Shogun Kunitoki The Helsinki based quartet Shogun Kunitoki was formed in 1998, almost 8 years before unleashing their debut full length Tasankokaiku. During this time, the four electrochemists have been fine tuning their trance inducing potion made up of many sounds, from computer game blips to analog synths and washes of static noise. Their time spent locked away in the laboratory was well worth it, as the pieces they have conjured are blissful, interesting, and ethereal, now finally available for ingestion by the masses. The formula for the first few tracks are very similar. Looped analog synth bleeps flow together in battling time signatures, waiting for the simple drum beats to fill the background. Layers of electronic noise continue to join the party, giving the tracks an M83 feel at times. Half way through the pieces, the drums and noise fall out and the looping synths are back to the forefront, bleeping away till the patient's vision begins to blur. When you think the song might fade off into nothingness, back come the drums and noise, with an added potency to inject some adrenaline. Where the album really gets its feet wet is during the last three tracks. "Tulevaisuus-Menneisyys=1" starts off the ride with the computer game sounding glitches looped and bouncing off one another, continuously being layered until each level becomes indistinguishable from the next. The high frequency shrill this creates at times can be almost unbearable, but the repetitiveness can also be very intoxicating. The track is void of the simplistic drums that sometimes muddy up the earlier tracks. "1918-1926" has the most "post-rock" feel of all of the tracks we find on this album. It has some great quiet-loud dynamic shifts that keep things moving forward at a strong pace. The album closer, "Piste" slows down and simplifies the analog loops, creating a quirky, Danny Elfman sort of vibe. A nice way to close out a complicated album that takes a bit of concentration to fully grasp. Tasankokaiku is a nice debut for Shogun Kunitoki, especially considering the time spent fine tuning the ingredients. Hopefully we won't have to wait another 8 years for a second dose of their delicious electronic soundscapes. -Nick Brandt Score: 7/10 |
