Melt-Banana

Speak Squeak Creak (1994)

eatdogs

“Melt-Banana are band

from Japan who play “music”, but not really…”

That’s what a close friend of mine told me in college. He

then proceeded to play me some of their tunes, and well… it was crazy. I

remember thinking to myself, “this must be the college music stuff I expected

to learn about by osmosis.” My buddy was a huge Mike Patton fan and he loved

all his projects which included the infamous, Mr. Bungle. He witnessed

Melt-Banana open for Mr. Bungle and he recalled just how insane the show was for

the then three-piece act from overseas (now a duo). It must have been awesome because

he would not shut up about them years later. The opportunity to share them with

someone he thought open-minded was exciting for him. Thanks Frank!

Here we are, many years later and reflecting on this act.

What this review is about is their debut from 1994, Speak Squeak Creak. It lasts a little over 28 minutes…

Ok, so what you should know going in is that this band is

pure noise. Noise, but with elements of electronic, Grind-Core, Punk, Metal,

and some of that John Zorn Jazzy Hardcore harshness. (If you have never heard

of Naked City by John Zorn get in on

that now!) Oh, and Steve Albini helped engineer it. His work is groundbreaking

in outsider music.

I cannot really detail each song because they are so erratic

in execution and format. This is almost like performance art being slung

through the gutter and spat out by an Anime character being assaulted if that

makes any sense. The titles are interesting though, with little numbers like "Mouse

Is a Biscuit", “Smell the Medicine", "Chicken Headed Raccoon

Dog", and "Cry for More Fish"

Lead singer Yasuko Onuki has this almost ear bleeding high

pitch shout vocal style. It totally fits here because it wouldn’t fit anywhere

else. It’s like it was designed specifically for this band. She sings a mix of

Japanese and English, which is hard to tell apart and the lyrics tend to be nonsensical

filled with mostly words that rhyme for rhymes sake. Oh, and she raps too.

The racket of noise this band brings can start a pandemonium

of tumultuous panic in the listener, AND YET, its friggin awesome man.

Guitarist Ichirou Agata ushers in unorthodox guitar work with extended

techniques. He tends to overlap two different guitar riffs, simulate lasers and

sirens, cues from video games, and filters it through a large amount of effects

pedals. He also wears a surgical mask on stage because he tends to get

nosebleeds.

Frank was right in his enthusiasm. Melt-Banana are cool!

If I have to pick one “song” out of the 25 here, I’d say the

final track “untitled” is worth a listen. The song is pure novelty because it’s

all the previous 24 songs combined into one. It has this sort of atmospheric

brilliance to it and a fitting end to an album that you probably couldn’t keep

up with on first listen.

Melt-Banana are still around, touring, and tight as ever.

They have a cult following as most unique underground bands do. What probably

sealed them for me was a quote by John Peel after having them play one of his

legendary Peel Sessions:

"Simply one of

the most extraordinary performances I have ever seen and ever heard … just

mesmerizing, absolutely astonishing."

The dude had a point. Dig it…