Psycho Baba - On The Roof of Kedar Lodge (2000)

ARTIST`````Psycho Baba

ALBUM`````On The Roof of Kedar Lodge

GENRE`````Experimental Tribal Psychedelic Japan

YEAR````````2000

Excellent Japanese experimental non-stop fluids.

The project and the album

Psycho-Baba is one of a growing contingent of bands that has been dropping hefty supplies of dynamite on traditional connotations of Japanese music. The group's strength is their innovative mixture of Indian sitars, tablas, drums, and effects. While most Japanese bands are a direct reaction to American culture, Psycho-Baba ventures outside the norm, borrowing largely from the hypnotic trends of Europe and the traditional sounds of Southwest Asia. TabLoveDubLa TabLoveDubLa TabLoveDubLa, their first album, released in 1998 on Japan Overseas, is one drawn out 54-minute track. This monumental piece was noteworthy enough to catch the attention of the paragons of Japanese youth experimentalism, the Boredoms, who they opened for on a 1998 world tour. Originally led by sitar master Mhayow, tablist Ahkio, and drummer Suttgun, the threesome made quite an impression on the Boredoms. For the 2001 release On the Roof of Kedar Lodge, Yoshimi P-We and Atr joined the band, augmenting an already impressive rhythm section.

Making experimental music is easy. Seek out disorganized noise in a relatively new form and you're all set. Making good experimental music, however, is next to impossible. That requires an intuitive sense of breakneck originality that's engaging enough to make an audience take notice. Atr and Yoshimi P-We, dueling drummers for the avant-something troupe the Boredoms, should appreciate this theory as much as anyone. They've slapped together oodles of unlistenable noise albums, and they've also composed sublime, earnest, and ethereal melodies. Psycho-Baba, one of the projects they do to kill time while away from the Boredoms, shows just how wonderful it can be when it all comes together. Led by sitar player Mhayow, the modern experimental tendencies of the Boredoms have been put on the back burner in favor of South Asian harmonies. The ethnic ambiance melds seamlessly with subtle, hypnotic electronic inducements, along with elaborate percussion arrangements that keep it all moving. It's pleasant from start to finish, with moments of near perfection. A great album even for those who might shy away from the Boredoms.

By Kieran McCarthy, Rovi

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