タイ音楽のコクとエグ味と旨味を凝縮したようなアルバムが出た。タイというと東北部の伝統大衆音楽であるモーラムの作品が次々にリイシューされて話題を集めているが、今作は北部のペッチャブーンを拠点とするバンドの2作目だ。彼らの演奏の場は地元の冠婚葬祭や伝統行事。そこにサウンドシステムを持ち込み、伝統弦楽器のピンをエレクトリック化してギターのように弾きまくっている。強烈にドライヴするドラム&ベースも凄まじいが、やはり圧倒的なのは電気ピン。モーラムにも通じる演歌的なフレーズをキメたり、ファズを効かせてサイケデリックなプレイを披露したりと大暴れ。〈70年代のタイで華開いた他に類を見ないサイケデリック・ガレージ・サウンド!〉などと謳われればつい信じてしまいそうだが、これがすべて新録とは! しかも今日もタイのどこかでこんな演奏が繰り広げられているというのだから凄い。ジャンルはおろか、時空をもネジ曲げてしまう驚異の一枚!
[English Translation]
Delivered is an album of a concentration of the richness, harshness and juicy umami of Thai music. Speaking of Thailand, lately attracting attention is the string of reissues of the works of Morlum, the traditional popular music of the northeastern regions of Thailand, and this album is the 2nd release from the band based in the Phetchabun Province up in the north. They perform mainly on the stages of local ceremonial functions or traditional events, and they do it by bringing in their own sound system and plugging in the phin (the traditional two or three-stringed lute) and playing it away like an electric guitar. The intensely driving drums and bass guitar are incredible by themselves, but the knockdown is nothing but the electric phin. They go on rampage reeling off bluesy enka-ish (enka: traditional Japanese popular ballads) phrases akin to Morlum or putting in full display fuzzy psychedelic renditions. If their music were described as [psychedelic garage sounds unlike any other that flourished in Thailand of the 70s], one may easily fall into believing so, but actually, to think that they are all completely new recordings!! And to think that somewhere in Thailand, this band is staging their usual but ever so fabulous performance today. An amazing piece that bends not only musical genres, but even time space!
