Gaping Maw, "Two Improvisations"

As the title suggests, this album contains two improvised pieces. Each one was recorded live and shows Gaping Maw in great form. The mix is at times unbalanced due to the nature of the recordings but overall this is a fantastic document of two formidable performances.

 

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The album starts off with a deafening roar of synthesiser and an erratic and frantic snare beat. There is no time given to adjust the volume accordingly. Lasting just over half an hour, it is a muscular musical pummelling that left me feeling sweaty and tired. The trio use a collection of synthesisers, basses and a drum kit to make a dense and powerful racket. Tatsuya Nakatani’s drumming switches from very loose and random destruction of the kit to a tight, driving Krautrockish beat. The other two then weave in and out, sometimes creating a strong rhythm (although not necessarily in time with the drumming) but mainly making an incomprehensible but superb mass of treacly goo.

The second piece is much shorter at ten minutes but has all the quality of the first. It is a completely different vibe compared to the first one, it is much quieter and the tension is thick. Bruckmann and Johnson’s synths sound like air flowing through a ventilation shaft. Slowly the music builds up as the drums come in. Nakatani sounds like a ball of energy let loose on the snare drum. The final two minutes sees the music bubbles over into the intensity heard on the first piece. At this point I felt tired giving such rich music so much attention, I needed the break.

This was my introduction to the group and it has made a bloody impact on me. A quick google has given me fuck all information on them, which is a pity because I want to hear more. Two Improvisations is a little patchy in terms of the sound of the recordings. They are not perfect live recordings but they do capture the force and the power of the performances and sound more than adequate to my ears. A more polished recording might detract from Gaping Maw’s clout. As it stands, this album is a colossal lump of top quality noisy improv.

samples:

• Nervous Center 11.02.01>Chicago (Extract 1)
• Nervous Center 11.02.01>Chicago (Extract 2)
• Candlestick Maker 08.09.02>Chicago