SOUNDTRACK: KAWABATA MAKOTO [河端一]-INUI 3 (2005).
Kawabata Makoto [河端一] is the guitarist and mastermind behind Acid Mothers Temple. The band is hugely prolific. But he still had time to record solo albums. Often times without any guitar.
This was Kawabata’s third solo LP, now available on bandcamp
Third volume in an acclaimed series by the Acid Mothers Temple leader. INUI 3 focuses on Kawabata’s highly personal brand of epic instrumental drone. Performing on bouzouki, sarangi, electric guitar, viola, and ECS-101, Makoto emphasizes the gradual build of monumental sound structures. Running 12 minutes each, “Sui” and “Ken” are darkly spun tales, with wisps of sound keening over a distant backdrop. Recalling the Speed Guru’s lovely 2001 collaboration with Richard Youngs, the 47 minute “Fuku” is based on a hypnotic arpeggio plucked out on the bouzouki over which Gong-style glissando guitar and other zonked sounds are carefully layered.
Sui (12.33) over a drone it sounds like he’s playing a hammered dulcimer, but I gather it is the bouzouki. There’s a very pretty melody which seems to morph into a reverse-sounding musical style after about 5 minutes. These pulsing waves slowly shift into washes of synths over the drone.
Ken (12.35) starts was a drone–whether electronic or acoustic is hard to tell. Waves of sound like waves swoop through this rather relaxing piece.
Fuku (47.08) has more of that hammered bouzouki style of playing. It’s a lovely melody with a drone behind it. After 9 minutes the backing chords change the texture of the song. Around 11 minutes the melody starts to grow slightly discordant as the backing chords start to morph and the bouzouki plays some discordant notes.
The discord seems to weave in an out–never growing too harsh, just enough to give the song some tension.
Around 30 minutes, waves of electronics start to take over, there’s a slightly sinister sound to them. By the end things get a little intense and it feels like the closing credits to a dramatic film.
It’s amazing that he can keep this up for 47 minutes.
[READ: September 10, 2019] “What I Saw From the Forest”
In this story Charles and Dulcie have been together for a while. They lost their baby when Dulcie was six months pregnant. It was nobody’s fault but Dulcie can’t help but try to figure out what she did wrong.
Their relationship has been prickly ever since.
Dulcie hates to drive on freeways–she doesn’t like that she can’t exit when she wants, so they tend to take back roads. They had been to a party and Charles was too drunk to drive home so Dulcie drove his car.
He woke up when they were rear-ended. It was a a group of young men with a gun. They asked for the keys. Charles gave them the keys and his wallet and then he and Dulcie ran. The police promised them they would not see their car again. When Dulcie worried that they would come to their house since the registration was in the car, the policeman said not to worry, “crackheads never did that.”
Dulcie took a few days off (she was a teacher) so Charles drove her car to work. When he got home she had moved the mattress into the living room. There was a rat in the bedroom walls. They could hear it and had gotten used to it because when they told the landlord he said he would take care of it –which means “there’re ten other people in line for your apartment.”
She insisted on leaving the lights on all night. She even talked about getting an inflatable person to sit in a chair to let people think someone was home.
The next evening as he was driving home, someone threw an egg at his car. He freaked out until he realized it was Halloween. They hadn’t bought any candy, so when he got home Dulcie was cowering saying people kept ringing the doorbell and she couldn’t trust anyone.
A week after the holdup, police called to say their car was found. It was in a lot in South Central. The policeman asked if he was white. Charles said yes, and the polieman said to go early in the morning before “wake-up time.” They arrived and the car was stripped–even the steering wheel–so they turned it in rather than having it towed.
Charles took a day off from work. He drove to a park and sat, thinking. He realized he could either stay or go. He had a decision to make.
SOUNDTRACK: KAWABATA MAKOTO [河端一]-INUI 2 (2000).
Kawabata Makoto [河端一] is the guitarist and mastermind behind Acid Mothers Temple. The band is hugely prolific. But he still had time to record solo albums. Often times without any guitar.
SOUNDTRACK: KAWABATA MAKOTO [河端一]-INUI 1 (2000).
Kawabata Makoto [河端一] is the guitarist and mastermind behind Acid Mothers Temple. The band is hugely prolific. But he still had time to record solo albums. Often times without any guitar.
I Just Read About That... 