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(Motorway, 1998)
The A-side is synth bleeps and bloops over a buzzing drone; strictly bassy, low-end stuff that never really goes anywhere and falls, uncharacteristically, squarely into the ‘wank’ category. More – and better – subwoofer madness on the B, a pulsing, underwater thrum that is low enough to play havoc with the ears. New sounds are introduced gradually, and when the gentle layer of white noise finally appears it almost feels sunny compared to that relentless subterranean rumble. The whole play-it-loud earfuck is absolute aural disorientation, and almost – almost! – enough to redeem the entire record.
Look, I feel like a heel poo-pooing two straight Azusa Plane singles, cuz I really do like the band. But heck, when the title runs laps around the A-side, it’s hard not to get all outta joint. Especially when the disc in question happens to be a pricey Japanese import. Just skip this one and check out these twin discographical pinnacles: the glorious hum of Tycho-Magnetic Anomaly and the Full Consciousness of Hidden Harmony and the live (with drums and vocals!) Result Dies With the Worker. DO IT!
(Blackbean & Placenta, 1996)Split into “Fender” and “Moog” sides – each a hypnotic, one-man exploration of said instrument – this is definitely one of the lesser Azusa Plane releases. “Moog” is mildly interesting in that it’s a semi-departure from DiEmilio’s guitar-based norm, but it and “Fender” (itself actually quite pretty, if shapeless) both sound like they are nothing more than excerpts cut from long, aimless bedroom blissout sessions. While the Azusa Plane typically made interesting and appealing work out of minimal sonic material, wringing a lot out of a little, it just didn’t come together this time. I, however, improvised an attractive curtain for my bathroom window this afternoon, using some suction hooks, a plastic rod, a small red towel, two clothespins, and some double-sided tape. A+ for me.
(Burnt Hair, 1997)
Two lovely and entertainingly-titled guitar instrumentals from Jason DiEmilio’s Azusa Plane. The excellent A-side has a dreamy, rainy-day sound that is broken in places by a smooth sheet of distorted guitar static; it’s part Landing, part Flying Saucer Attack. “This is Not Spacerock” feels a bit more freeform and unsettling, its shimmering, effects-heavy notes – wrapped in a layer of lo-fi fuzz – crawling along in a druggy haze before quickening nightmarishly at the end. Good stuff!
Thinking it silly that a “drone guy” would select the 7” as a primary way to release his music, I used to chuckle at the never-ending stream of 45s that came out of the Azusa Plane; seemed like he was in a race with Randall Nieman to see who could crank out the most split singles (and yes, the inevitable Azusa Plane / Fuxa split does exist). But there is something to be said for what DiEmilio was doing. It’s easy for such an act to get lazy on CD or LP, stretching everything out to 10+ minutes and needing to care little about flab or self-editing. The Azusa Plane consciously chose to release a great deal of material on a format where the time constraints are relatively rigid, and applying that necessary discipline to the drone-rock genre made for some tightly-constructed records where no moment was wasted… these are often, incredibly, actual singles in the classic sense, just filtered through an ultra-psychedelic non-pop sensibility. Smart dude. Needless to say, it would be fantastic to have all of these songs – and there are a lot of them — compiled in one convenient place.
(Motorway, 1998)
