Merzbow "Frog+" 2xCD
[Misanthropic Agenda]
I reviewed the "Frog" LP quite some time ago, and since disc 1 of this set is simply the five tracks from said LP, here's what I had to say about the material way back when: "Beginning, appropriately enough, with the 'ribbit' sounds of frogs before plunging headlong into a caustic barrage of distortion and looped noises, the opening track becomes less structured and more chaotic as it continues, reintroducing rhythmic loops and crunches towards the end. 'Hikigaeru Ga Kuru' starts off with ambient swirls and insect/swamp like sounds fading in and out around one another, eventually utilizing another bass heavy rhythmic loop as structure - ironically swaying from the least abrasive moments to those most over the top. 'Denki No Numa' immediately kicks in with painful screeching and dense layers of grinding, treble laden noise. A stuttering rhythmic break splits in at one point prior to a calmer segment that brings back the frog samples. 'Kaeru No Shima' is the subtlest composition of all, with constant hissing and 'blips' banging around. This piece runs together seamlessly with the final track, 'Catch 22', to end on a high note with very atmospheric strengths." Now, disc 2 contains four massively long tracks that clock in at damn near an hour of bonus material. "Black Frog" ranges from somewhat calm hissing and stuttered tones to grating harsh noise, though all somewhat more flat or perhaps distant than is often the case. Things get much more chaotic and abrasive at the end, but there still doesn't appear to be a whole lot of layering going on, it could possibly just be the manipulation of one tone through various effects. "Track777" is busier with more layering and sort of a constant variety of glitchy, shuffling, distorted electronic tones - basically equating to more movement and less feeling (in my opinion), though oddly I like this track better because it covers a wider tonal range through its various stages of passage. "Track555" is also pretty jittery and moves around a lot, but I'm not into the blips and beeps and all of that sort of goofy electronic sounding stuff... It can be handled well, and it can be handled so that it sounds like a Speak 'n Spell being raped by a Casio keyboard... and that's sort of the case in this track: It just seems cheesy. "Frog Variation No.2" unloads tons of fucked up musical samples at the start. What they are I do not know, it could be anything from jazz records to pop music, but there's definitely some kind of music being completely contorted there, unless my ears are playing some serious tricks on me. A good amount of rhythmic loops and abrasive distortion becomes present, but nothing so over the top that it feels unlistenable. Bouncy throbbing bass tones come into play as well, making this track similar to "Track777" in its range of frequencies. Also on disc two is a Merzbow screensaver, but I think it sort of sucks. It's just a bunch of crazy, hyper colorful psychedelic patterns with frogs and stuff on 'em that flash back and forth while some percussive noises play in the background. That's not much of a screensaver if you ask me! But anyway... The recording here does seem to rest heavily in the midrange of things, so even though the textures and atmospheres are fairly curious to me, the sound does seem to need more highs and lows to really round itself out on occasion. I think the low-end probably suffers the most, as there are some nice, bright treble tones here and there, but the low-end often comes off as fairly vacant (not all the time, but in most cases). It doesn't bother me all that much, but I feel like I want something more pushing these sounds forward. My ears adjust after awhile though, I must admit. And the tracks on disc 1 still sound pretty good to me, a bit thicker and more consistent than on disc 2. The CD's come in a package very similar to that of the vinyl pressing. The digipack sleeve's front and back covers mirror the vinyl identically, showing colorful images of frogs and rocks with subtle designs overlaid in a coat of gloss varnish. Inside is a collage of artwork that has all sorts of insects and flowers and such, and the two CD's vibrantly colored, disc 1 with one frog on top, disc 2 with two frogs. The only text aside from the tracklist appears under the second disc and is simply some recording/contact information. I must confess that, as nice as the digipack is, this release lacks the visual punch of the LP, what with the LP sleeve being larger and more in your face, the vinyl being "frog colored", etc. Overall this is still a solid release, and better than average from Merzbow in my book, but I prefer the visual appeal and brevity of the vinyl to this two-CD set, regardless of the fact that it's still a valiant effort. (7/10)
Running time - 1:32:28, Tracks: 9
[Notable tracks: Kaeru No Shima, Catch 22, Track777, Frog Variation No.2]
Misanthropic Agenda - http://www.misanthropicagenda.com

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