Pitchfork

There's something to be said about consistency. There's also something to be said about jackhammer migraines. With Ruins, one is the cause and the other a potential effect for many listeners. Pitchfork has featured a couple of other Ruins CDs by this point, so I probably don't need to tell you much about their sound. What I will say is that, since their inception in 1985, they've set industry standards for integrity of vision, and a lot of the credit can be given to drummer/leader Tatsuya Yoshida's decision to create a new band for every new idea or variation he has. Ruins was his proggy noisecore project, and though detractors may argue that so are the rest of his bands (including Koenji-Hyakkei and Akaten), it is the most purely so.

Because of this, anyone who isn't totally down with the original concept is in for rough times with Ruins' discography. Aside from the one-off Symphonica, all Ruins records are bass-and-drums affairs, with manic yodel-screeching for vocals and the kind of needle-in-the-red instrumental acrobatics that give a shitload of indie cred to prog, while at the same time turning off most actual prog old-schoolers. I can't begin to imagine what sort of torture it would be to sit through something like Stonehenge if I wasn't completely on board with this band. That's where the jackhammer migraines come in, because if smooth sailing is your thing, steer clear.

For fans, a release like 1986-1992 is fine indeed. Skin Graft's compilation packages ridiculously rare early stuff like the original 1986 seven-inch of the band's first four-track recordings, their 1987 twelve-inch album, and selected tracks from their third record. Incidentally, all of these releases were simply entitled Ruins, so thank Skin Graft for clearing up a potential Google mess. Also included are tracks from two easier to find LP's, 1990's Stonehenge and 1992's Burning Stone. Yoshida remixed all the tracks last year, and I can tell you that, being familiar with the original albums, I was pretty shocked by the remixes. Very noisy! Mark Richard-San remarked in his review of Burning Stone that it was the 'slick' Ruins album. Not here, as its tracks seem to have been given that extra ear-bleeding treatment. Give Yoshida credit for creating the impression that all of this stuff was recorded at the same time in the same studio, with the same production.

The opener wastes no time in burning down all bridges to sanity: "Outburn" is at once the greatest-ever hardcore punk song not to protest anything or even feature real words in the lyrics, and a public service announcement for ADD awareness. The main riff is as stubbornly assured as anything Bad Brains put to wax, and the lest you get bored during its eight seconds, another wild-ass riff is there to take its place, and again and again. It seems like this kind of thing should have made the whole math-rock thing obsolete before it ever happened, but whatever. "Epigonen" is slower, but just as pummeling. The riffs don't fly by this time, and the mid-section is almost like a stoned mosh. Ruins first bassist Kawamoto Hideki even takes the distortion off for a few seconds, only to nail it back to your forehead again at the end of the tune. "Body & Soul" is still more slow-death, featuring a recognizably metallic head, like something you'd hear from a particularly badly recorded Sabbath boot. Perhaps the most interesting track for diehard fans will be "Cambodia," previously only available on a compilation called NG II. If not for all the distortion, this could pass for straight-ahead King Crimson-esque prog (especially the anthemic B-section), and the opening riff is pure cock-rock edge.

"Hallelujah," from Ruins' 1988 LP, is also quite proggy compared to the rest of this stuff, especially as Yoshida makes the extra effort to sing in recognizable tones, and with recognizable harmonies. They turned the distortion off, and there's even a violin in there. Whoa... Kansas? Not quite. Tunes like "Infect" (possibly the most menacing thing they ever recorded) and "B.U.G." reinforce the notion that sheer force and oppressive repetition can do considerable damage. Quaint old bands like Magma used to work in similar realms, but Ruins just pounce all over any legacy those bands might have had. They're just that devastating. The Burning Stone tracks are more complex, as Ruins has seemingly gotten further and further away from tried-and-true musical vices like simple jackhammer migraine riffs, but the tunes don't fail to lurch and destroy. "Zasca Coska," filled with echo vocals and riffs so unplayable that it just isn't that funny, even manages to fill a few life-sucking minutes of the song with free improv. I think I need to turn this down for second.

Despite the ear-abuse, my only real caveat with the album is that fans will probably already own about half of it. Of course, the really early material makes it worthwhile for people like me. For newcomers, I'd suggest hunting down Burning Stone or Stonehenge for early Ruins, and work from there. Yoshida doesn't look like he's ever going to stop, so you have plenty of time to work your way through to this comp.