Pilgrimage

by Joslyn LayneMicroCosmos is the duo of Japanese vocalist Tenko and experimentalist Otomo Yoshihide, who performs on guitar, mixer, and drum machine for this recording. As the album opens, Tenko's voice is reverbed and multi-tracked. The vocals continue on into the next piece, where Yoshihide throws in dance tracks and distorted guitar. A surprisingly accessible -- and enjoyable -- release that, amidst all of its unique invention, can still at moments bring to mind industrial music favorites, as well as the metallic-shaded Crash Worship percussion and howling of the album closer, "Koku." Also, only two pieces -- "Gouma" and "Fudaraku" -- contain hints of Yoshihide's extensive involvement in sine waves.