We Acediasts

***An acediast is guilty of that capital sin of sloth—that is to say, spiritual apathy and inactivity. But sloth isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when playing WE ACEDIASTS’ long-delayed debut LP. It’s too harrowing for that, with scrabbly guitars; unhinged, off-the-cuff vocals; and bass and drums that waver from dubby taut to jazzy loose in moments. The Tokyo-based band existed from 2000 to 2002, and their influences ranged from Can and the Japanese vocalist Phew to the more frenetic, experimental end of postpunk—groups like This Heat and Public Image, Ltd. The album follows a clear progression, beginning quietly before erupting into chaotic catchiness with opener “Densha no Zone” and the anthemic “Mondai wa Iwayuru Mood,” the songs shifting and turning, frenzied one minute and anxiously still the next. Side A ends with “Kato san,” which acts as a fulcrum between the aggressive looseness of the preceding tracks and the more controlled focus of Side B. That song and “Saramawashi” teem with unidentifiable noises—static and drones, loops and synth burbles that fill in the spaces around the instruments. Finally, the album culminates with the epic “Hana,” which, over its nearly 13 minutes, slinks out of a field of repetitive tremolo tones and shuddering guitar, gaining mass as it continues to acquire layers of harmonics and melody; an insistent bass line; martial rhythms; and a memorable leadguitar motif that keeps returning and returning until, in the end, as the song fades at last and the needle skims the run-out groove, you’re left wondering why the hell this record was never released before. Features members of INVISIBLE CONGA PEOPLE and SHINTARO SAKAMOTO. Edition of 300 copies packaged in silkscreened sleeves.