 The
term "underground supergroup" is one that has obvious problems, not the
least of which is that it conjures up images of annoyingly slick, radio
friendly pop stuff as played by slackers in dark basements. You'd be wise to put that out of your mind, however, as
"underground supergroup" is not inappropriate for Vajra: it's membership consists of the legendary Kan Mikami, the legendary Keiji Haino, and
legendary Zuno Keisatsu drummer Toshiaki "Toshi" Ishizuka.
Anyone even passably familiar with those names should know imediately
that this is no Velvet Revolver. Vajra is an almost absurdly powerful
group (or, as the CD cover has it, "the most powerful geriatric rock
trio in the world!") Not for the faint of heart, even among fans of the
avant garde, Vajra's work is nonetheless posessing a great subtlety,
albeit one which takes some amount of bravery to discern.
Perhaps the most amazing thing about Vajra is their ability to give an
overarching form to what initially appears to be utterly structureless
free form improv. Listen closely, and the jaw drops: rather than losing
themselves in the freedom of fragmented sound, they're playing with
(and within) an instinctive, song based format. It's not a million
shards flying in all directions: it's a massive flock of huge, angry
crows, moving independently but still clearly together. How the Hell
they do this is for people more technically inclined than I to
decipher, but even those who can't read music (like, say, me) can get
lost in the sheer cathartic fury.
This is most clearly shown in tracks like "葉書ー故郷" ("Postcard - Home")
and "時計" ("Clock.") The sound...it seems strange to call it a
song...swells and crashes like the waves of a tsunami that somehow
manage to follow a chord structure, cresting with Mikami's hawk like
war cry, then devestatingly crashing down and flattening everything in
its path.
After the wild purge of "Clock," the (relatively) straightforward, 27
minutes and change "海ーかけらー某月某日ー戦士の休息ー未だ" almost acts as a breather
(transltaion is difficult, but it's something along the lines of "The
Sea - One Fragment - One Month, One Day - The Soldier Rests -
Stillness.") It's during this slight reprieve that Vajra reveals its
backbone: blues rock. Splintered and tortured within an inch of
recognition, to be sure, but blues rock nonetheless.
It's almost comically obvious to state this this isn't for everyone.
But when Vajra is in full flight, the sympathetic listener can't help
but think that EVERYONE should be able to put their hands on the
powerline and gasp in awe at the charge.
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