YAMANTAKA // SONIC TITAN - YT//ST

http://music.cbc.ca/#/play/CBC-Music/playlist/Yamantaka-Sonic-Titan-YTST

This is so good (at pushing my closet stoner buttons?).

Hits a spot very close to the one Boris hits.

And I'm I'm starting a thread even though I have nothing to say about it really.

For all the outfit's emphasis on their multi-media rock opera approach to things and the ongoing narratives behind their work, this feels very complete and satisfying as a recording. It's short though, so I just keep listening to it.

Great band. If all goes well with show hopping at pop montreal this week, I'll be seeing the opera.

I like this record a ton. It sounds to me like the description of Boris I got from people who tried and failed to push them on me over the years.

Found them on Bandcamp & was moderately impressed, then few weeks later saw they'd been added to the bill of the Jeff Mangum ATP. Made an effort to catch them & was blown away. Rushed straight to the merch stall after & ordered the record (they'd had trouble getting merch into country, so had nothing left to sell). Record took an age to show up, & is currently in the To Be Played pile...need to get on to that.

Yeah, their live show is great - saw them at ATP and then again in NYC a few months back.

i missed about half their set when i saw them but what i saw was pretty amazing

okay, this is fantastic, but i don't think the boris comparisons make much sense, at least as far as this album is concerned (haven't seen them live). YT//ST remind me of deerhoof more than boris.

I think I should mention this is really hooky and catchy, rhythmic and melodic. I have bits and pieces of this album going through my head all day long at the moment.

My making the Boris comparison might simply be due to lack of familiarity with similar bands. On the other hand, they do mention their admiration for Boris in interviews (not that that guarantees sounding alike, but it seems a lot close to home than if they mentioned, say, their admiration for the Spinners).

As for Deerhoof, I think I did possibly like their overall sound except for the vocals which killed it for me.

this is sounding great. kinda like deerhoof meets magma-esque grandeur - or the ruins version of magma in 'symphonica' or koenjihyakkei minus the extreme-technicality and overall wackiness, dunno*. with the ocasional - and mostly welcoming? - nod to krautrock's equally cosmic and pastoral vibes and, err, kate bush in 'oak of guernica'?

*tbh, i don't listen to those albums in a very long time, so i might be totally off-handed here. and i guess it's the japanese factor that propels this association. either way, they don't really remind me of boris.

I really like the album, obv. I only recently found out that they do a whole 'opera' live! Let us know how it is if you go, rrrobyn. Despite living in the cultural mecca of Regina, I sometimes miss out on being able to see cool things.

Thanks to Sund4r, by the way, for recommending this album to me. (Maybe you are surprised to see I already started a thread about it.)

I especially like the watashi-WA (if that's what it even is) in "Hoshi Neko."

Yes, okay, I guess the Boris comparison is flawed and misleading. It makes some sense in my own idiosyncratic set of musical categories, but it's probably not so useful in describing this band to others.

I especially like the watashi-WA (if that's what it even is) in "Hoshi Neko."

Haha, YES.

This band was a revelation when I heard the album in January, and were again when I saw them live this past spring. Fantastic musicians. I'd love to hear their new opera.

Watashi-waaaaAAAAAAAA

great band, great DRUMS sound

Yes. Would it be self-parody for me to say that the way the drums are recorded on "Queens" (and maybe elsewhere--but it's especially noticeable there) reminds me of Karuki Zamen Kuri no Hana (especially Shukyo)?

watashi-WA

Does this mean "I am"? (I looked it up quickly.) Or do you just mean you like the way it sounds?

I just like the way it sounds on that song where they sing it a lot.

their show was totally bizarre and great at pop montreal - first half was operatic, diy queered fashion drama style, not for everyone but i was into it - second half (there was an intermission!) was much more a rock show, which ruled

Some of the live clips I've now gotten around to watching seem pretty iffy. I miss the studio effects and polish in this case.

At around 3:12 "Reverse Crystal/Murder of a Spider" definitely reminds me of a Boris - Smile sort of jump (with a little hint of old Boredoms near the end). As always, I might be making these comparisons because I don't listen to that much music close to this.

saw them the last time they played toronto. while the live experience isn't as sharp as the record, they're still a wonderfully fun band to see in person.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGOqU8mJ1Ic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhxrH1pWRVw

Weird, I thought I had already posted that. It was on another thread apparently, but yeah that belongs here more than the Bowie cover.

hope they will be more focused on the next album

I think YT//ST is plenty focused.

Or did you mean more focus on working on it rather than one off things like the Bowie cover (for someone else's compilation)?

The guitar on "Lamia" really really reminds me of Fred Giannelli (not that he was particularly original (though I liked his sound), but this is so close to what he went for a lot of the time that it stands out).

I think I underrated this record. As I said, I liked it a ton but I'm head over heels in love with it now. "A Star Over Pureland" is perfect.

New single is great:

http://pitchfork.com/features/update/9189-yamantaka-sonic-titan/

(Thanks, sund4r.)

Yes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KH3X4D0NyS8

No

Yes

Hell yes.

Maybe

definitely, love this band

I'm convinced

I like this one better than "One." The piano in the opening even reminds me of Matthew Shipp a bit. And let's not discard anything prematurely, like the psychedelic inheritance.

http://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/16171-windflower/

Has LJ heard these guys yet?

Anyway, I prefer 'One' to 'Windflower', but I can see the latter working really well as an album track. Call me crazy but I hear a certain Trish Keenan phrasing to some of those lines?!

Oh! On it soon's I'm home :)

This was the one that first got me into them, but I reckon 'One' or 'Lamia' will hit your tastes quicker: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k472YAVzoGU

It's a good record. Expect a full review from me somewhere soon.

that was groovy - very melancholic keys. may have a root around for more

oh now this Windflower is what I'm TALKING about :D

Now listening to One. Shit me I made a good decision to spin out in that awful thread earlier

You can still stream their debut album on their bandcamp site, I think. Also on spotify.

Really loving Windflower though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89iO84vztyM

Only issue I have is that the closing rave-up sticks with the same riff throughout when it's crying out for an escalation or change-up. Apart from that, great. Gonna listen to the debut album now.

Windflower is the best one I've heard so far.

I've never listened to the albums after having seen the live show last year, which was excellent. Thanks for the thread revival.

If you go to the bandcamp site, be sure to click on the first track rather than the button for the entire album, because for me anyway it's been defaulting to the second track when I used the play album button.

Oh this is GOOD. Much wilder and weirder. 'One' for all its virtues DOES feel a tad...y'know, like Pitchfork reviewed one of their albums and hinted that it might go ballistic on the next one if they dumb up their act a bit and make an indie-dance hit. I'm not going through Gang Gang Dance again. But I think they're mostly on the right side of that line.

Look, this is how the Pitchfork review of Windflower ends:

The song's massive acoustic architecture demands that Yamantaka // Sonic Titan eventually find their way to an arena.

fuckoffPitchforkfuckoffPitchforkfuckoffPitchfork

loved the latest ggd record

shipp namedrop has me intrigued about this

I'm also concerned that the new album has much more boring songtitles than the first one, but open minds. This first album is really great - I have no idea where it's going next but it seems to

What happened to contenderizer re: this band. He popped in, said the first album was fantastic, and was never heard from again on this thread. Or is he on ILM sabbatical?

shipp namedrop has me intrigued about this

Could just be my idiosyncratic way of hearing it, but the piano at the beginning of Windflower does keep reminding me of Shipp. Maybe it doesn't quite have his gravitas (a word I think I've seen thrown around on another thread recently), but it's in the same ballpark. That's just a minor part of the song though. More than anything it is pretty vocally oriented psychedelia.

the new album has much more boring songtitles than the first one, but open minds.

Boring song titles are a good thing.

It's a departure from the debut, but I think in a good one. A Very coherent and beautifully recorded record. Begs to be heard on vinyl because of the sequencing.

GGD and others of that ilk irritate the shit out of me through no fault of their own because they're hailed by Pitchfork idiots as the cutting edge of contemporary avant-pop when they're actually competent indie-dance. This has much more to it than that though. Keep the negativity away.

Actually, Battles might have been the more notable recent victims of Pitchfork dumbology/regression-to-indie, even if that 2nd record had a couple of jams on it

Oh, so is the new one good? Yay!

no the latest is eye contact from a few years ago which I'm guessing is what you're on about! Battles are a much better example of what you're talking about in my opinion (ie I don't like em)

The new YT//ST mate :P

Eye Contact irritated me because that Glass Jar song was hyped as the most monumental thing ever and turned out to be a decent dance-rock jam with some psych touches

(Is it me or is the board really poppin' today? Even more eclectic mishmash of threads up at the moment.)

I kicked their arses, they responded. Great team-talk imo

drew25kra 1 day ago

Yes, because there are so many groups out there wearing kabuki make-up using Iroquoian chants and metallic guitar riffs and blending them in a way that's organic yet catchy...so mediocre, bro.

Lol.

Streaming:

http://pitchfork.com/advance/261-uzu/

What happened to contenderizer re: this band. He popped in, said the first album was fantastic, and was never heard from again on this thread. Or is he on ILM sabbatical?

― _Rudipherous_, Friday, October 11, 2013 2:25 PM (1 week ago)

meditating. took about ten minutes of the stream to get me to order a copy. it's only a shame that there are so many other albums out there that aren't this.

(!!!)

hell, if if there wasn't any music, just the graphics, they'd still be one of my favorite bands going

not boris or deerhoof, gundam grimes

Whalesong sounds amazing

i prefer sonic titan to yamantaka

what is your favorite of the two?

Boredoms for the masses

lack of constant was the biggest problem of yt//st
it seems like a problem here too.

no immediate catchy bombastic tubes like Hoshi Neko, sounds mellower but overall fine (1st listen)

catchy bombastic tube = "one", toward the back end

what is your favorite of the two?

whoever draws the animals (if that's one of them)

not sure i see lack of consistency as a problem, maybe a virtue, enjoy both albums as end-to-end listens (tho still processing the 2nd)

I think the production on the second one helps a ton. The clarity highlights the drumming, and allows for a broader range of vocal styles.

I've been living with UZU for about a month now (somehow managed to find a used copy a month before release, which is strange but I'm not complaining). Serious grower, so definitely give it a few more spins nostormo. It's pretty much become my fave album of the year.

Holy cow, I hadn't heard of these guys until a couple days ago and now this may be one of my favorites of the year. UZU is insane, I'm really loving it. I'm surprised folks aren't going more nuts over them.

me too! seems like something that would appeal to a broad cross-section of adventurous listeners.

I agree. I think it's much more welcoming than the debut. The appeal is broader and there are ways into it from a lot of different musical angles.

Idk. Like the firstvrecord better

the wretched will drown
with the salt on their lips
the stars at their feet
fanning flame to the mist
where the silent men live
and refuse to die
hand in hand they ride
into battle with the tide
to victory, a song...

after spending a bit more time w uzu, i do agree that it's uneven - but that's only a problem when i think of it as a collection of discrete songs. certain passages might feel incomplete absent the rest, but the whole works amazingly well as a front-to-back listening experience. while it's narrative, like the best prog rock albums, it feels less like a story than a journey. i can't call it complete success by pop's standards, but it's immersive, varied, moving and, best of all, remarkably catchy (at least in moments). tbh, it's hard to imagine the existence of people who wouldn't enjoy "atlanta", "whalesong" and "seasickness pt. 2". then again, it's hard to imagine a lot of supposedly real things.

UZU is growing on me and feel like it holds together more, over repeated listens.

whoa well done whoever nominated 'whalesong' for the EOY, this v v much bangs

:) It's a good 'un

Sadly cut off at 26 in my now-finalised traxballot. Give it an honourable gold star or something. Strikes me as the work of a band who are finding their way. The next album is probably going to determine whether I'm truly a Y//ST fan

Whalesong is the sh-t! This will make my ballot

Been playing this record a lot over the last week or so, I like it how it fuses a lot of the psych-folk stuff I like with preposterous pantomime rock bombast. It's deeply silly but very enjoyable.

Does remind me a bit of GGD in some unfathomable way as well.

New song!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTP1ku405rc

I listened a few times yesterday and I'm still working out what I think of it. It goes to some interesting places, starting out almost like a pop ballad, building up to heavy riffing and lead guitar triplets, all in 4 minutes. Not sure if it all works for me but there are some satisfying moments.

Yeah my hot take is that it could work a lot better in the context of an album, as a standalone single I don't really get what it is.

Upthread I claim to have listened to the debut and loved it...but I have no recollection of it at all! Will have to revisit

Yeah my hot take is that it could work a lot better in the context of an album, as a standalone single I don't really get what it is.

― ? (seandalai)

I get what you mean, but I think knowing their reference points and other endeavours (e.g. game soundtracking) it might be more fruitful to think of it as an opening theme? I'm hyped for new YT//ST stuff, anyway.

whoa this new track! get excited ilm

Hey, this is all right. Never heard of this band before.

I like it. It does seem to lack the heft to be a single, but it's still good and could play out nicely on an album.

Okay, 'Hungry Ghost' is rad.

https://exclaim.ca/music/article/yamantaka_sonic_titan-hungry_ghost

\m/

progge is alive and well in 2018

I miss Ruby Kato Attwood more than I thought I would. This is good but it doesn't have the weird beauty of UZU, and a lot of that was her voice.

O holy shit, missed this. ORDERDED. Rarely a month goes by that I don't wonder what became of YT/ST.

Agree that "Someplace" is a weird choice for a lead single. Engaging & intriguing but awfully vague. Feels like it's just & finally getting ready to deliver when it abruptly ends. (Maybe it's better considered an "album teaser" or suchlike. Do we have those now?) Also agree that Ruby's soaring vocals are sorely missed. "Hungry Ghost" is much more immediate, and I love the vacuum tube Kali monster on the Soundcloud page.

Their label's Soundcloud also features 'Yandere' which doom-prog-pops even harder. By far my favorite of the three. Dere dere.

Video too:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iUsVyZTB_I

"hungry ghost" is almost deerhoof//gwar in the best way possible

Album playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGJYy6b9azY&list=PLzjK-BHnQoCxkmpgNzHx0pR1ojE-p4mgB

or not :(

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzjK-BHnQoCxkmpgNzHx0pR1ojE-p4mgB

"hungry ghost" is almost deerhoof//gwar in the best way possible

― reggie (qualmsley), Friday, March 23, 2018 10:04 AM (six minutes ago)

whole album is on bandcamp

Oh, one of them left?

Doesn't matter - this has their best music/songwriting so far

Yeah, that's true, but Ruby's voice lent the music a wide-eyed, otherworldly quality and emotional heft that was, I think, quite remarkable, especially in their heavy/arty niche. The anthemic, apocalyptic vocals at the end of the new album's closing "Out of Time" ("to be all alone at the end of the line") effectively communicate the idea of a desperate, heart-bursting passion that rises to meet life's darkest hour. But they don't embody it. They don't soar above the music like a battle flag.

YT/ST are coping with the absence just fine. Dirt brings sharpened chops and a much more fully developed sound to Alaska & co's best batch of songs yet, but Ruby's voice had an alchemical power I can't help missing.

Fair enough. Any idea why she left? Just heading in a different direction? Apparently one of the guitarists left too...

No. I don't have any idea what motivated the split. Have looked for information online, but have come up only with the fact of it. Don't think anyone involved has spoken on the record about the details.

interpersonal differences

ruby's been to opera school.
john's doing other stuff.
they are sweet people.

Parts of 'Dark Water' sound like 90s Final Fantasy battle music lol

That's unambiguously a good thing btw

Aaaah yes I really like this, suppose I should check out their older stuff

Wow, this sounds great on first listen.

Shortly to see them. Excited!

And rightly so!

all these butt-clenchingly woke EOY lists, and yet no room for Yamantaka // Sonic Titan, who are not only off-the-charts box-tickingly woke but also, more importantly, put out an amazing album

They'll make mine.

but will it be butt-clenching?!

I like this album, but I'm not sure it will make my 77 list, there may be too many albums I like even more.

I don't really get the woke comments though, but I suspect we'd all regret pursuing that line any further.

they are touring the US opening for Acid Mothers Temple in the spring, and playing my town. totally psyched.

same here! I was surprised that tour's hitting smaller cities

That def sounds like a good time

sounds like a butt-clenchingly woke good time

amt always come to slc and it's always a great show. will not be missing this one.

Ohhhh shit this is gonna be awesome! I'm totally going!

Dirt is unquestionably one of the albums of the year

wb; otm

really great show!

ended up talking to the YST bassist who joined the band a few years ago after their set

must have been a good set

really great iirc

Dirt holding up really well this morning. Who played the solo on "Out of Time"?

their guitarist presumably!

Ha, OK, I guess the question is who the lead guitarist on the album is, then, since no info on personnel came with the digital album I downloaded from Bandcamp in 2018.

Electric Guitar – Hiroki Tanaka

Ah, thanks. So a seven-string player who was new for this album?

Yeah. The band absolutely shredded live obv

The greatest band! Alaska (drums) and Brendan (virtuosic piano) have a side project called Avṛha that I highly recommend too, no studio recordings yet

http://mechanicalforestsound.blogspot.com/2017/11/recording-avrha.html

ah nice! that sounds v exciting. iirc Alaska is suffering from several debilitating injuries that are affecting her drumming so she's exploring a few different songwriting avenues - sucks if so obv but excited by anything she's involved with

maybe she's completely restored though - let's hope

absolutely one of the best live bands i've ever seen

i'm not really a live music person and i'd drop everything to go see them if they were playing in my area (and there wasn't a global pandemic happening)

I forgot that when I saw them they were opening for Acid Mothers Temple! It was like a double header, really

God I wish I had seen that show :(

A little over two years ago I dragged a buddy of mine to see them at a restaurant-pub in downtown Indianapolis. There were *maybe* twenty people in the audience. The band was great of course but the experience was a bit lacking. I guess I don't expect they'll be passing this way again any time soon.