They say that as you grow older time seems to fall away like pages ripped from a calender in an old black and white film. That might be the case, yet it feels like only yesterday that Kōenjihyakkei released their fourth album Angherr Shisspa. Of course, that might have something to do with the timeless nature of the music; after two decades the eight tracks comprising this album still sounds as fresh and vibrant as they did when they first hit the streets in 2005. Twenty years is a milestone that deserves marking, so now Angherr Shisspa gets remastered as an “Ultimate Edition” with enhanced red vinyl edition, transparent gold vinyl variant or standard CD (containing three bonus live tracks), but whatever version you choose, the avant-garde has never sounded so vibrant (and scary).
Kōenjihyakkei have always been a band in evolution, from their early forays in progressive rock to their adoption of a zeuhl aesthetic, their career has been characterised by a constant flux. However, in whatever guise they appear it is with a desire to push musical boundaries, partly that’s because of an ever rotating line-up, but mostly it is due to the unorthodox mind of band leader Tatsuya Yoshida. Since the group’s inception in 1991 he’s been conquering new sonic sphere’s and their fourth album Angherr Shisspa found them at a creative peak. As with artists such as Miles Davis and Yoko Ono, you feel as if you can never plunge the full depths of Kōenjihyakkei’s creativity and in Angherr Shisspa they’ve produced an album that’s an enigma wrapped inside a riddle. Part of its enduring charm is that it doesn’t offer an easy “in” or a convenient point of reference; those unfamiliar with the band’s amalgamation of classical, jazz and rock might find it jarring at first. Rhythms run counter to each other, the soprano vocals are glass-shattering, whilst the song structure seems illogical and thrown together haphazardly, like a musical collage, and adding to the impenetrable nature is the constructed language in which the songs are sung. Those new to Kōenjihyakkei might have to give this album a few spins before their ears become fully attuned, yet it is worth persevering because within the ball of chaos, order reigns and once you have an inkling of where the band are coming from, it is easier to pick out the individual parts that comprise the whole.
The beauty of tracks such as ‘Fettim Paillu’ is they sound at once familiar and futuristic. You can definitely hear the influence of John Coltrane in the free form nature of these songs, yet they also sound as if they are beamed back from a distant tomorrow. I imagine that if an alien race was to reinterpret the work of Steve Reich and Richard Wagner, it’d be a lot like ‘Mibingvahre’. It is the three contemporary live tracks (recorded in 2005) that are the real revelation and the musicianship is simply spellbinding. In fact, the live recordings are perhaps the best way for a novice to first way to encounter Kōenjihyakkei, it’s still dexterous and mind blowing, yet the rumbling bass and thunderous drums give the band a more “conventional” feel.
A long overdue reissue of this classic album, it’s time for a whole new generation to discover the wonderful (and warped) world of Kōenjihyakkei.
- Angherr Shisspa is released by Skin Graft Records on 24th January 2025 (available here).
Track List:
- Tziidall Raszhisst
- Rattims Friezz
- Grahbem Jorgazz
- Fettim Paillu
- Quivem Vrastorr
- Mibingvahre
- Angherr Shisspa
- Wammilica Iffirom
- Rattims Friezz *
- Fettim Paillu *
- Angherr Shisspa *
*CD Bonus Tracks (live, 2005)
