"Kill Your Winter"
Release date: 2004 Label:
Born from the ashes of the influential Boat, Natsumen gear up for their first full length release with this seasonal EP. Like a lot of music that is made by people who are extraordinarily accomplished musicians rather than songwriters, it attempts to cover far to much ground at once, and like a lot of music made by people who are extraordinarily accomplished musicians rather than songwriters, much of that ground is jazz. Nevertheless, it's technically impressive and the wide-open nature of the recording means that it is at least as frequently jaw droppingly impressive as it is masturbatory and annoying.

It has elements in common with punk noise type stuff, but in common with someone like Panic Smile, it goes beyond the snobbish limitations of the punk scene. Aside from the unpleasant pong of jazz that hangs over much of this recording, there are more pleasant echoes of Michael Nyman's film scores, laid back summer-of-love psychedelia and some decidedly prog examples of axe abuse on display. This will undoubtedly annoy the fuck out of a lot of people and a lot of pretentious twats with goatees will think this is unbelievably cool. In fact most decent, normal music fans can leave this well alone, safe in the knowledge that they are missing out on nothing that will change their lives forever, but force yourself to give it a listen and there's something genuinely good going on in here. -Ian Martin, Feb.22.05.