Suishou No Fune - Live in New York City

Before leaving for Tokyo, I had the chance to see Suishou no Fune play in Brooklyn, New York. This Tokyo based guitar duo was a mystical journey of psychedelic swelling that peaked with distraught noise and trickled down into echoing caves of reverb and spiritual vocal melodies.

Cranking sound out of two Marshall half stacks, Suishou no Fune wore all black and had lines of effect pedals that went from one side of the stage to the other. Lost in an ocean of sound, they really had an ear for detail and control of the tones the electric guitars were making. Possibly a couple off the stage, the musical relationship between the two was solid and refined. Kageo would paint a landscape of surging sound that would hint at chord structure but remain a flowing backdrop for the melodic phrasing of Pirako’s guitar.

Depending on the song, there would be sections of vocal reflection that seemed to center the feeling of the song and give it a foundation for improvisation. Vocals had a spiritual quality to them that added to the sensation and feeling. It was all about feeling.

A Norwegian couple that I was sitting with described the music as “sympathy music”. Although I think they were having trouble translating their thoughts into English, I found the insight to be interesting. It sounded like sympathy.

I was curious as to how this Tokyo based band would be received in the United States. The venue was small and there were not more than 50 people there (many of which who were part of the other three bands that played that night). When researching Suishou no Fune I noticed that they often had a drummer play with them and were noisier and more abrasive. For the small Sunday night audience, I think the duo really put on a show that catered to the audience. As I said before, they were all about feeling and they could pick up on the vibes of the venue and include them in their music. They seemed to pull the audience in and we joined them on their psychedelic journey through sound and sensation. Although the set was short, it was powerful and detailed.

I look forward to interviewing Suishou no Fune in Tokyo and I am curious to see how their performance differs when they are on their side of the sky.

~ by livefromtokyo on March 27, 2007.