C.C.C.C. - Chaos Is The Cosmos

What with this release and the Early Works 4CD boxset on No Fun Productions there's been quite a bit of renewed activity around C.C.C.C, the Japanoise group comprising Mayuko Hino, Hiroshi Hasegawa (Astro, South Saturn Delta), Fumio Kosakai (Hijokaidan, Incapacitants), Ryuichi Nagakubo who were active during the nineties when the first wave of Japanese noise acts began garnering attention overseas. In terms of noise C.C.C.C. avoid the register extremes; there's no high-end or low-end frequencies. Instead C.C.C.C. opt for elongated blasts of subtle layered noise. It's a forceful sound that gushes with intensity, the convoluted electronics throwing up a mass of noise. It may be surprising but compared to earlier releases such as Loud Sounds Dopa and Flash (a 1996 Cold Spring release) this one features guitar squall with formless clouds of noise being cajoled from the instrument. It certainly adds another dimension to the torrent of noise being whipped up. The other surprising thing here is porn actress Mayuko Hino's performance. At one point in the first quarter of this performance, recorded in Tokyo in the mid-nineties, she unleashes a series of tortured screams and anguished cries, returning later on with some spoken poetry, as the instruments drop out leaving only electronic hum and machine like throttle to shroud her readings. Don't worry though, as it quickly returns to whirring and gliding sheets of noise and hits some wonderful screechiness and wind-tunnel like dynamics. Aside from the 5-minute or so sojourn into poetry, once again, C.C.C.C. offer an unrelenting slice of captivating atmo-noise. Chaos Is The Cosmos never attains the unrelenting corrosive textures of Flash but it's best not to resist and just let the saturated noise wash over you. It's a timely reminder on just how good they were. For more information go to www.coldspring.co.uk