2 posts tagged “9goats black out”
Their last release back in January took the indie world by storm, especially those into the Nagoya scene and those musicians associated with it. Considering how polished and fresh that release was, this single definitely has some large shoes to fill. How likely is that to happen? More likely than you might think.
9GOATS BLACK OUT
Sleeping Beauty
Genre: rock, visual, Nagoya
Release Date: 09-09-08
Price: 1000 ¥
Released By: Daiki Sound
Tracks: 4
01.Sleeping Beauty
02.Lestat
03.Nocturne (remix)
04.Sink (remix)
Sleeping Beauty - begins with some clean guitar strumming and Ryo singing very softly. The song threatens to build early on, but sort of musically checks itself and proceeds at fairly subdued pace, occasionally building, but then coming back down. Ryo’s vocals are unsurprisingly gorgeous, except for his breathing, which is sometimes noisy, but it’s not really distracting. Unless you mention it, which I’m doing, so I apologize. It’s nice that the song is over five minutes and contains a guitar solo, albeit a short one. This was something the first mini lacked, as all the songs were pretty short. I also like that the song never comes to that crescendo that it keeps hinting at throughout. Don’t go against the grain if you aren’t prepared to follow it through, I say.
Lestat - is delightfully distorted from the very beginning. And Ryo’s maniacal sing-song whisper helps it teeter on the brink of madness throughout. Supporting him are some high-pitched guitar squeals and just the right amount of bass dominance. Somewhere near the breakdown, the guitar reminds me an awful lot of Aie, and that actually continues right into the very interesting bridge. If it can even be called a bridge. This song isn’t set up in a usual way at all. Like I said initially with the madness theme, that’s sort of what the composition is like, meandering through parts like it doesn’t know where it’s going. And to top it all off, the end doesn’t make ANY sense whatsoever, but there is no more perfect death growl, nay, roar, than what Ryo pulls off. I don’t think there’s a madder song than this, and if there is, I haven’t heard it. Genius.
Nocturne (remix) - is different from the original pretty fast. Just check out those tablas and dark orchestration. However, they also don’t do Ryo’s soaring vocals justice. The rest of the song is some pretty New Age wankery, and it’s nice, really. I wouldn’t say it’s a match for the original, but at least it’s different, more like a real song.
Sink (remix) - has a lot of random sound effects for about two minutes before you hear the familiar starting notes of the original tinkling in the background. The bass seems more highlighted in this one. But again, there’s a lot of funky synth taking over at sometimes inopportune times, and well, the song is seven minutes where it was originally three and a half, you have to expect some flab.
At this point, if you are into the visual indie scene at all, and have not heard of or heard 9GOATS BLACK OUT, you are probably living under a rock. Their first mini was such a success that it had everyone scrambling to get an interview with them, including us. But they pretty much prove that they warranted all of it with this release. Sleeping Beauty is gorgeous and dark, but the mad genius of Lestat is what really stands out to me on this one. That song is my new favorite from them. Also, it was nice that the remixes were almost more like real songs than remixes.
Final Word: does not disappoint in the least. ★★★★★
Key:
★★★★★ = Excellent, flawless, perfecto
★★★★☆ = Very good, has some minor flaws
★★★☆☆ = Good, maybe a few boring moments, but overall enjoyable
★★☆☆☆ = Fair, bad outweighs the good
★☆☆☆☆ = Poor, possibly offensive to your ears
So, following the return of Aie and a few other famous Nagoyans last year, we have another return. This time it’s Ryo, former vocalist of Gullet. Gullet was one of three bands that formed out of the break-ups of Kein and Lamiel, the other two being Blast and Deadman. Gullet was also the former band of Yukino, Hibiki ( both now in the Studs), and Reo (of Lynch). However, unlike the Studs’ formation last year, the other two musicians named in this band are previously unknown, at least, to me.
Ryo, it seems, took some time off after Gullet’s disbandment to work in art, and in fact, all the design and concept behind this new band is done by him. This project hit the pipeline in the form of a website in mid-December of last year. It was pretty clear to fans of the scene, that this was going to be a true Nagoya-style band. I can’t say I expected any different. However, like the Studs did last year, this band had its own set of surprises in store…
9GOATS BLACK OUT
Devils in Bedside
Genre: rock, Nagoya
Release Date: 01.25.2008
Price: 2400 ¥
Released By: ZOISite
Tracks: 6
01.Sink
02.690min
03.Nocturne
04.Den lille Havfrue
05.Raw
06.Float
Sink begins the album softly, almost Gackt-like, with piano and some light drumming. Ryo sings softly, almost delicately, and I was immediately struck by how smooth and rich his voice is now. Some very nicely-spaced rests throughout as well, I love those, if you haven’t noticed. The song is somewhat anti-climactic, with the guitar solo and breakdown being right at the end, but on the upside, it flows directly into 690min. The pace picks up immediately after a short speaking intro, with a very memorable and catchy guitar riff. The tempo changes are wonderfully placed and serve to actually make the song seem longer, even though it’s already the longest song on here. Which is absolutely fine with me, as it’s easily my favorite on this mini. Like the previous song, there’s a bit of a bridge that suggests the song is about to end, but in this case, it does not, and in fact goes right into a guitar solo. Ryo doesn’t sing as much in this one, rather bringing back those growls he was known for in Gullet. Surely a fan favorite.
Nocturne is next, still keeping the piano theme in with the
guitar. I love the little bit of an off-beat with the drumline. But
it’s Ryo’s vocals that really shine in this one. Other than some
occasionally noisy breathing, it’s pretty hard to find anything wrong
with them. He effortlessly soars above the instruments, and has no
problem transitioning registers. There’s no doubt he’s improved
significantly since Gullet. He barely even sounds nasal anymore.
Nocturne was a bit of an intermission at a little over two minutes, and next up is the oddly named Den lille Havfrue,
which is actually Danish for the Little Mermaid. It’s also another
occasion for Ryo to show off. I can’t say I mind though, as I’ve said
quite repetitively now, his vocals are really nothing short of amazing.
Next up is Raw.
It promises to be a little harder with the staccato distorted guitar
riff at the start, and Ryo singing in a muted falsetto. However, it
actually continues on a more sinister note, threatening to break out at
any minute, but really never does until the end when Ryo lets loose
with those soaring vocals again.
It leads perfectly into Float,
the last song on the album. After a soft start, it gets rockin’ pretty
quickly. The rhythm section is rather fantastic, and while Ryo
continues to sing (wonderfully) for most of the song, he sticks in some
growls a few seconds from the end.
So wow, without hesitation, I can say that this was an AMAZING first release. For many bands, it would be an amazing third or fourth release. Their sound was a bit surprising to me. Their website definitely had me thinking of Lynch or Deathgaze, and expecting that hardcore sound. But instead, it’s dark, amazingly polished, and with compositions that just make you want to repeat the album over and over so you don’t miss anything. (Yes, I listened to the whole thing about 15 times when I first got it.) I cannot recommend it enough. Welcome to the third generation of true Nagoya. ★★★★★
Key:
★★★★★ = Excellent, flawless, perfecto
★★★★☆ = Very good, has some minor flaws
★★★☆☆ = Good, maybe a few boring moments, but overall enjoyable
★★☆☆☆ = Fair, bad outweighs the good
★☆☆☆☆ = Poor, possibly offensive to your ears
One last note, the first press of this CD sold out on their website very quickly, but a second press is due out today, and hopefully will soon be made available on the more popular online sites.
