Phew - Light Sleep
(Mesh-Key)

The latest release from Japanese avant / punk pioneer Phew, Light Sleep, adds yet another bold and refreshing effort to her expansive discography. Until her previous and most excellent album Voice Hardcorearrived in the shop earlier this year, I was totally unfamiliar with her work but by now, she has gained my full attention. Born out of late 70's Japanese punk scene, Hiromi Moritani first hit the scene with her band Aunt Sally before forging her own experimental path. Light Sleep was apparently self-recorded in a bedroom but either by way of her own limitations or in spite of them, the album creates a world of its own. Propulsive analog drum machines with layers of vocal manipulation quickly bring comparisons of Suicide to the surface but with a fragility that helps sustain tension. Light Sleep lies somewhere in between a rhythmic anxiety attack, and a claustrophobic cold wave bad dream, and I mean that in the best way possible. By the end of the record you are so swept up in the chem-trails of her vision, that it's hard to believe you're listening to the same record. Phew is truly a force to be reckoned with and Light Sleep is a good place to start. (Adam)
Check out a track here.