I Just Read About That…

[ATTENDED: February 20, 2019] YAMANTAKA // SONIC TITAN

I had heard of YAMANTAKA // SONIC TITAN on NPR.  They played a song off of their latest album Dirt and I was stunned by how cool it was.   It was heavy and rocking with prog elements and a chorus that was pure J-Pop.  It was magical.

Then I read a little about them.  From their website:

They’re a “Noh-Wave” prog collective, a black-and-white (and sometimes red) theatre company, an operatic psych cult, and the speculative prophets of humanity’s impending doom.

The new album Dirt:

was conceived as the soundtrack for an unreleased Haudenosaunee and Buddhist themed Anime produced in 1987. Like UZU [their previous disc], it takes place on the planet Pureland, now 10,000 years after the planet has flooded. The surviving people live within bubble domes floating in orbit. A team of mercenaries descends into the drowned wreckage of the world to receive the last sample of uncorrupted soil.

Though the name of their fantastical universe is derived from a strand of Buddhism and Haudenosaunee that first blossomed in China, its narratives are inspired by the Iroquois story of the creation of North America. The members of Yamantaka//Sonic Titan keep the history of indigenous people close to them and their work, even incorporating hand drums and traditional rhythms into songs

The band was formed by Alaska B, the (terrific) drummer.   The rest of the band is primary (and somewhat quieter) singer Joanna Delos Reyes.  The second singer (who captivated me from the start with her power) Ange Loft.  She was incredible.  Guitarist Hiroki Tanaka could shred with the best but also played some really pretty melodies.  Bassist Brandon Lim was great at propelling the songs where they needed to go.  I could never really see keyboardist Brendan Swanson because of where I was standing but he not only played some amazingly fast stuff, he also added crucial textures and effects.

The band members are Chinese-Canadian, Filipino-Canadian, Japanese-Canadian and First Nations, their music is rooted here, in an Indigenous and North American rock sound.  Alaska says “It’s Native American music. We live on stolen land but you can’t recognize the sound of the people you took it from?  The cultural influences we bring are not foreign because we were raised in Canada.”

And I had heard their live show was terrific:

The live show is … a sensory overload of makeup and costumes that falls somewhere between Boredoms and Kiss, but the focus … is on their sound.

The fact that they were opening for Acid Mothers Temple was like a dream come true.

The band came out in full make up with matching robes.  The design on the back of the robes was hard to see in the dim light.

The show started quietly with “Hungry Ghost” a song from the middle of the disc.  Delos Reyes sang gently, beautifully, while Loft was playing cymbals and later a Native hand drum.  The guitars and piano added gentle sounds.  About two minutes in, the heavy riffs started.  Their heavy moments were loud and chaotic and absolutely filled the room.  Normally I like to watch a guitarist when he/she is playing like this, but the whole band was so visually interesting, it was hard to look at just one person.

It was followed by the absolutely rocking “Dark Waters.”  The opening riff of this is so catchy and fast and I love the way Loft’s voice soars throughout the track. It gives me chills listening to it even on record.  There’s also some really cool prog rock keyboard soloing on this song.

Then came the song I couldn’t wait to hear live, “Yandere.”  It opens with intense heavy guitars and drumming and then shifts to a great prog-rock bass/keys sound.  After some intense verses comes this  of insanely poppy chorus followed by more heavy verses.  I loved the final chorus where the poppy chorus was made more intense with Loft’s vocals and Swanson’s keys.  The full band sounded great.

They stayed with Dirt for “Tawine.”  Over a thumping bass, a chanted vocal underscores the rocking music.

They jumped back to their 2013 album UZU for “One.”  This song opens with Native chanting.  Indeed, the entire song has a Native American feel–from the drums to the melody to the terrific, simple chorus of “One, One, One, One, ONE!”  This song is cool on record but it was amazingly powerful live.

They continued moving backward with a song from their debut–the percussion heavy “A Star Over Pureland.”  The combination of drums, heavy guitar and great (wordless?) vocals was incredibly intense.  Especially the way, the song just pounds and pounds for several minutes.

The final song was a cover of a band I’d never heard of.  They were the Flower Travellin’ Band, a Japanese psychedelic band active from 1967-1973.  The song was heavy with some great guitar soloing and some really intense vocals from Loft.

When the show ended and they left the stage I told Loft that they were amazing.  She jokes that she feared they were going off the rails at one point, but I’m not sure when, as it all seemed great to me.

As I was leaving the venue later that night i saw them loading the van and I was able to Alaska how much I enjoyed the show.  She was super nice and friendly and I can’t wait to hear (and see) what she and her band come up with next.

SETLIST

1. Hungry Ghost Ð
2. Dark Waters Ð
3. Yandere Ð
4. Dirt Ð
5. Tawine Ð
6. One Ω
7. A Star Over Pureland §
8. Satori pt II & III (Flower Travellin’ Band cover)

Ð = Dirt (2018)
Ω = UZU (2013)
§ = YT//ST (2011)