Music: Won James Won: The Hollow Grail
Our Take
Russian experimental noise band Won James Won are one of those bands that listeners either love or hate. Though their previous releases were recorded in a studio, the group’s newest album The Hollow Grail consists of 20 tracks that were recorded live and are improvisational pieces. And though the spastic free form nature of this group may be too much for some people to handle those with a taste for weird experimental music will be championing this group as the next big thing once the album has come to an end.
The Hollow Grail is not easy to digest in one sitting, spanning 79 minutes over 20 tracks. And considering that each piece is improvisational and has little to no ties to the song before it, this is certainly not what one might consider a traditional album. The instrumentalists like to jump between free form jazz, noise, and rock seemingly on a dime with little to no structure between each style. This disc is often very loud and in your face, yet at the same time there are a lot of subtle elements that can be picked up underneath the sonic wall of sound that Won James won throws at the listener. To put it bluntly, there is no middle ground for this release. Listeners will either love the spastic bursts of noise and free form jazz or absolutely hate it, and there is really no other way around it.Won James Won makes use of a variety of different vocalists, giving their vocals as much variety as the instrumentals. The first song starts off with extremely harsh noise screaming, while other tracks see the corresponding vocalists screaming and making bizarre noises, and occasionally there is a little bit of clean singing. But as with the instrumentals, don’t expect any of the clean singing to stay melodic for too long as it will more often than not quickly break into a screamed passage. If you’re into bizarre vocal styles (like I am) The Hollow Grail will be a joy to discover, as the various styles here are harsh, bizarre, and addictive all at the same time.
As previously mentioned, this is a love or hate album that will take more than one listen to fully understand. Though it has been recorded live, it is hard to tell due to the sheer energy and volume that Won James Won often possesses. The Hollow Grail is definitely a unique album, and it is even more impressive when one considers that none of these songs were planned out beforehand. If you are in the mood for something that is truly experimental, don’t pass this Russian group up.
http://www.raig.ru/
Chris Dahlberg
August 01, 2008
