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Jennifer Gentle and Kawabata Makoto, "The Wrong Cage"
Jennifer Gentle's newest release is a live disc documenting a 2002 show in their native Italy during which they were joined on stage by the irrepressible Kawabata Makoto of Acid Mothers Temple. I'm not sure what, if anything, Makoto's monolithic acid-guitar stylings have in common with Jennifer Gentle's eclectic psych-pop. Perhaps nothing, but once the opening drones begin all such questions melt away.Sillyboy
This disc is far better than any of Jennifer Gentle's albums, a stunning performance that left me wondering why they haven't applied some of the musical tactics on display here to their studio output. Kawabata Makoto joined Jennifer Gentle on stage without any rehearsal and with no previous knowledge of the band's songs. He simply invents impromptu solos on his electric guitar, weaving in and out of the long-form improvisations of Marco Fasolo and company. The first track is a nearly 15-minute extended jam on the song "Bring Them", which was perhaps the only worthwhile song on Jennifer Gentle's debut album I Am You Are. The repetitive guitar and organ melodies compete with Makoto's acid-fried soloing and cyclical feedback, building to a massive explosion of cosmic rock n' roll nirvana. Jennifer Gentle should consider recording these lengthy, improvised jams in the studio, rather than the three-minute song fragments that fill their first two albums. Track two is a five-minute solo by Kawabata Makoto entitled "Man From Mu", basically an extended improvisation on the sarongi. The AMT ringleader pulls some beautifully unhinged sounds from the strange, stringed instrument. Track three is another extended jam, this time from Jennifer Gentle's Funny Creatures Lane album, "Couple in Bed by a Green Flashing Light". It's a stone groove, a terrific freakout that utilizes the full potential of the players and ascends to some serious third-eye territory. Although The Wrong Cage is very short at only about 30 minutes, it fills out its entire length with some delicious ear candy. I would highly recommend that fans of Acid Mothers Temple waste no time in seeking it out. Having never seen Jennifer Gentle live, it's hard to say whether this is a typical performance for the band. But I can definitely recommend that they waste no time in trying to harness some of their ecstatic live energy onto their next studio recording.
