KOREKYOJIN

The debut album by Yoshida Tatsuya's avant prog supergroup power trio shows yet another side of this multi faceted and fascinating musician. It's a purely instrumental affair, which is good news for those who find Yoshida's vocals in Koenjihyakkei and Ruins heavy going, and it sees him teamed up with two of the Japanese underground's finest players; Kido Natsuki of Bondage Fruit and Salle Gaveau on guitar, and sometime Ground Zero bass maestro Nasuno Mitsuru.

The album consists of 9 compositions by Yoshida punctuated by 3 brief group improvisations. The main compositions are all very tightly written and played, and from the sound of it they were all recorded in one take with minimal - if any - overdubbing. The music is full of the abrupt changes of tempo and time signature that are such a prominent feature of Yoshida's writing, but with a very different feel. The Zeuhl influences are less obvious, with a kind of mutant RIO/jazz/funk vibe predominant throughout; there's a definite Massacre influence audible here, or perhaps Mahavishnu Orchestra stripped of the violin and keyboards. The playing is very fast and very precise, but there's often a suspicion that this is more about technique than feeling. The best track is the last piece on the album, Poet and Peasant. This is one of Yoshida's finest moments, and has the same kind of off kilter catchiness as Ruins' majestic Praha in Spring. The 3 improvised tracks feature Yoshida on what sounds like Bendir or Darabouka, and they have a world music, semi acoustic feel which provides an interesting and welcome contrast with the remainder of the album.

This album is interesting when contrasted with Ruins and Koenjihyakkei, but is more one for fans of Japanese underground prog than for newcomers. 3.5 stars really, with the .5 added for the brilliant Poet and Peasant. Recommended to fans of virtuosic instrumental projects like Bozzio-Levin-Stevens, Counter World Experience or Liquid Tension Experiment who are in the mood for something more adventurous.