Album Details

• Artist: Miminokoto
• Album: Hitoyogiri
• Label: Important
• Year of Release: 2011
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: patchen on 2011-09-27

Junzo Suzuki's vocals are a rich, dark but acquired taste, like a cross between Mark Eitzel and Stuart Staples, both at their most morose. But his guitar is a revelation on majestic tone and deep blues. Together with drummer Shimura Koji, he leads Miminoko through a complex but beautifully raw emotional set. "Hioyogiri" has an acoustic base that allows its electric moments to be that much more uplifting. These two Acid Mothers Temple refugees have power to burn.

The title track opens things up with a  spastic, Orcutt-esque acoustic guitar, one that echoes into "Midsummer's End," its  darkly psych melodic acoustic quickly fading into some great distorted riff that keeps a melodic sense, with Koji's drums providing extra colors as well as keeping time

 "Hands of the Night" and "For Garbanzo" are both mid-tempo, VU-ish  ballads with an occasional electric outburst; "Frozen Laughter" follows that same structure, but Suzuki's awesome guitar work-shredding and moody, poignant and daring, finally fully cuts loose.

 A switch in structure happens dramatically, and only once. "Milky Light,"  the  mostly instrumental guitar freakout, is massive and full of colors and tones that provides some needed volume and light to the set. After that, the closer, "Trembling Tongue," another mid-tempo piece that is a sheer letdown after the memorable waves of "Light."

"Hitoyogiri" is a stark droning set with moments of beauty and power. The duo of Miminokoto balance tension and release in ways both sinister and liberating.

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