Kinski/Acid Mothers Temple"Kinski/Acid Mothers Temple"

Kinski and Acid Mothers Temple? It sounds like a mixed blessing. I've never really been convinced of the greatness of Kinski, and I'm totally enraptured by the utter brilliance that is Acid Mothers Temple. That the two would get together and jam proves interesting, yet I was a little skeptical about how Kinski's sound would influence the session. Then again, I trust Acid Mothers Temple's Kawabata Makoto, and as he asked Kinski over to tour, I figured that at least he saw something great in them, and that a jam session would at least prove interesting.

I really should not have worried. With Makoto and company at the helm, the proceedings were going to be real good, and the two songs that came from their jam sessions are indeed strong. "It's Nice To Hear Your Voice" is a Kinski-led session, and it starts off with a peaceful, quiet drone. It retains the drone for the next ten minutes, though there are a few moments of violent hiss and sound effects. In fact, the bands never use anything other than traditional instrumentation. "Planet Crazy Gold" is an Acid Mothers Temple-led session, and it starts with the sound of ancient instruments, and much like the other collaborative track, it's mainly a drone.

The other two songs, though, are new tracks by each band. The Kinski track, "Fell Asleep On Your Lawn" is not as bad as I expected it to be, making me think that I might have been a little bit wrong about them. The real winning track of the four, though, is the final track, Acid Mothers Temple's "Virginal Plain 5:23." First things first, it ain't five minutes and twenty-three seconds. It's about a half-hour long. It's total acid rock, too; the band conjurs up the ghost of Blue Cheer and everything 1971 in one fell swoop. Only Acid Mothers Temple could get away with such a thing, and this song is yet another piece of evidence to establish their brilliance.

Acid Mothers Temple is an utterly astonishing band. Kinski? Who knows, but I'm won over by their contributions on Kinski/Acid Mothers Temple. If you've ever wondered about that odd Japanese collective, then this record is most certainly worth seeking out.

--Joseph Kyle