Pitchfork

Torn. Torn between wanting to heave balls of fire into the faces of unsuspecting audience members who probably came expecting to see Cibo/Shonen/Banana, and wanting to tap into the secret meter, unplayable to all but the most gone-prog hill-gurus. Torn between sliding into a comfortable niche as happy-go-lucky medley geeks and unleashing actual noise-terrorism, improvisational masochism, brutal Catechism! Torn between paying homage to Magma, Area and This Heat and ruining the reputations of said inspirations (and consequently, anyone who would recommend Ruins). Nothing about Tatsuya Yoshida's longstanding-- and at this point probably "legendary" (which may be part of the "problem")-- duo is easily digestible, except for the maddening consistency of his vision. And even that isn't a given.

Ruins' music can be roughly grouped into three sections: the first (1985-1991) features bassists Kazuyoshi Kimoto and Hideki Kawamoto. This period-- best represented on 1990's Stonehenge LP-- established the band's rep as Hardcore junkies (or not; Yoshida claims he hasn't listened to much punk) with a prog fetish. The second era (1992-1996), which I consider the most interesting time for the band, featured bassist Ryuichi Masuda. The songs got longer, the bass lines thicker-- a lot more like those hallowed Magma lines of yore-- and their oppressive lack of dynamic contrast suddenly seemed like the mark of true originals rather than some po-mo noise experiment gone horribly wrong. The current Ruins lineup (1997-present) features bassist Hisashi Sasaki and is probably the most frustrating of all. Rather than ride off into the Zeuhl sunset, Ruins recently decided to destroy all ties to anything recognizable and/or coherent, opting for polyrhythm over speed-beat, and micro-fugue over smash-rock riffs. It's been a gradual triumph of brain over brawn for the past 17 years, and predictably, the results have been mixed.

Tzomborgha is the group's eighth full-length of studio material (not counting the demo-heavy Refusal Fossil), and it's arguably the best of the Sasaki discs. As with 1998's Vrresto and 2000's Pallaschtom, the obsessive desire to change directions as many times as possible in one song could drive many listeners to drink. Furthermore, Yoshida's recent love of medleys ("Progressive Rock Medley", "Classical Medley", et al) is somehow not as neat as in the past. Here, "Black Sabbath Medley Reversible" (don't think for a second they can't play this stuff backwards) and "Mahavishnu Orchestra Medley" should be novelties but for the fact they sound a hell of a lot like typical Ruins tunes.

There are some classic jams here, too, for anyone willing to go the extra kilometer. "Skhanddraviza" starts out suspiciously goofy, with what sounds like a goat vocalizing over a punk bossa nova beat, but soon enough erupts into high-pitched, harmonized yelping and a trapset tantrum. In the middle, it settles on a three-note ostinato that's superficially reminiscent of Stonehenge's "B.U.G." mid-section, except, instead of playing the "we could go on like this all day" card, Ruins prefer to mix in some echoplex, metallic soloing over the figure (Sasaki's secret weapons are his effects pedals) before moving on to other business: "Gurthemvhail" begins with Sasaki proving chicken scratch funk licks are possible on the bass before Yoshida cuts him off at the pass with some of his tightest drumming on record.

What might not go over with most listeners is the hallmark of Ruins' current incarnation: extended free-rhythm and improv pieces. Sasaki and Yoshida have an incredible ability to play the most intimidating figures in perfect unison, and don't need any pesky beat to accompany their adventures. The opener "Komnigriss" (similar to Vrresto's opener "Snare") makes mincemeat out of any expectations you might have for a downbeat; "Messiaen" (apparently a cover of one of the French composer's melodies) leaves no room for breath or handclaps. None of that can be considered criticism where Ruins albums are concerned, but for newcomers, I'd go with Hydero or even last year's hellish live record on Tzadik first. If you're still onboard after those, grab a charge card and a copy of Tzomborgha-- like Yoshida, you'll be in it for the long haul.