Helsinki-based Bokashi Records’ Live at Hošek, sees electric guitarist Lauri Hyvärinen and percussionist Naoto Yamagishi committing for the first time to tape, under the moniker GARBAAAGE. Marking a second release for the duo, this 40-minute episode commences brazenly with a un-compromising premise; play something – then stop.
The music unfolds by the duo taking turns in demonstrating various effervescent smears and frictions on their respective instruments. Resulting in a dichotomy of electric and acoustic sounds, seemingly at odds.
Pregnant pauses punctuate their “discussion”. Until the duo reach a sudden and premature stop.
In general, Yamagishi’s drums certainly embody an animalistic character – drum skin turns from woodwind to brass with a heavy sense of air to it – as if some gargantuan lungs are behind those grunts. Hyvärinen’s guitar is also barely recognisable, bluesy-unisono-bends whose divergences and confluences create rhythmic beatings, a sound that has an unmistakable electricity to it.
Towards the end of Side A and beginning of Side B, we enter a transitional section that I will lovingly refer to as the choral.
Appearing as a distant shimmer, a metallic edge casts a consort of points along the guitar’s strings, sliding in contrary motion. The sound, having guided the listener’s ear to a new frequency band, engenders Yamagishi an opportunity to drone in the low end.
Smearing the choral into a loop creates a hazy amorous fog for Yamagishi to release yet more animalistic scrapes and stretches. Like a savannah hog captured by a sport hunting dentist, the drums’ nettle in discomfort as they are held by Hyvärinen’s guitar.
As haze subsides, we launch into the final 10-minutes of the record. The feeling of revenge ripe in the mind, the duo entangle into each other’s sound for the first time; a deep, tar-black bubbling texture slowly approaches boiling point.
In truth this climax doesn’t amount to much, the duo instead take a detour; Yamagishi back on screaming cymbals and Hyvärinen arpeggiating’ hell out of his guitar – returning the atmosphere to the seething swathes of sound from the opening.
Whether the roles of the musicians seem to be in conflict is debatable, though it can be said that no agreement is reached by the end – like a couple of beefing hyenas, Yamagishi and Hyvärinen circle each other with gritted teeth, taking the fight in various directions.
Each controlled, but neither in control.
As a final word, I would say that the record shows to me a new side of Hyvärinen’s musical character in particular. A more impulsive and commanding role is adopted that complements Yamagishi’s storming and characteristically non-rhythmic drums.
Save yourself a ticket to the zoo, shuck peanuts in front of your tape deck while Live at Hošek plays – the experience is quite the same!
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