BONDAGE FRUIT VI

Another step down the eclectic highway

Sub-genre: Zeuhl (further straying from these roots, Bondage Fruit VI borders on Prog-folk at times. Themes here are not as dark as Zeuhl traditionally comes across)
For Fans of: Rockin' blends of Eastern and Western traditional sounds
Vocal Style: None
Guitar Style: Multiple electric and acoustic styles
Keyboard Style: None
Percussion Style: Dual percussion, rock set, trap drum, congas, bongos and vibes. Also, this weird sound of sharpening knives on Locomotive
Bass Style: Electric upright
Other Instruments: Violin played in various styles, acoustic and electric

Summary: Bondage Fruit has made a career of thumbing their collective nose at conventional musical architecture while celebrating the styles of their Eastern ancestors and Western heroes. The band steps back into their adventuring shoes after perhaps their most pedestrian album Skin.
BF-VI is arguably their gentlest release. The presence of luscious vibes, acoustic guitar and airy violin coat the songs with a cushion similar to soft tufts of moss and fern on a rain forest. They are still prone to the occasional frenzy, but it is the exception rather that the rule here. The multi-percussion mayhem bridge of Rath comes to mind, breaking the trance of tribal beats. The opener Three Voices is 16 minutes of what Mahavishnu Orchestra's Visions of The Emerald Beyond could have been had it not been so slathered in post-free-love platitudes and metaphysics. Locomotive is an aptly named song that uses slide-guitar over a bizarre sounding cymbal slicing sound that is similar to sharpening knives, played in the rhythm of metal rail wheels. Dear Gazelle maintains one of the fastest tempos of the album while violin and acoustic guitar carry a sweet melody over tasty vibraphone textures. And it is the vibraphone again that chills the spine in The Train, this time carrying the main melody into the body of the song. This time the structure is not unlike early King Crimson. Something Green avoids brushing on anything that would be considered rock music. Very sweet acoustic guitar chord runs are the rule with light conga rhythms in the background. I/O is a very fun foray into bluegrass with a hint of traditional Japanese hues. One of the most exciting vibraphone solos is played in the spirit of Ruth Underwood or Gary Burton. The rapidity of the closing stanza is sharply distinct from the subdued opening of the album, punctuation to a deeply satisfying musical experience.

Final Score: The even numbered Bondage Fruit albums all seem to come as close to perfection as they can. This one is no exception, master work from master musicians. 5 stars

As usual this one sounds different from their past releases, although the closest one to this would be their third. The drumming is not as heavy on this one though, and they do bring in a some new styles of music. It's those new sounds that i'm not a fan of really, like the bluesy guitar on "Locomotive" or the blue-grass sounds on the fast paced "I/O". And this is a long album at almost 70 minutes.

It opens with "Three Voices" as percussion leads the way as different sounds come and go like cymbals, drums and violin. The percussion calms down 2 1/2 minutes in as some cool sounding vibraphone arrives.Guitar sounds and then some very deep bass comes in. Guitar and violin play some aggressive melodies over this soundscape.The guitar 10 minutes in is fabulous. Some relentless violin follows. I really like this song as there is so much going on. Great sound. It ends with synths. "Rath" opens with deep bass sounds as guitar, percussion,vibraphone and violin follow. Some mid-eastern sounds too. Lots of intricate sounds. A change after 5 minutes as percussion only is heard, joined then by bass, synths and guitar sounds. "Locomotive" features bluesy guitar melodies that are joined by violin, bass and percussion. Vibraphone after 2 minutes, and I especially like the vibraphone after 4 minutes. Not a big fan of this one, especially the guitar style.

"Dear Gazelle" is much better. It opens with gentle vibraphone that gets louder. Guitar, drums and violin follow. Some throbbing bass after 2 1/2 minutes as violin leads the way. Some scorching melodies as the vibraphone provides a nice accompanying sound. Drums continue to be played relentlesly. The guitar and violin are fighting for prominance. Nice. Great tune. "The Train" is my favourite track on here. It opens with some wonderful vibraphone before light drums and gentle guitar come in. A pastoral sound is the result. The guitar is slowly getting more aggressive, it's building steam like a train.Violin and bass are added. We are blessed with some blistering melodies that end abruptly. A 4 minute calm of violin, bass, guitar, percussion and vibraphone follows (they all come and go) as the soundscape rebuilds slowly again.Then 10 minutes in we get more scorching guitar. "Something Green" is a laid back tune that opens with acoustic guitar playing solo for a minute before violin and vibraphone join in. Percussion and violin after 2 minutes. Some fat bass follows. It's ok. "I/O" is an uptempo tune that does sound like bluegrass. Violin, guitar and drums are quickly played. A vibraphone solo after 2 1/2 minutes is a highlight.

Their first album is still my favourite, followed by the second and then third. This is still easily a 4 star album though, with "Three Voices" , "Rath" , "Dear Gazelle" and "The Train" being amazing tunes, and those 4 songs make up over 45 minutes of music alone.

After the musical zenith accomplished in their third effort "Récit", Bondage Fruit apparently felt prepared to explore their taste for sonic eclecticism with fervor and gusto. In fact, their "IV" and "VI" albums are somewhat distant from their usual Zeuhl motifs and find them digging deep into fusion and jazz-rock realms, while retaining much of the tension one has to expect from any avant-prog outfit. Of both aforesaid albums, "Bondage Fruit VI" is my personal favorite - succeeding the very dark "Skin" album (a solid return to Zeuhl waters combined with post-rock and minimalistic atmospheres), this album brings an avid sense of colorfulness that only musicians with great minds and great hearts can achieve. 'Three Voices' opens up the album with vibraphone drops that candidly emulate the dew of spring: gradually, soft guitar chords and violin textures settle in joining forces with bass bumps and additional percussions (softly as well). Even though you can sense a certain tension in the air, the overall mood is one of warmth. From the 3 minute mark onward, the musical landscape builds a powerful display of lyrical atmospheres, ultimately leading to a Mahavishnu-meets-Weather Report-style jam. For a bunch of minutes, it is virtuoso guitarist Natsuki who leads the way for the whole band, until the 10 ½ minute brings a moment of controlled decrease. This is when violinist Yuji finds room to rise as the main protagonist, as he becomes the man in charge of leading the momentum. For the track's last 3 minutes, the ensemble returns to the initial dew drop, this time featuring the acoustic guitar. A great opener this is, indeed. 'Rath' kicks off with a bass solo whose virtuosic free form chord sequence gives way to a heavily ethnic motif: the resulting jam that combines Far Eastern, Arabic and African ambiences brings back memories of early 70s Hancock. The guitar states lines and phrases of dosed energy while the violin indulges in its lovely, free playfulness. At some point, a percussive frenzy gets in and starts a sort of trance that culminates in an exotic celebration. The ethereal mood is powerfully led by the triangulation of bass, acoustic guitar and hand drum. 'Locomotive' is the next in line, assuming the position of enhancing the previous piece's ambience and taking it to a more bizarre level. The rhythmic cadence mixes African grooves and Delta blues dynamics (the latter element being reinforced by the dominating presence of the slide guitar). Meanwhile, the tonal percussion interventions seem more focused on Modernistic chamber - its intrusions, while not being overbearing, they certainly are relevant to the track's build-up. 'Dear Gazelle' steers a bit away from the (sort of) mystic nuances delivered in tracks 2 and 3, focusing more on celebratory moods. The sense of extroversion is electrifying and sophisticated - with the featured role of the acoustic guitar and the position of the electric guitar on a more subtle role, the most dominant places in the mix are filled by the violin and the percussions. 'The Train' brings back some of the old blues jive that had been introduced in 'Locomotive', but this time the meditative feel is more pronounced. The dreamy languidness portrayed by the instruments states a sensation that it is a never ending dream that's going on. The slow pace does not hide the elegant tension elaborated by the band. Also dreamy and slow-paced, yet devoid of tension, is 'Something Green', where the marriage of acoustic guitar and vibraphone creates a solid core for the piece's overall eerie mood. The last track is entitled 'I/O', and it is a rara avis within the album's Framework. Its combination of jazz, country and beat psychedelia brings a "joie de vivre" feel that serves as an optimistic ending. All in all, this album is a robust expression of Bondage Fruit exorcising their multiple sonic factors under a different light.

After a disappointing foray into post-rock on Skin, Bondage Fruit revert to self-titled albums and move on to tackle yet another prog subgenre - this time around, they've dropped the zeuhl and gone for all-out fusion. It's an intriguing mix - with percussion work extremely reminiscent of Pierre Moerlen's Gong, and furious guitar and violin soloing over the top of that in the tradition of the Mahavishnu Orchestra, arriving at a unique fusion mixture which remains vibrant and exciting over the course of the entire album. I wouldn't say it's one of their absolute best, but it's very, very good, and makes me hope for more from the future from the Fruit.