Search - Merzbow, Pan Sonic :: V

Excellent sonic exploration from three masters

Steward Willons | Illinois | 09/24/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"V is the exciting collaborations on two of the most creative forces in experimental electronic music: Pan Sonic and Merzbow. The CD is a single 68-minute live performance. There are no track marks (a point I'll return to later), but the music is episodic. I seem to recall maybe five or six distinct sections. They typically build up a wall of noise (used in the best sense of the word) over a drone, bring it back down, change the drone, bring it back up, and repeat.



I was disappointed by the lack of beats, as Pan Sonic usually employs some excellent, odd-meter rhythms in their music. There is a groove at the very end, but it's mostly a wash of beautiful, beatless sound. To be clear, I'm not looking for a dance beat or anything like that - I just enjoy Pan Sonic's rhythmic sensibilities.



It's remarkable how well these three musicians blend together. I keep trying to figure out who was responsible for what sound, but it became futile. It would have been quite easy for this to be a Pan Sonic set with Merzbow making sounds over the top of it, but it genuinely feels like a collaboration. I'm not sure if it was totally improvised because, at times, they seem to be following a formula. Regardless, the structure is loose, but not invisible.



I have two complaints: First, the single looooong track is annoying to me because if I want to hear the fourth or fifth section I have to fast forward for a long time. They could have made it a continuous disc with tracks anyway, just as a reference. I can understand reasons for wanting people to listen to it as a single, unbroken work. It's still inconvenient though. Second, (and this is being really picky) I felt the sonic pallet was not as broad as it could have been. When I listen to Pan Sonic's Kesto, there's such a variety of sound that I can listen to the whole thing in one very long sitting. This is a bit tiresome after 40 minutes and I keep wanting them to change things up.



That said, this is a good collaboration. I feel that it ends up working a little better than the VVV project with Alan Vega. I enjoy those two releases, but I think this is stronger



Ultimately, this is an awesome disc and for fans of experimental electronic music or either of the artists involved, you must pick this up."