Kurushimi, the best jazz/grind/avant-garde band you've never heard of.
The idea behind 'Return 1: Kimon', the new EP from Sydney's Kurushimi, is one of past recollections and hindsight. As such, Kurushimi, who are now back from the void with for their first EP in their new ‘kikan’ (return) series, will revisit and reinterpret their own past works. Starting with their new three-track EP.
Recorded at The Brain during September 2016 and July 2017, dynamic elements of riffing metal, sax-laden free-jazz, vicious grindcore, dub, avant-garde and noise float in and out of sections of unnerving calmness and movements of dissonant blasting chaos throughout the runtime of 'Return 1: Kimon'.
The title track was improvised by producer/engineer/mixer/masterer/bass player Andrew Mortensen, guitarist Simon Dawes, drummer Chris Allison, alto and tenor saxophonist Kim Lawson, baritone sax-player Ian Pieterse, synth/vocalist Nick Soole, vocalist Kazehito Seki, and was conducted by Lachlan Kerr and Simeon Bartholomew. Mortenson said of the release that:
“With ‘Return I: Kimon’, I wanted to return to one of my favourite tracks from the debut album. The idea was to create an ethereal vibe, trying to imagine the listener is back in the real world yet with mankind’s curiosity of the dark and macabre, they must return to the demon-spirit world to experience the darkness again. I wanted to create something both beautiful and menacing.”
Well, shit, mission accomplished mate!
But hold on, there's more, folks. After the title track, the new EP is rounded out by two previously unreleased live pieces that return listeners to the familiar form of dissonant, deconstructionist noise-jazz that Kurushimi has become so well praised for. Recorded live by Jonathan Eklund at Cosmo’s Rock Lounge back in November 2015, the group also offer 'Movement I (live)' and 'Movement II (live)' as the final two instrumental tracks of this release, for all of your zazzy pleasures.
With three epic avant-garde, jazz-metal tracks spanning a huge and dense 48-minutes, this is one full-on EP! Take a look if you've got the time to kill.
If you're looking for a wild listen, check out their 2016 self-titled LP. It's nuts!
