Yotsuya Kaidan - Tired Of Tomorrow's You 7"

Labels: Dingleberry Records/Lifeisafunnything/Parking Lot Records/Rubaiyat Records/Samegrey Records/TRVS Records/Unlock Yourself Records/Upwind Records/Winter Sea Label/Zegema Beach Records

Formats: Vinyl/Tape/Digital

Release Date - 10 Apr 2016

Tracklist:

1. High School Fights For The Ziggurat Falls

2. Feels Like Lucio Fontana's Canvas

3. Tasmanian Tigers

4. Stormo & Goliad

This is likely to be my last review of 2021. I apologise for the lack of activity over the last week. I received an early Christmas present in the form of Vertigo late last week and spent the last few days getting over it/spending the holiday with my parents and brother. There may be one more post between now and the New Year, as I have a couple of reviews from Mikey to post up, as long as the 'V' doesn't strike again.

This is a review I've been looking forward to writing for a little while, as not only is it another of my Zegema Beach Roster reviews, but it's also about a 7" that's part of my personal collection. I first cast ears on Ukraine's Yotsuya Kaidan back in 2017, thanks to the Too Sad To Tell You 7" that was released via Dong Knights Productions and A Fond d'Cale. I picked up a physical copy of this EP from ZBR earlier in the year on yellow vinyl.

According to Discogs and Yotsuya Kaidan’s own bandcamp page, this 7” was their first physical release. It stands up as the first body of work that existed during the band’s extremely productive early period between  2016 and 2017. What’s presented here are four short post-hardcore/screamo songs and EP opener ‘High School Fights For The Ziggurat Falls’ kicks things off with melodic blackened riffs, intense percussion/bass and harsh vocals delivered in the band’s native tongue. Dramatic is the best word I can use to describe this so far.

‘Feels Like Lucio Fontana’s Canvas’ springs into life immediately after a very brief pause, with a multi-vocal attack and a controlled explosion of violent screamo. It’s so hard to describe this, even after the many listens I’ve given it after my copy arrived. It’s one of those EP’s that will certainly have you coming back for more though.

Urgency is definitely a huge part of the sound invoked by Yotsuya Kaidan and penultimate song ‘Tasmanian Tigers’ is the perfect embodiment of that nuance. It’s a song that’s over before you know it, though there are still so many musical layers to take in as well. 

With last song ‘Stormo & Goliad’, Yotsuya Kaidan break out their longest piece and also their most anthemic (if that’s even possible!). The emotional, caustic and enthralling approach to their music is laid out for all to hear this last time, and there’s no escaping how heart-wrenchingly good it is. The band is still very much alive (they released an EP earlier this year), so if you’re still not familiar with them, there’s no time like the present. 

You can stream and purchase the EP digitally below:-

Yotsuya Kaidan - https://www.facebook.com/yotsuyakaidanband

 

As far as I can tell, the only label that still officially has copies of this EP is ZBR. See the link below:-

Zegema Beach Records CAN/INTL - http://www.zegemabeachrecords.com/zegema-beach-releases

Dingleberry Records - https://www.facebook.com/Dingleberry-records-and-distribution

Lifeisafunnything - https://www.facebook.com/lifeisafunnything123

Parking Lot Records - https://www.facebook.com/parkinglotrecords

Rubaiyat Records - https://www.facebook.com/rubaiyatrecords

Samegrey Records - https://www.facebook.com/samegrey/

TRVS Records - https://www.facebook.com/trvsrecords

Unlock Yourself Records - https://www.facebook.com/unlockyourselfrecords

Upwind Records - https://www.facebook.com/upwindisdead

Winter Sea Label - https://www.facebook.com/WinterSealabel

Zegema Beach Records - https://www.facebook.com/zegemabeachrecords

Foxmoulder/Eaglehaslanded - Split LP

Labels: Boslevan Records/Desordre Ordonne/Don't Live Like Me Records/Koepfen/Krimskramz/Mosh Potatoes Records/TRVS Records/Zegema Beach Records/0331 Records

Formats: Vinyl/Digital

Release Date: 22 Aug 2015

Tracklist:

1. Foxmoulder - Tempered III

2. Foxmoulder - Needless/Anxious

3. Foxmoulder - Antrim

4. Foxmoulder - Shame

5. Foxmoulder - Increments

6. Eaglehaslanded - Intro (Nightmares In Suburbia Pt. III)

7. Eaglehaslanded - Заклятые Враги

8. Eaglehaslanded - Mora Samo Da Se Umre

9. Eaglehaslanded - Got A Flower

10. Eaglehaslanded - Tworatz

11. Eaglehaslanded - Grobljanska

12. Eaglehaslanded - 1000 Palms

Oh my how time is passing. It's 1st October already and it's the last day of my holiday (minus the weekend that's coming up). I've spent time outside, socialising with friends and family, sorting out adult stuff and in between all of those things, I've found time to listen to music too. Not written as much as I'd hoped but the sudden progression to Autumn might give me a kick up the backside in that respect.

As has been my aim lately, after every two scheduled reviews comes one tracking the constantly expanding roster of USA/Canadian label Zegema Beach Records (for those who're new to this series), according to their bandcamp release order. Today I'm writing about the 2015 split 12" that featured Canadian band Foxmoulder and Russian band Eaglehaslanded. It features five songs from Foxmoulder and seven from Eaglehaslanded. It was released with three different screen-printed covers; white print on blue cardboard, black print on red cardboard and red print of siege cardboard. The record was pressed on black vinyl, though I'm unsure of the exact number that were released.

Split 12”s have become increasingly more popular with bands over the last few years, probably due to the fact that pressing 7”s have become more expensive (that’s what I’ve heard from band/label friends anyway). That and because the former allows for more songs. Foxmoulder’s side of this one contains five. As with their previous recordings, their screamo is fast, short yet very expansive at the same time. ‘Tempered III’ starts off at a hell of a pace before the tempo and instrumentation slows, giving you a sludge/hardcore-like sound. ‘Needless/Anxious’ is angular, jangly emo-violence/math and it’s ace. Foxmoulder have always been very expressive musically and it shines through here.

On ‘Antrim’, there’s the realisation that Foxmoulder’s approach/formula to their music is really the element of surprise. There are some proper heavy bass-drop/breakdown-like parts within the song, amongst the off-kilter hardcore that makes up it’s backbone. They’re not full-on breakdowns but nestle deeper in the mix subtly. Good stuff. The aptly named ’Shame’ follows instantly and in doing so, retains so much momentum. It goes from fast to almost crawling pace mid-way through before a solid injection of punk and just utter madness. This is definitely amongst Foxmoulder’s best material to date.

Their closing song ‘Increments’ amalgamates all of their energy and song-writing skill, packaging it into what is (for them) a long song. It’s entirely instrumental and it’s atmosphere is undeniable. Post-hardcore with metal influences this time, yet still unmistakably Foxmoulder.

While those songs could work so well on a standalone release, there’s still the small matter of split mates Eaglehaslanded. They’re somewhat more chaotic yet also more experimental too. Their opener ‘Intro (Nightmares In Suburbia Pt. III)’ is filled with electronic music akin to chiptune. ‘Заклятые Враги’ is very much where the chaos comes in, with abrasive emo-violence and high-pitched screams aplenty. It’s the same on ‘Mora Samo Da Se Umre’, which to be frank is utterly mental and it’s slightly more lo-fi sound does nothing to dampen things. They remind of some of the Japanese bands like Tetola93 and Shuly To 104kz, whom I’m sure they’ve been compared to before.

The flowing nature of ‘Got A Flower’ wrestles away some of the intensity, which isn’t necessarily a band thing. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that means it’s easy-listening though, as it still has it’s moments and Eaglehaslanded still want to obliterate through sound. ‘Tworatz’ is another electronic song, except this time it’s also joined by the full band mid-way through. I don’t want to call it shock value, but that’s kind of how it feels and it’s cool!

Their penultimate song ‘Grobljanska’ has a much more serious tone to it. The spoken-word sample at the start is stark and what follows is equal to it. That tone even manages to breakthrough the constant feedback from the guitars, adding to the sense of foreboding that’s not been present up until now. ‘1000 Palms’ closes out the split in very similar fashion to how Foxmoulder closed out their side. The guitar playing and melodies are unexpectedly beautiful and the ambient waves underneath give a totally different perspective to the band’s sound. 

For me this is peak split. Both Foxmoulder and Eaglehaslanded still exist and haven’t gone away. Here they both show their best and bring out all kinds of feelings in you as a listener. Now, as the sun comes out around me I feel energised and happy. 

You can stream and download the split via both bands here:-

Foxmoulder - https://www.facebook.com/foxmouldertoronto

Eaglehaslanded - https://www.facebook.com/eaglehaslandedsuburbians

Physical copies are still available from the labels below:-

Krimskramz - https://krimskramz.com/produkt/005-foxmoulder-eaglehaslanded-split-12/

Mosh Potatoes Records - https://moshpotatoes.bandcamp.com/album/eaglehaslanded-foxmoulder-split

Zegema Beach Records CAN/INTL - http://www.zegemabeachrecords.com/zegema-beach-releases/foxmoulder-eaglehaslanded-split-12

Boslevan Records - https://www.facebook.com/BoslevanRecords

Don't Live Like Me Records - https://www.facebook.com/dontlivelikeme

Koepfen - https://www.facebook.com/Koepfen

Krimskramz - https://www.facebook.com/krimskramzstuff

Mosh Potatoes Records - https://www.facebook.com/moshpotatoesxvx

TRVS Records - https://www.facebook.com/trvsrecords

Zegema Beach Records - https://www.facebook.com/zegemabeachrecords