Search - Agata :: Spike

An Electronic Tornado of Jagged Glass Shards

vyper | Minneapolis | 06/20/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Ichiro Agata is the guitarist for Japanese spazzpunks Melt Banana.Since the early nineties he has been the main weapon in Melt Banana's hyper stop/start blend of hardcore punk/grind and pop,skittering and squealing through songs like an ADD-afflicted little brother of Tom Morello on crank.In other words: This is what your Playstation 2 sounds like when it's having nightmares.Agata has developed his guitar style to the point that his use of many fx pedals and slide are not gimmicks but integral components of his sound.Spike is a blast of piercing,squealing,jittery guitarscapes,some ranging in length but 16 seconds,the longest being a 10 minute supposed live solo that ends the album.This cd could easily find a home among the IDM and aggressive electronica crowd.This is not an album of contemplative acoustic passages,free jazz or anything approaching typical guitar-only albums.Many adjectives and pop culture analogies are usually made in describing Agata's sound,and on this album especially,they are correct.Anyone who has spent too much time with a Playstation or Nintendo will recognize some of the video game inspired sounds on this album,and if we are to believe the liner notes,they are all produced by Agata's guitar and effects.The tracks fly by very quickly,most of them being abrasive layers of overdriven squealing and sputtering electronics.By the time we reach track 7:Armillary Sphere,Agata backs off just a bit on the distortion while still indulging in his love of stuttering chords and notes that loop with increasing tempo and ping pong around your speakers.Other songs,while retaining the screaching needle-on-the-record blasts,are driven by an undercurrent of thunderous,pulsing waves of distortion,tempered ever so slightly.Happily,a song like Inokashira Zoo sounds exactly like it's title:Agata lets us listen through a robotic(malfunctioning?)ear as he mimics elephants,birds,insects(or so I thought)and passing cars.It's clever,focused,and an indication he might be capable of more complex,interesting structures.I think one should just approach this album without regards to what instrument Agata uses and who he uses it with.After listening to it,I would not be suprised if some record stores filed it under electronica or avant garde/experimental/sound art,it's much closer to Aphex Twin than say,Joe Satriani.It would be interesting to see if,in the future,Agata can slow down and concentrate and perhaps produce some less abrasive pieces while still using the approach he displays here.We can hear possiblilites on this album that perhaps Agata can do other things.Ambient?Future pop?Playing an acoustic melody?Who knows?With regards to Agata,the future is exciting,that's for sure."

Sublime spazz

Epistaxis | 12/28/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Japanese spazz experimenter, Ichiro Agata, conveys a guitar sound like no other, suggesting game consoles operated by devilish, snotnosed kids, monitored by clockwork constructs."