One listen to the project Mahikari and I’m reminded of precisely the Sonic Youth moments I adore. Each album from the seminal New York band contains a place—a track or a space—where discord is laid aside, revealing truly gritty rock and rhythm: it is in these moments that Mahikari plies its curious breed of guitar fury.
Born of collaboration between Acid Mothers Temple and the Boredoms, Mahikari is a fusion of proclaimed guitar gods Kamoto Kawabata and Seiichi Yamamoto, and while anything that touts itself as a type of “guitar god” fusion bears a caution akin to Yngwie Malmsteen meets Godzilla, this comes off as quite different. The chemistry is undeniable; the two artists work in perfectly cacophonous harmony, from the gradually assembled opening track, “The Fog Peaks of Nara,” to their closer, “Mahikari.” In between are two bridging songs, “The Dust Storms of South City” and “The Ooze Pits of Clarkdale.” With little lyrically to connect the time and fantastical places, the titles might seem a little absurd. Musically, the content is, in short, an amazing exercise. Kawabata and Yamamoto unite to layer an abundance of grit and substance into the mix of each moment. It’s chaotic for sure, but carefully chaotic, and something that isn’t digestible in one listen.
The four-track record is decidedly brief and scarcely released by Birdman Records. Aside from that, it’s worth seeking out. For fans of Thurston Moore’s The Trees Outside The Academy, this will be a companion treat: something that captures the essence of full-blown psychedelic rock meltdowns while grasping the lovely catharsis that comes quickly after.
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