Style: experimental jazz, jazz fusion, prog rock, free improv (instrumental)
Recommended for fans of: Bink Beats, Magma
Review by: Andy
Country: Japan
Release date: 4 August 2023
Once I was included among the multitudes who do not understand the appeal of free improv. But seeing the extended techniques, complete musical dominance, and–most importantly–feeling the absurd energy the Brandon Lopez Trio discharged live gave me a new perspective. In a paranoid, fragmented world, listening to the structured realm of an album is a safe haven; in free improv, that’s dissected and regurgitated with a complete disregard for yours–or anybody else’s–feelings. All revolves around the sound and silence the musicians create from their deepest instincts after years of technical mastery. The energy transferred is universal.
Jellyfish is the latest installment of an ongoing collaboration between Japanese zeuhl legend Tatsuya Yoshida (drums, vocals, synths) and brutal prog superstar Risa Takeda (keyboard, synths, effects). At once, blossoming piano and rolling drums bubble forth orgasmically in a violent wall of sound. “Bolinopsis” shocks with the sheer volume of sound that two musicians create. The duo hardly let up on the aural assault for minutes at a time, and I’ll be damned if a listener could ever predict whether a flurry of fervid drumming or a sublime, jazzy piano part is next: or a range of other techniques like Takeda’s unhinged vocals (“Nemopilema”, “Sanderia”), a playful electronica dirge (“Chironex,” “Mastigias”), flitty foreplay before a magmatic swell of power, or a thousand other options. Yoshida & Raseda leave no technique out and no room for predictability.
Virile, cacophonous, and inspired, Yoshida’s drumming is the lifeblood of this album. With a spirit of childlike excitement and a bit more than a splash of prodigious talent, the kit is torn apart in every fashion. I’m not sure how Yoshida is able to groove in free time, but he does in several places, and his Christian Vander (Magma) influence is unmistakable. His drumming is omnipresent, filling up both channels in an imposing fashion. When Tatsuya Yoshida wants to intimidate you with the power beyond his drumming, he will without hesitation. If not for an already long career of stellar performances, this would be a clear highlight for any mortal musician.
Once the ear is accustomed to the chaos, Takeda’s keyboard and synth parts dazzle, injecting necessary melody atop the impossibility of the drums. Often taking warped classical queues and weird timbres like avant-black band Wreche, the keyboard performances on Jellyfish are noisy, sublime, harrowing… yet hilarious. At many points my senses are so overwhelmed by the vastness of the textures and the glittery techniques that all I can do is laugh. It’s wonderful sonic overload made even more impressive that the sounds are generated by a duo.
While listening to free improv, the transcendence generated by group performance and ignoring typical writing limitations matter more than the non-instantaneous album; the performance is the important part, not the full picture. However, as an album Jellyfish is a prolonged time to listen to free improv from the comfort of my home and not at a live performance. Additionally, Takeda’s vocals–mostly in the form of wailing–are superfluous since the performers already throw so many sounds at the listener. Although music like this doesn’t need to take itself completely seriously, Yoshida & Takeda seem to most of the time, making the odd vocals an inessential and out-of-place addition.
Despite free improv’s live experience superiority, Jellyfish is a charming listen and a great door into the world of avant-garde jazz for the most proggy of prog rock fans. The jazz fusion and zeuhl elements contribute to an infectious zeal only the Japanese really bring to a recording. Yoshida & Takeda harness each other’s energy to profound new heights here, taking cues from each other throughout to elevate the product to a strange, living din.
Recommended tracks: Bolinopsis, Chironex, Aequorea, Netrostoma, Sanderia
You may also like: Brandon Lopez, Koenjihyakkei, Wreche, Korekyojinn, Ruins Alone
Final verdict: 7/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Official Website | Facebook
Label: independent
Tatsuya Yoshida & Risa Takeda is:
– Tatsuya Yoshida (drums, voice, synth)
– Risa Takeda (keyboard, synth, effects)
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