Japanese people is almost very serious
In the liner notes for Birushanah’s face-melting new record on Level Plane, two musicians are credited with “metal percussion.” This initally got us to wondering: is this some kind of fancy-pants euphemism? Like, we could totally see Dave Lombardo getting credited for “metal percussion” on the next Fantomas record. But since Birushanah’s lineup also includes a drummer, it can’t be that. On the 20+ epic “Akai Yami,” there’s one guy pounding on a Japanese taiko drum and another guy playing bells and chimes. Well, it’s not exactly clear who is responsible for what on the record, but according to a recent MySpace bulletin, their roles were further complicated after the Japanese noise merchants had trouble getting their instruments through customs on their recent tour: “We could not bring Japanese drum to USA… Japanese post office is shit!!!!” Still, these guys should be used to improvising by now. In the clip below, they’re making do with a traditional drum kit and an empty oil drum, which would be totally wackyif these guys hadn’t thought of it first.
Birushanah, live in Melbourne 6/8/07
May 8th, 2008 at 7:59 pm
whats up with the bassist with the pony tail? maybe its the poor quality of the video, but is there some sort of silver coating on the fret board?
other than the trash can, the bassists present an interesting sound
May 9th, 2008 at 1:06 am
when will the magazine’s content again be available? if you click on “features” of any issue before this month’s, you’re redirected to an error page. me wants to read back issue stuff.
May 9th, 2008 at 3:31 am
He’s playing a fretless bass. That’s why he wears a ponytail. The smooth surface of the fretboard is likely more reflective under the light.
May 9th, 2008 at 9:34 am
the smooth surface of the bass makes me wanna listen to more of this band and their industrial drums
May 9th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
it prompts me to listen to jaco