由灰野敬二、Jim O’Rourke和Oren Ambarchi组成的重量级三重奏，带来了他们的第十二张作品《With pats on the head, just one too few is evil one too many is good that's all it is》。这套三张黑胶专辑完整记录了2018年11月他们在东京传奇场地SuperDeluxe已关闭的六本木旧址的最后一场演出，在吉他、贝斯、鼓的强力三重奏语汇与贯穿乐队十年合作的器乐实验之间取得了平衡。此前，他们在《Only wanting to melt beautifully away is it a lack of contentment that stirs affection for those things said to be as of yet unseen》(BT011)中展现了十二弦原声吉他和扬琴的细腻音色，而这张唱片同样收录了他们迄今为止最炽烈、最自由的摇滚即兴段落。开场曲占据一整面，灰野敬二仅以单面军鼓与Jim O’Rourke不经扩音的电吉他对话，后者带有可爱的后Bailey式韵味，令人想起他与Henry Kaiser、Mats Gustafsson在90年代的经典合作。尖锐的不和谐音和清亮泛音中交织着流动的旋律片段，灰野则像未经训练的Han Bennink般一心探索军鼓的共鸣。在《Right brain, left brain; right, left; right wing, left wing. Just how many combinations can be made from these?》中，O’Rourke转向合成器与电子设备，Ambarchi坐到鼓前，从嘶嘶作响的吊镲展开，温柔的嗵鼓节奏与电子咕噜声、颤音融合成催眠般的循环，仿佛富樫雅彦与Jean Schwarz的梦幻合作。随后，Ambarchi的打击乐加入灰野自由游走的长笛，接着灰野又换回军鼓，上演了一段奇异又结巴的鼓二重奏。第一场三重奏演出中，灰野敬二启用了他称之为“Strings of Dubious Reputation”的自制装置。配合O’Rourke愈发迷幻的电吉他和Ambarchi急促的打击乐，那摇摇晃晃的松弛弦乐为整面长度的演出注入了鲜明的“musique brut”棱角，成为乐队作品目录中最迷人而古怪的篇章之一。当乐队再度集结，第二场演出横跨最后三面唱片，他们从一开始便喷薄而出。O’Rourke在六弦贝斯上切割出扭曲和弦，Ambarchi爆发出标志性的不规则重击，灰野在加满延迟效果的双簧管上尖叫、嘎嘎作响，随后一拿起吉他，便释放出势不可挡的电子风暴。在超过半小时里，三重奏奏出不断重组的万花筒：扭曲的法兹吉他、疯狂忙碌的贝斯连复段和推进力十足的跌撞鼓点。最后的长曲以静谧氛围开场，标题为「There are always things I wish to say but I can only convey them in this language August 6 August 9」。灰野干净的吉他扫弦唤起他PSF经典作品《Affection》中闪烁的音色，逐渐构筑成汹涌的音墙，贝斯和鼓在喷气发动机般的吉他轰鸣中蹒跚前行。这套史诗级作品以豪华三折包装呈现，内含Lasse Marhaug拍摄的照片及丰富的现场影像，堪称这支独特三重奏耐力与持续创造力的杰出记录。The heavyweight trio of Keiji Haino, Jim O’Rourke and Oren Ambarchi return with their 12th and most epic release to date, the triple LP With pats on the head, just one too few is evil one too many is good that's all it is. Documenting the entirety of their final performance at the dearly departed Roppongi home of Tokyo underground institution SuperDeluxe in November 2018, the music spread across these six sides splits the difference between the guitar-bass-drums power trio moves and experiments with novel instrumentation that have defined the trio’s decade of working together. Containing some of the most delicate music the three have committed to wax since the gorgeous 12-string acoustic guitar and dulcimer tones of Only wanting to melt beautifully away is it a lack of contentment that stirs affection for those things said to be as of yet unseen (BT011), this wide-ranging release also offers up some of their most blistering free rock performances yet.The side-long opening piece finds Haino on a single snare drum in duet with O’Rourke on unamplified electric guitar, playing in the lovely post-Bailey vein heard on his classic 90s recordings with Henry Kaiser and Mats Gustafsson. Spiky dissonance and ringing harmonics interweave with flowing melodic fragments as Haino single-mindedly explores the resonance of the snare like an untutored Han Bennink. On ‘Right brain, left brain; right, left; right wing, left wing. Just how many combinations can be made from these?’, O’Rourke moves to synth and electronics, joined by Ambarchi on drums, who at first focuses on sizzle cymbals before hypnotic cycles of gentle tom rhythms combine with electronic burbles and flutters to suggest a dream collaboration between Masahiko Togashi and Jean Schwarz. Ambarchi’s percussion is then joined by Haino on wandering, overblown flute, before the man in black switches back to the snare for a bizarre, stuttering drum duet.For the first trio performance, Haino makes another new addition to his seemingly infinite catalogue of instruments, this time a homemade contraption he refers to as ‘Strings of Dubious Reputation’. Joined by O’Rourke on increasingly spaced-out electric guitar and Ambarchi on skittering percussion, Haino’s wonky, slack strings adds a definite ‘musique brut’ edge to this side-long performance, certainly one of the most enchantingly odd in the trio’s discography. When the group reconvene for the second set, spread out across the final three sides, they seem ready to breathe fire from the first instant. O’Rourke slashes distorted chords on the six-string bass, Ambarchi breaks into his signature irregular caveman thump, and Haino squeals and squawks on heavily delayed oboe before unleashing an overpowering electrical storm when he first picks up the guitar. For over half an hour, the trio pound out one of their most relentless performances, a constantly rearranging kaleidoscope of tortured fuzz guitar, insanely busy bass riffing and propulsive, tumbling drums. A hushed atmosphere initially reigns on the final long piece, given the mournful title ‘There are always things I wish to say but I can only convey them in this language August 6 August 9’. Haino’s clean guitar strumming calls up the shimmering tones of his PSF classic Affection, gradually building to a surging wall of sound, bass and drums lumbering through a roar of jet-engine guitar.Arriving in a deluxe trifold package with photos by Lasse Marhaug alongside inner sleeves with extensive live images, this epic release is perhaps the most remarkable document yet of this unique trio’s stamina and continuing inventiveness.