KAWABATA MAKOTO'S MAINLINER is a Pyschedelic Space Rock/Noise Rock Band from Japan
The members are:
Kawabata Makoto : Guitar
Kawabe Taigen : Bass/Voice
Shimura Koji : Drums
Now I am not the biggest fan of Japanese Noise/Space Rock music but I know who Kawabata Makato is. He is the legendary genius behind Acid Mothers Temple. And all the other spin-off bands that fall under the Acid Mothers Temple family. He is one highly talented dude.
I knew a little bit about Mainliner as well. They made quite an impression with fans and critics in the late 90s and they sort of disappeared or went on hiatus. This bio will tell you more about the new version of Mainliner.
Joining original Mainliner members Kawabata Makoto (motorpsycho guitar) and Koji Shimura (drums) is new recruit Kawabe Taigen (bass/vocals) and the triostill kick up one hell of a sonic racket. Confusion surrounds the exact details of the recording, but they seem to date from December 2011, and from Kawabata's mountain top temple studio-cum-home.
The man himself, as always, is shying away from sharing too many of the magick details about the Mainliner rebirth. And the stark, minimal black with gold sleeve keeps the mystery intact, apart from the grainy band photo on the rear. All said, 'Revelation Space', is a comeback statement of intent. And it's firmly in the same 'in the red / raw' camp as the original trio's classic 'Mellow Out'.
From the initial speaker shaking feedback burst of opener 'Revelation Space', right through to the closing 20-minute epic 'New Sun' (which showcases Taigen's otherworldly howl perfectly) there is no let up in the brutal delivery. This will no doubt delight those Mainliner diehards who never thought they'd see the day again, and all those with a love of over the top guitar howls and punishing feedback levels, but always under pinned by some righteous grooves."
Their new album - Revelation Space - will probably piss of a lot of our regular viewers as it's not an easy album to listen to at all. Distorted Drone based epic Space Rock Psych Riffs are the order of business today.
The opening title track is a 11:30 minute epic blending Noise, Space Rock, Psych Rock amongst a sprawling Drone Background that actually feels like a distress signal in space. It ain't pretty but it's some brilliant instrumental work from everyone involved.
Taitan is less chaotic and noisy but still a hard listen at times but it does have some cool ambient based Space Rock passages to fry your brain to. Haunting vocals near the end give this album a real sense of danger to it.
D.D.D is a 2 minute assault on the senses and is probably the most straight forward song on the album. It has fast paced riffs with even faster vocals to match. Just when your really into the groove of it all it sadly ends. Which is a shame as I was starting to like this song.
The Dispossessed is another 9 minute epic blending distorted Noise/Space Rock Passages with more haunting vocals from Kawabe. Kawabe is one of my current fave vocalists from one of my fave Psych Rock Bands - Bo Ningen. If you haven't checked out Bo Ningen I urge you to do this now. Amazing band.
But back to The Dispossessed. It was around about this time I was beginning to enjoy the overall experience of the album. Distorted riffs and loud walls of noise come crashing down around you. You can tell why Mainliner have such a great reputation amongst Psych/Noise/Space Rock scene as they have a sound totally unique to their own.
And now we come up to the last track. And what a fucking track it is. New Sun is a 20 minute thunderous epic of noise, sounds and heavy atmospherics. This is where Mainliner lay everything on the line and prove what a brilliant band they are. Haunting, demonic, beautiful, loud, angry and confusing as hell all in one epic distorted package. It ends the album on a high.
Revelation Space won't be to everyone's tastes. But if you have the patience to listen to an album with real substance then you will duly be rewarded with a great Psych/Noise/Space Rock masterpiece.
Kawabata Makoto's Mainliner are a visionary band and this is a visionary album. It's brilliantly put together and I can't recommend it highly enough if your a fan of this type of music.
Amazing. End Of.
You can buy Revelation Space from Riot Season Records from April 29th.
Check This Brilliant Band from the links below:
Thanks to Riot Season Records for sending me the promo to review. Really appreciate it.
