Cat vs. Frog review on Foxy D

Hello friends, well it's August already and it's nearly spring-time again here in Wellington, New Zealand.

This is just a quick update to exclaim excitedly about a review which appeared on Foxy Digitalis of Masami's Cat vs. Frog album.

I had heard some of Kawaguchi's work with LSD March before, but Cat vs. Frog was my first exposure to the New Rock Syndicate (it's a pretty new project from what I can tell). Being a big fan of psych rock revivalists like Comets on Fire and Acid Mother's Temple, I knew I was in for a treat when the guitar screeches and screams began on the Cat side of this lovely piece of white vinyl. The intensity and rawness works well for the group, sounding like a lost piece of garage-psych from the 60s with an extra punk push that turns everything on the record up a few more notches.

Kawaguchi leads the band in several different directions here, lifting this up from being just another burnt out psych-jam and turning it into a haunting sound track to invisible film-noir. The band feels like they're playing in some empty dive bar at the end of the world. Memorable, heavy riffs fit right in next to melodious song structures and wailing noisy solos. The vocals with their sweet crooning quality, really stick out as something exceptional, even without being able to understand the language. The opening track of the Frog side is the perfect combination of insane psyched-out guitar and sweet yearning vocals. It feels unlike anything I've heard - a strange combination of 60's pop, noise, and garage rock. It's unusual to experience something that is strangely familiar yet entirely new, but that's exactly how Cat vs. Frog feels. 9/10

-- by Charles Franklin

That's a bloody great review and I'm proud of Masami.

...

There's no word at this stage what PALP003 is going to be.....

Another great review of "Cat vs. Frog" (PALP002)

Another great review of New Rock Syndicate's Cat vs. Frog appeared (briefly) on Volcanic Tongue's website:

Killer new album from the group that rose from the ashes of Broomdusters and Miminokoto. Indeed, Kawaguchi seems to be regressing with every release and this is his most explicitly straight-up garage rock side this far, with extended guitar-blazing instrumentals that sound like the greatest Television bootleg of your life and soloing that combines Lou Reed-styled amplifier worship with the epic, squealing style of Michio Kurihara circa White Heaven's Levitation. The pace is more breakneck and punked on the first side, but the second has a feel that is closer to Miminokoto's great SIWA LP, with Kawaguchi indulging in that languorously drawn out vocal style that pretty much defined that amazing group. Either way, this might just be the best *guitar* record he has made and has the exact mix of punk rock stupe, classic frat-chord phrasing and extended-to-oblivion jam-logic to make a guy like Chris Stigliano cash in alla his ELO 8-tracks. Recommended.

A review of "Cat vs. Frog" (PALP002)

Mimaroglu Music Sales has published some nice words about our new Kawaguchi Masami New Rock Syndicate LP:

kawaguchi’s name should be familiar to you if you’ve been following the most recent rogue wave of “tokyo flashback” lineage groups - he’s a member not just of lsd march, but also miminokoto and broomdusters - but here, as a leader, despite a few detours into high-rise-lineage rock-trio blow-out-dom, kawaguchi reins the band in, staying closer to the kinds of extended two-chord vamps & echo-box vocalizations/episodic single-note soloing of takashi mizutani’s les rallizes denudes / hadaka no rallizes ...

really beautiful, soaring stuff ... if the ocean-swept private-universe psych of lsd march touches you in a private, aesthetic place, this will do the same. highly recommended !!!

NOTIFICATION OF RELEASE: Kawaguchi Masami's New Rock Syndicate Cat vs. Frog LP

After the resounding success of our debut release (The Stumps' Split Fleet Dodge), Palindrone Recordings are proud to announce our second release, and the debut LP by Kawaguchi Masami's New Rock Syndicate, Cat vs. Frog (PALP002).

Kawaguchi Masami is a Japanese guitar monster* who has done time in Miminokoto, LSD March, and Broomdusters, and played with Keiji Haino for a time. This, his new band, also features bassist Akira Kikuchi and drummer Nao Shibata (Hijokaidan, Doodles). A track by New Rock Syndicate featured on the recent PSF compilation Tokyo Flashback vol. 6.

The new album is titled Cat vs. Frog and clocks in at around 40 min. It's exceptional wailing, burning garage psych-rock grounded in Kawaguchi’s trademark heartbreakingingly melancholic emotional intensity, instantly-hummable, head-nodding toe-tapping riffs and melodies and unavoidably air-guitaring white light, white heat guitar solos.

Cat vs. Frog is pressed on white vinyl, in an edition of 500. The cover art (by German artist Sandra Schmidt) is entitled "OMS, involved in a battle".

There’s a battle going on all right; it’s the eternal battle for the rockin’ hearts and psychedelic souls of all mankind. Led by heroes such as Masami, the good will surely prevail over the evils of second-rate pap.

* according to Mason Jones; however we concur 100%

Praise for MASAMI KAWAGUCHI:

-- Miminokoto carved a niche for themselves as they pushed the VU meters (and comparisons) both with heavy duty guitar excess and almost-poppy punk jangle. Kawaguchi's new trio carries on the tradition, with a variety of sound from all-out psych overload to more relatively restrained fare (Mienakunaru) and the (mostly) gentle balladry of Everything Is, wherein everything is aching with misery. None are untouched by the shrapnel coming off of Kawaguchi's six string, though, which is definitely a forced to be reckoned with on the final track, Tottemo, with more than enough distortion and feedback and destructiveness to give you Tokyo Flashbacks for weeks...

-- With weary vocals of which maybe even Jandek would be proud, Miminikoto can create a sense of sadness which makes Kawaguchi's howling guitar, when it kicks in, all that much more cathartic. They also aren't afraid of some poppy jangle too, so you're never sure what's around the corner. From track to track, one cut might be a punked out stormer, the next a gentle web of fragile notes. [both excerpted from reviews on the aQuarius Records website]

Taster

For a preview of two of the tracks on Cat vs. Frog, please visit this previous post: Listen to some PALP002 Cat vs. Frog. Or, listen to New Rock Syndicate at their Myspace page.

Distribution

Cat vs. Frog will be available to distributors at wholesale rates. If you’re interested in purchasing copies of this LP for your distribution, please contact Stephen Clover. More details are contained in the one-sheet for the release [92KB PDF].

listen to some PALP002 Cat vs. Frog

Kawaguchi Masami's New Rock Syndicate's Cat vs. Frog link is currently at the pressing plant and is due out soon. I'm getting excited. Here's a lo-fi preview of a couple of tunes from the album:

Oblivion


Fading out

You can listen to more New Rock Syndicate at their Myspace page.

About PALP002

The next release on Palindrone (PALP002) is gonna be an album by Kawaguchi Masami's New Rock Syndicate. Masami is a Japanese guitar monster* who has done time in Miminokoto, LSD March, and Broomdusters, and played with Keiji Haino for a time. This, his new band, also features bassist Akira Kikuchi and drummer Nao Shibata (Hijokaidan, Doodles). A track by New Rock Syndicate featured on the recent PSF compilation Tokyo Flashback vol. 6.

The new album is called Cat vs. Frog and clocks in at around 40 min. It's exceptional wailing, burning psych-rock and I'm thrilled and excited to be releasing it. It's going to be pressed on white vinyl, in an edition of 500.

The image on the right isn't anything significant, by the way, I just found it on Masami's myspace page. It could be one of the coolest band logos I have ever seen though.


The cover art for Cat vs. Frog is by German artist Sandra Schmidt, who is now resident in New Zealand. It's a really intricate and intriguing 2001 pen-on-board work, entitled "OMS, involved in a battle":


* according to Mason Jones; however I tend to concur.

Kudos for "Split Fleet Dodge" (PALP001)

I been collecting some property-prop-props for the Stumps rekkid, including big ones from FUNcrazy ol' Thurston Moore and Byron Coley:

"Cool New Zealand trio antics from Antony Milton and pals. From winsome electro-dribble, through into full-blown avant-rock splooie, this LP includes some splashy guest organ work by Campbell Kneale and great wobble-vibes galore."

"Great lurching psych/noise rock." - Apex-online 'Boa Melody Bar' website

"Burning" - Mimaroglu music


But most excitingly the album was placed #18 on Thurston Moore and Byron Coley's Bull Tongue Top 80 of 2006 list, in Forced Exposure (in an article originally intended for Vol. 1, No. 26 [March 2007] of the defunct Arthur magazine).

Ok, that's enough outta me. Follow this link if yr real keano and you wanna read some other reviews of the LP; givuz some email lurve if ya wanna get hands on same. Or go see dem boys at Smoke.

NOTIFICATION OF RELEASE: The Stumps Split Fleet Dodge LP

We now have available our first release and the debut LP by The Stumps, Split Fleet Dodge (PALP001).


The Stumps are an improvising psych/noise/rock band from Wellington, New Zealand. They have been described as a NZ underground "super-group" by one writer; a "power-trio" by others. Although no-one is completely sure what these terms actually mean, what is certain is that The Stumps bring a wealth of talent and experience, and a certain heavyweight clout, with them to the table.

"These are musicians putting their best foot forward.. the trio unleash a sonic landscape of epic proportions." - Brad Rose, Digitalis.

The core lineup of The Stumps features Antony Milton (A.M., Mrtyu!, Nether Dawn, PseudoArcana label, etc), Stephen Clover (seht), and James Kirk (Sandoz Lab Technicians, Gate, Black Boned Angel, etc). The band also regularly collaborates with other improvising musicians; on Split Fleet Dodge the trio team up on one side of the LP with Campbell Kneale (Birchville Cat Motel, Black Boned Angel) on keyboards and electronics.

"..huge shambling blissed-out spacey rock swell and sprawl.. deep space exploration." - Anthony Milton

The Stumps have played extensively in New Zealand, including support for the Grey Daturas; two brief tours in Australia have been very well received, and plans for tours of Europe and the USA are underway. The Stumps also performed recently at the 2006 Lines of Flight festival in Dunedin, New Zealand, alongside the likes of Gate, A Handful of Dust, Omit, Birchville Cat Motel, Eso Steel and Lovely Midget. A CD release on Last Visible Dog records is also scheduled for early-2007.

Discography

• Dry eyed twitch (cycle) (Diagnosis...DON'T! CDR-EP, 2006)
• Lost Weekends (Foxglove CDR, 2006)
• At Murder Shed (Paha Porvari CDR, 2005 - billed as The Stumps vs. Ohm, featuring Campbell Kneale and Pumice’s Stefan Neville)
• If I gave you some concrete slippers, would you wear them when you jump off the pier? (PseudoArcana 3" CDR, 2003)

Taster

As references and influences, The Stumps cite Cream, The Dead C, Les Rallizes Denudes, Fushitsusha, Boris, Pharoah Overlord, and the aforementioned Grey Daturas. For a preview of two of the tracks on the forthcoming Split Fleet Dodge, please visit The Stumps’ myspace page.

Distribution

Split Fleet Dodge will be available to distributors at wholesale rates. If you’re interested in purchasing copies of this LP for your distribution, please contact Stephen Clover.