New - Haino, Jim O'Rourke, and Oren Ambarchi, Keiji - With Pats On The Head, Just One Too Few Is Evil One Too Many Is Good That's All It Is - 3xLP

The heavyweight trio of Keiji Haino, Jim O'Rourke, and Oren Ambarchi return with their 12th and most epic release to date, the triple LP With pats on the head, just one too few is evil one too many is good that's all it is. Documenting the entirety of their final performance at the dearly departed Roppongi home of Tokyo underground institution SuperDeluxe in November 2018, the music spread across these six sides splits the difference between the guitar-bass-drums power trio moves and experiments with novel instrumentation that have defined the trio's decade of working together. Containing some of the most delicate music the three have committed to wax since the gorgeous 12-string acoustic guitar and dulcimer tones of Only wanting to melt beautifully away is it a lack of contentment that stirs affection for those things said to be as of yet unseen, this wide-ranging release also offers up some of their most blistering free rock performances yet. The side-long opening piece finds Haino on a single snare drum in duet with O'Rourke on unamplified electric guitar, playing in the lovely post-Bailey vein heard on his classic '90s recordings with Henry Kaiser and Mats Gustafsson. For the first trio performance, Haino makes another new addition to his seemingly infinite catalogue of instruments, this time a homemade contraption he refers to as "Strings of Dubious Reputation." Joined by O'Rourke on increasingly spaced-out electric guitar and Ambarchi on skittering percussion, Haino's wonky, slack strings adds a definite "musique brut" edge to this side-long performance, certainly one of the most enchantingly odd in the trio's discography. Arriving in a deluxe trifold package with photos by Lasse Marhaug alongside inner sleeves with extensive live images, this epic release is perhaps the most remarkable document yet of this unique trio's stamina and continuing inventiveness.