it is hard to define it as a post rock, or classical or electronic song, but in the end it doesn’t really matter one iota.
A short lull in the action is none less interesting, and is used as a launching point for some interesting percussion before it takes off once again. All of the small bits and pieces are in disarray, yet work in perfect unison for the final product, which is a very important factor of experimental music – How well the individuals who would have nothing to do with each other, work together for the final product. Every time and individual seemingly gets ‘too out of hand’; it is dragged back to the pack. Around the 13 minute mark, the piece enters a more ‘dramatic’ phase, with a more intense rocky beat, the increased beat of all the instruments, as well as some fantastic sampling of vocals and whatnot and chopping/mixing of electronic sounds, make it another totally different experience in itself, and just like a perfect classical piece, it explores various ideas.
The song enters a morose and sombre stillness that actually instils sadness; deep vibrating bass lines drive the section with assistance of water falling into pools of liquid, the flutes and strings coming into their own. A choir explodes from the darkness to plant hope into the listener, and the growth up to this point really is amazing, with the cutting and mixing perfect in its overall minimalist usage. The beat is obscured for a short time with heavy electronic fuzz, and the illusion is a real treat to behold, before it comes roaring back into full lucidity, before dying again behind another outburst of pink noise. From the after fall comes the heart of confrontation, the ‘peak’ of the song, attacking with vigour and force, the haunting ‘march’ reverberating in the eardrums, growing in volume as the antagonist comes ever closer. The fast paced aftermath is glorious in its entirety, sounding like it was made for the world, but a single person at the same time.
Write One, Run Melos has big shoes to fill, but rather than attempt to do so, it tries out the pair of sandals across the room. Whilst Stella was conventional in every sense of the word structure wise, WORM is an eclectic jumble. It runs at almost 26 minutes, so there is no short span of time to fit everything in, it does what it aims to do at its own leisure. The song is introduced with classical sounds being broken down and reconstructed with Daisuke’s electronic brilliance. He drives the sounds and sensations harder down your throat, and when something else attempts to intervene, he sets out to **** them up as well. Glitch/feedback/distortion is used at liberty along with the avant-garde composition to create something that, whilst following Stella sound wise, chucks everything on its head. This makes it difficult to describe in a review, but I can’t exactly try to fit it ‘neatly’ in the back of the cupboard. This is as much an experience as Stella, and whilst it doesn’t hit the same chord with me, it is still a stellar outing. It follows a more rocking groove at times, and in a split second it can be stripped back to a classical base, before being glitched out into electronic heaven.
Well, that was certainly longer than I had planned it to be. I guess no more needs to be said, other than it is a great experience listening to the album in its entirety. It was mainly for the people who didn’t see the last journal, but it needs a refresher. I myself only just played it again recently to re-realise how great of an album it is.
9.4/10
– Stella (Only 1:40 worth
)
– WORM (Only 6 or so mins worth)