Merzbow — F.I.D

F.I.D  (Fur Is Dead) followers the lead of the recent Minazo Vol 1, the tracks  are coated in defined melodies and ultra noisy denser textured ambience, the use of guitar feedback taken to a new sculptured level. Each track here is very different, not staying in one  set  of sounds, which makes it a wonderfully balanced double album, standing as one of his best releasers of  this year.

Disk one opens up with Exteriorization?@ No.1 ,which kicks in with a looped melody under a mound of feedback, then burn and crashing sounds are add, that form into this wonderfully wonky melody full of strange nostalgia, it moves deeper into the mix like a snake slip off into the grass, as banks of static pound, but all the time the track returns to  the melodic twists. Later on- he drops in a looped washed out fairground like melody, as the sounds build; he paints amazing distorted,yet memorable sound patterns.

Forest of Kelp is the next track and the longest here at 21 minutes- sounding just as the title suggest some vast churning forest of sound, full of dry hissings, seething banks of droning static, fazer like pluses, but all the time keeping a background of oppressive tempered  static. At about the half way mark this great eastern type feedback guitar pattern swirls into view, like a twisted snake charmers songs, it’s both enchanting and tinged with great sadness. The track also has a slight spacey vibe recalling elements of  1997’s Space Metalizer, as it drifts into tight moog like twirls and  twist of sound. Really one of his most amazing pieces of work, transcending noise and music,  audio painting of the highest form.

Disk One ends with Seitaka , full of tight bassy punches of looped beat static,  distortion is used to paint great tripped out sheets of sound, he adds great bleeps of sound  that sound like a gone wrong heart monitor, bouncing them around the stereo field to great effect. As the track develops the beat almost takes on a galloping horse type vibe, which he layers on patterns of metallic gone wrong typewriter clicking, bent electronics, bird chattering and various cluttering.

 

Disk two opens with Exteriorization? @ No.2, it seems to concentrate on spiralling and swirling  rich clusters of tuneful guitar painting. With a sad lost air to it, it almost feels like animal screams at some points, both haunting and disturbing. Next Up is Transition which starts off with chaotic looped bird chatter, then settles down in to bumpy ambience hiss. The track has an air of the deaf compositions disk from the Turmeric four disk set. Lastly we have Kongara, which is all about static bouncing beat, that ripples with some great fazer and high pitched sound whippings. Drifting mid-way into some breathtaking feedback sound painting.

So in the top two or three Merzbow releases for this year and in the top ten of  releases of the  last few years. Another clear example of an artist, performing at the height of his powers- simple put -a must buy!- to pick up direct go Here .