Think of what it means for music to be “accessible,” and you’ll probably think of some catchy pop tune that follows the tried-and-true verse-chorus-verse format, and which has that certain mass appeal that doesn’t send mainstream radio hosts (to the extent that they exist nowadays) into fits of facial contortions.
The musical opposite of that accessibility certainly exists in various forms, but certainly vying for the top spot in aural difficulty is the newly announced collaboration of YoshimiO (Boredoms and OOIOO), Susie Ibarra, and Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe (Lichens). The independent work of each of these artists would be more than enough to promote possibly injurious head-scratching among the Top 40 crowd. But now that they’ve combined forces, something tells me we’d need to raise the potential puzzlement-factor to the 3rd power?
I guess we’ll find out on Feburary 23, when their album equivalent of a Rubik’s Cube, entitled Flower of Sulphur, is released on Thrill Jockey. The recording documents a 2016 concert in which YoshimiO, Ibarra, and Lowe played as a trio for the first time, and official press on the subject points out how each musician has their own configured instruments, which were played improvisationally for however long the Roulette venue in Brooklyn would suffer the impenetrable waywardness.
In addition to YoshimiO’s aforementioned pedigree, Susie Ibarra is an award winning percussionist who’s otherwise received impressive kudos in recognition of her work studying indigenous music in the Philippines. And Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe has made waves with his voice, playing the modular synth, and working with Jóhann Jóhannsson on two noteworthy film scores.
If you’re unfamiliar with any of these cutting-edge badasses, you can watch the trailer for the album here, acclimate yourself by watching a few relevant vids down below, and pre-order Flower of Sulphur from the thrill jockeys at Thrill Jockey right here.
Flower of Sulphur tracklisting:
01. Aaa
02. Bbb
03. Ccc
04. Ddd
More about: Lichens, Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe, Susie Ibarra, Yoshimi P-We
