Lover of animals, especially birds, Merzbow is a Japanese noise artist commonly regarded as one of the pioneers and leaders of the genre. He’s not for everyone, and I wouldn’t expect most to enjoy noise music. It’s an odd genre in the realm of music but has a lot to offer. In the sea of these noise albums it can be difficult to find the best ones. Surface level these can all seem very similar but just like any genre you have the true stand outs. Merzbow has definitely earned the title to be a stand out in the noise scene.
Merzbeat was one of Masami Akita first noticeable moments drifting from his traditional noise style. Albums such as Pulse Demon, pictured below, truly defined his style and made him a living legend in the scene. Yet Merzbeat featured looping drum beats which were very extremely unique and mixed with his noise elements. Up until this point in his discography he hadn’t really used any real sort of repetitive rhythm or constant drums except his 1998 project Aqua Necromancer. This project wasn’t as refined and fell into the background of Merzbow projects. The samples weren’t nearly as well placed as Merzbeat and was the base for what was to come. Six years after Aqua Necromancer was when Merzbeat would release and really spark a new style. Merzbow would continue to release an overwhelming amount of his traditional noise albums featuring synthesizers, and extreme sounds.
The true reason why Merzbeat is such a good noise album isn’t even necessarily as simple as pinning it on the drum samples. That was definitely what made it unique but it’s something to keep you grounded. One of the best complements to noise I always see is a grounding, it helps keep the listener engaged in an element. No matter what, you will have that three second drum loop going away in your ears even with an intense amount of synthesizers and warped sounds diving in there as well. It’s supposed to be loud and very in your face, but unlike most Merzbow projects I’d argue a goal of ambience can’t be achieved here.
See with most noise albums one factor a lot of listeners enjoy, myself included, is the constant noise wall of the genre acting as a sort of calming relaxing ambience. Similar to an effect that is achieved with ambient drone music, such as Tim Hecker, listen below for a comparison. When you realize this aspect it becomes clear that this album is a lot more textured than other releases from Merzbow. It’s something to sink your teeth in, think about, and come to a conclusion. It isn’t meant to just be noise it’s meant to captivate you and find every little detail. And no matter what… a drum loop will be waiting on the other end.
Merzbow still goes his own way on this record, make no mistake with a track like ‘Tadpole’ he still uses repetition but not a drum loop this time. A much more noise influenced song rather than the first song ‘Promotion Man’ Sticking to the true drum addition of this record. Unique for Merzbow’s instrumental portfolio, what can be heard on the third track almost sounds like an out of tune violin. It’s a very interesting addition but it quickly resorts back to the traditional aspects of this project.
What’s to be learned here musically is interesting. It’s a project not designed for background or ambience but a true one to one with the listener. It’s Akita speaking his voice in drums and racking noises. It’s not holding back and being anything besides what it presents. A noise record with drums.
Sound Check Chuck 