Nazoranai - Beginning To Fall In Line Before Me, So Decorously, The Nature Of All That Must Be Transformed
(W. 25th)

Rarely is the term “Supergroup” applied to collaborations within the avant garde / experimental music community. However this may be the only phrase applicable to the band Nazoranai, who have just released their third album, Beginning To Fall In Line... The reason this moniker seems to fit the band so well is largely due to the monolithic reputations of the three artists involved. Keiji Haino has been making some of the most aggressive and extreme music out of Japan for close to four decades. Oren Ambarchi has been recording for 20 years at a rate of sometimes five releases per year. And then there’s Stephen O' Malley, one half of the two-man doom & gloom troubadours Sunn O))), as well as many, many other projects. This album was released by the recently established W.25th label, which is a sub label of the almighty and ever expanding Superior Viaduct. My interest is based on the reputation of not just the members but more importantly the label. The results were not what I expected. The record is 1 piece, which is in fact the title track divided into 2 parts, 1 side per. What’s most surprising about this release for me was the instrumentation – O'Malley on bass, Ambachi on percussion and Haino on Hurdy Gurdy /Guitar / Sruti Box & vocals. My first guess when I saw this on the shelf was that it would be some kind of guitar trio freakout, or perhaps O'Malley & Haino on guitars with Ambarchi on electronics. This was not the case. The music is surprisingly organic and simple, no smoke and mirrors, simply rhythms and textures. The A-side is strongly reminiscent of the drone cornerstone Outside The Dream Syndicate by Tony Conrad & Faust, again due to its power through simplicity. The tension snaps hard on the B-side where Haino elicits his patented guitar noise and the release is a welcome one. For some, it may not be much of a surprise that these three artists have released yet another incredible album but whatever you expect, Nazoranai have enough surprises in store for whoever dares to listen. (Adam)
Check out a track here.