Fushitsusha - The Wisdom Prepared

There are many great talents in the vast sea of alternative Japanese music. One of the most notable is Keiji Haino. An incredibly prolific musician, Haino has apeared on about 100 albums since 1970. He plays several different instruments but is most famous for his guitar playing and vocals. There is always a certain amount of mystery surrounding him. He almost always dresses completely in black, has long black hair and is never seen without his dark sunglasses. His look is directly inspired by JapRock pioneers, Les Rallizes Denudes.

Fushitsusha is his main project and was founded in 1978. Usually a duo or trio, Fushitsusha features a constantly changing line up of drums, bass, synthesizer and tape loops to back up Haino's incredibly loud and noisy impov guitar. Their shows are notoriously loud with Haino often playing through a minimum of four full stacks. The Wisdom Prepared is Fushitsusha's eighth studio album. It was released in 1998 and features one 75 minute track. This can only be fully appreciated by listening to it in it's entirety and at very high volumes.

-PolarBear

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About a Million - 'Since Now Till Then'

About a Million is songwriter Anothy Leitch doing a very DIY experimental approach to indie. Very creative writing and real catchy. This is my favorite new album. Check out the bands myspace for more album downloads.

Highlights: "Amputated Push-Ups", Acid Trips and Puffy Lips", Blizzard of '78"

9/10

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-Shua

AC4 - 'AC4'

AC4 is Denis and Dave of Refused, alongside Umea, Sweden locals Karl Backman and Jens Norden. Denis sings somewhere between Refused and T(i)NC and Sandstrom steps out from behind the kit to helm the bass. The result is a solid, straight forward hardcore punk album. Not as intense as when Denis and Dave were doing Final Exit, but still a lot of fun. Released June 2009.

Highlights: 'Where are the Kids'

'Fuck the Pigs'

'Let's Go to War'

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-SHUA

This Heat - Out Of Cold Storage

If only this band had kept going they could have been the greatest Post Punk band of all time. Unfortunately, after only a few years and two albums they broke up and have since joined the ranks of the criminally underrated and obscure. Out of Cold Storage is a collection of This Heat's two albums, Deceit and Health & Efficiency, as well as some assorted studio oddities. The collection's name is a reference to the abandoned meat locker dubbed "Cold Storage" where the band did all their writing and recording. This Heat can be compared to the great Post Punk bands such as Television, Pere Ubu, Cardiacs and Magazine. However, more so than any of their peers, This Heat took a more direct influence from Krautrock groups such as Can, Faust and Neu!. Swirling tape loops, chord repetition, and chanted vocals were often the defining feature of their songs.

Be sure to give this a few listens before passing any judgment. These songs can be a lot to digest all at once.

-PolarBear

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