Logo
DiS Needs You: Save our site »
  • Logo_home2
  • Records
  • In Depth
  • In Photos
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Search
  • Community
  • Records
  • In Depth
  • Blog
  • Community

THIS SITE HAS BEEN ARCHIVED AND CLOSED.

Please join the conversation over on our new forums »

If you really want to read this, try using The Internet Archive.

Nisennenmondai

#N/A

Label: On-U Sound Release Date: 01/04/2016

102619
talskar by Paul Stephen Gettings April 11th, 2016

Repetition. The old adage goes that repetition is the mother of skill. Although melody is undoubtedly seen as top dog when it comes to writing a good song, even the most saccharine modern chart-topper will boast an airtight rhythm at its core. If an appreciation for melody developed as early man listened to the fascinating, dangerous world around him, then the pull of rhythm must have come from within, from the steady drum of the heart that is our constant companion. The thrill of a solid, repetitive beat has enthralled and appalled throughout the history of modern music, from the primal clatter of rock and roll to the shimmering throb of disco and to the stark, mechanistic lurch of techno. Japanese trio Nisennenmondai have made their unique approach to rhythm something of a trademark, fusing post-punk bass grooves with krautrock drums and no wave guitars that are more punctuation than anything else. Although the group have dabbled with electronic instrumentation in the past, recently something of shift has taken place in their approach, with the harsh wail of distorted guitar taking a backseat and a smoother, electronic stutter taking its place. New record #N/A sees the band fully exploring this altered sonic landscape, with five studio tracks and two live mixes of sprawling length.



Billed as a collaboration with veteran dub producer Adrian Sherwood and released on his own On-U Sound imprint, the introduction of vintage dub textures and atmospheres to Nisennenmondai’s sound should come as little surprise. Although the familiar snarl of Masako Takada’s guitar looms its head over the monolith of sound from time to time, the most conspicuous sounds of all are clattering drum fills that come dripping in authentic dub space echo. Now, Nisennenmondai aren’t particularly well known for their emphasis on melody, but #N/A is minimal, even by their standards. This may be a direct product of their collaboration with Sherwood, a man who is by his own admission tone-deaf and has developed a distinct style of production that is much more preoccupied with idiosyncratic noises, skittering beats and complex textures.

Although the first five tracks are studio recordings, there’s little sonically to set them apart from the two live mixes that conclude the record. This is a testament not only to the quality of the band’s live presence (gone are the days of ropey live b-sides that sounded like they were recorded by a Fisher Price toy microphone, thankfully) but also the excellent live feel of the studio recordings. The studio drums in particular stand out as being particularly well produced, with just enough natural reverb to capture the frenetic, exciting atmosphere of a live performance. This 'live sound' production style is something of a double-edged sword, however - although upon listening to #N/A you are well convinced that these instrumental tracks would be a momentous experience to experience in person, in a field, with a gigantic sound system battering every fibre of your being, that doesn’t necessarily make for the most interesting listening experience when you’re sat at home or making your morning commute. Although establishing a hypnotic pulse of noise is clearly what Nisennenmondai and Adrian Sherwood were aiming for, you are left wishing they’d at least tried some studio trickery to sweeten the pot. On #N/A the skill of the trio (plus one) is more than evident, it’s just a shame they didn’t try and inject just a little more variety into the mix as well.

![102619](http://dis.resized.images.s3.amazonaws.com/540x310/102619.jpeg)
  • 6
    Paul Stephen Gettings's Score
Log-in to rate this record out of 10
Share on
   
Love DiS? Become a Patron of the site here »


LATEST


  • Why Music Journalism Matters in 2024


  • Drowned in Sound is back!


  • Drowned in Sound's 21 Favourite Albums of the Year: 2020


  • Drowned in Sound to return as a weekly newsletter


  • Lykke Li's Sadness Is A Blessing


  • Glastonbury 2019 preview playlist + ten alternative must sees



Left-arrow

PJ Harvey

The Hope Six Demolition Project

Mobback
102621
102620

Future of the Left

The Peace & Truce of Future of the Left

Mobforward
Right-arrow


LATEST

    news


    Why Music Journalism Matters in 2024

  • 106145
  • news


    Drowned in Sound is back!

  • 106143

    news


    Drowned in Sound's 21 Favourite Albums of the Y...

  • 106141
  • news


    Drowned in Sound to return as a weekly newsletter

  • 106139

    Playlist


    Lykke Li's Sadness Is A Blessing

  • 106138
  • Festival Preview


    Glastonbury 2019 preview playlist + ten alterna...

  • 106137

    Interview


    A Different Kind Of Weird: dEUS on The Ideal Crash

  • 106136
  • Festival Review


    Way Out East: DiS Does Sharpe Festival 2019

  • 106135
MORE


    news


    The Neptune Music Prize 2016 - Vote Now

  • 103918
  • Takeover


    The Winner Takes It All

  • 50972

    Takeover


    10 Things To Not Expect Your Record Producer To...

  • 93724
  • review


    The Mars Volta - Deloused In The Comatorium

  • 4317

    review


    Sonic Youth - Nurse

  • 6044
  • feature


    New Emo Goth Danger? My Chemical Romance confro...

  • 89578

    feature


    DiS meets Justice

  • 27270
  • news


    Our Independent music filled alternative to New...

  • 104374
MORE

Drowned in Sound
  • DROWNED IN SOUND
  • HOME
  • SITE MAP
  • NEWS
  • IN DEPTH
  • IN PHOTOS
  • RECORDS
  • RECOMMENDED RECORDS
  • ALBUMS OF THE YEAR
  • FESTIVAL COVERAGE
  • COMMUNITY
  • MUSIC FORUM
  • SOCIAL BOARD
  • REPORT ERRORS
  • CONTACT US
  • JOIN OUR MAILING LIST
  • FOLLOW DiS
  • GOOGLE+
  • FACEBOOK
  • TWITTER
  • SHUFFLER
  • TUMBLR
  • YOUTUBE
  • RSS FEED
  • RSS EMAIL SUBSCRIBE
  • MISC
  • TERM OF USE
  • PRIVACY
  • ADVERTISING
  • OUR WIKIPEDIA
© 2000-2025 DROWNED IN SOUND