by François Couture
Just in case it matters to you, this solo album is guitar-less. The best comparison this reviewer is aware of would be Keiji Haino's own 2001 release Abandon All Words at a Stroke, although this one is more dynamic and less scary. The title translates to: "'It's perfect' indoctrinated you fall head first." It is the first album released on A Bruit Secret's Turtles' Dream imprint. Recorded live (although no details are given), it features Haino on vocals and rhythm machine; or so the booklet says. In fact, there is more going on here. The artist makes extensive use of a sampler or a multi-track looping device. He overdubs both his voice and drum patterns and even stores them in memory to bring some sequences back later on in this 45 minute performance. "C'est Parfait" consists mostly of frantic percussion (not beats) and desperate screams, the kind that send shivers down your spine and alarm the neighbors, the kind Haino is so good at. Atavistic and elemental, his reverb-heavy vocals clash head on with the modern technology of the drum machine. He establishes a continuum of expression where repetitiveness provides a springboard to push the music ever further. Five or six times he suddenly shuts off the loops, stopping for a few awkward seconds (did his finger slip? is he running out of ideas?) before starting something else and eventually reintegrating previous loops. It's a typical Haino performance, highly charged in raw emotion and disturbing, but it sounds more involved and vital than most of the music he released in 2002.
The complete title of this release is "'C'est Parfait' Endoctriné Tu Tombes La Tête La Première N'essayant Pas De Comprendre Quelque Chose Si Tu Te Prépares À La Décision D'accepter Tout Compris / Endre En Toi-Même Cela Se Résoudra."
Recorded live at Star's Pine, Tokyo on 31st March 2002.
Drum Machine [Rhythm Machine], Vocals – Keiji Haino
Liner Notes – Jacques Debout
Liner Notes [English Translation] – Alan Cummings
Photography By – Kazuyuki Funaki
Recorded By – Nobuhiro Yanaka