High Rise

High Rise are a Japanese psychedelic trio that deliver heavy hitting blasts of noise and fury, along with blistering cyclical guitar solos.  These guys are the definition of Japanese hard psych but rather than follow in the tradition of Japanese bands such as Blues Creation or Flower Travelin' Band, they take a more experimental noise rock route.  They favor live performance over studio craftsmanship and take influence from free jazz soloing rather than Black Sabbath or more conventional 70s riffage.

Guitarist Munehiro Nirito has said that he wouldn't encourage anyone to drive while listening to High Rise (although I've done it myself) and I can understand why.  High Rise at their best are the electric personification of spinning out of control.  The chords set a chugging pace for the band to start their drive, but as every song progresses it inevitably explodes into a slashing spiral of noise.  The vocals are always drowned out by the lead guitar, which is really the focus of the songs.  The bass lines chug along while syncing with the drums pounding out a rhythm similar to an engine firing, until Nirito inevitably squeals in, riding on an out of control Wah- Wah solo.  When this happens the band explodes into a thrashing whirlwind of noise, together and unified, but lost in the chaos of their own sonic storm.  It is aggressive, loud, searing, and overwhelming.  It is not a style of music for everyone and it will most certainly put you on edge and perhaps make you uncomfortable, however the pure energy and musicianship of the band is undeniable.

The band is meant to be experienced live, and while this does not diminish their studio records it does clue you in to how they are meant to be heard.  So if you only listen to one High Rise record make it the live record.

      

Blues Creation

Back to it.

I've been neglecting this page, but the good news is I have a full catalog of (relative) obscurities to post about and share. So we're kicking it off with one of my favorite lesser known psych bands- Blues Creation! Not the Creation and not the blues explosion, we're talking Japanese Hard Psych!

When the fuzzed out tones of 60s psychedelic rock resonated in ears world wide, it did what all good music does, it inspired imitation. Musicians could appropriate the sounds they heard into a new mixture of ideas and sounds from their own culture and thank God. Hardcore fans of the genre will be no strangers to Blues Creation and for good reason. Inspired by the popular American Blues Rock as well as the sludgy riffs of Black Sabbath Blues Creation formed in the late 60s/early 70s. By 1971 they had recorded two albums, but it was their second album "Demon & Eleven Children" that would solidify them in Psychedelic Rock history and lead to an eventual collaboration with Felix Pappalardi (of Mountain). But that is another story.

"Demon & Eleven Children" opens with a sample of lightning and thunder, horses crying out in the storm, giving way to a spiraling electric guitar which swells until the band bursts out of the haze and into a tight and heavy blues rock groove. It is a great introduction to a band that seems to come out of the elements like the psychedelic Japanese priests they were. As soon as you get comfortable with a groove or the band starts to fall into comfortable territory they immediately turn the opposite direction jumping back and forth between styles and tempos alike.

The song "Mississippi Mountain Blues" the second track on the album turns from a traditional acoustic blues song, with harmonica and all the other trappings, and jumps into an electric, ascending run that goes off-kilter before going right back into a more comfortable blues progression. Other tracks like "Just I Was Born" and "Brain Buster" hint at proto punk power fused with the psychedelic guitar wankery that would become a tradition of Japanese Psych. They even mellow it out on the dreamy, slow tempo "One Summer Day". The album could be considered Prog it jumps around so much.

If you love guitar based music this band is a must.  If you are looking for something out of the ordinary this is it.  It may not seem out of this world anymore, but it must have in 1971.

Unfortunately it seems all of "Demon and Eleven Children" has been removed from youtube, otherwise I'd link it.  But here's this--

http://youtu.be/rh1DreByNFQ