Keiji Haino ( 灰野敬二 ) - Tenshi No Gijinka (1995)

| Avant-Garde | Experimental Percussion |
| Psychedelic |

And here it goes, another incredible album by Keiji Haino! (for the previous releases, check out here) This one is even more experimental, a collection of 9 untitled tracks recorded in New York, produced by the well-known avant-garde artist John Zorn. Here we have Keiji experimenting highly on solo percussion. The title translation is "Personification Of An Angel".

Tenshi no Gijinka (aka Personification of an Angel) stands for one of Keiji's most dark albums (maybe alongside with 'Nijiumu' and 'Watashi Dake?'). Here, the music ranges from very resonant gong tones with shouted, gargled vocals to plenty of crashing “lid” hits with deep chanting and higher-pitched singing off in the background to barking, chirping vocals with spare drum hits and doubled screaming to extended, ringing metal percussion to low-pitched, bell-like tones with delicate, yet agitated singing to stringed instrument plucks with metallic percussion washes to wailing wind instruments with low, muttered vocals.

The first track is my favourite. Perhaps the darkest on the whole album. We have other nice song on the 4th, in which he cries and shout gloomily. Track 8 must be the most experimental: A very atmospheric piece of low-pitched plucks, high-pitched percussion whines, muted string melody and gong waves. Tracks 7 and 9 are also very nice. The rest of the album may drag a bit in some places, but for an experimental record, it hold still as one of the most incredible I've ever heard. You don't usually listen to stuff like around...

Tenshi no Gijinka, altogether with the first and last track from "Beginning and End, Interwoven", stands as one of the only albums in which Keiji Haino does Overdubbing (almost all the rest is recorded Live, with no tapes nor overdubbing). It does not lose its spirit, though. And there’s a nice blurry, grainy photo of Haino beating a drum on the cover, as well.

Catalog: TZ 7203 (Tzadik)
Album overview on Arcane Candy
On Last.fm
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