Great avant garde noise-rock
Alexander R. Toth | 01/15/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Once described to me as "spazz-core played through a nintendo", and I'd say that's accurate, to a point. Not intitially the most listenable thing, though. There's keyboards, samples, guitars, saxophones, noise, shouts, all going at the same time, yet in extremely regimented tempos and rhythms. Incredibly orchestrated music, though it doesn't sound like it on first listen. This album is great for fans of some of the newer experimenters in the japanese scene (melt banana, zeni geva, ruins), but would definitely not be enjoyed by your average music fan. It takes a strong mind to get around this..."
Beyond Hardcore...
Stopheles | Ridgewood, NY United States | 01/27/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Putting the "experiment" back in "experimental music":
Take a CD copy of SLAVESTATE by Godflesh. Put it on the floor, label side up. Step on it and grind it into the floor for about three feet, until it's impossibly scratched. Put it into your CD player, press PLAY and start jumping up and down right next to your stereo, while yelling random syllables at the top of your lungs. If all goes well, the noise you make will set off a car alarm outside...
...and at that point, you will approach the bizarre noise that Space Streakings make on their unbelievable NANA TOKU album.
A band featuring a gasoline-powered guitar and a car horn as instruments? Check. Japanese chanting over what sounds like the STREET FIGHTER II sound folder? Check.
Anybody who likes early Naked City, Zeni Geva, Dillinger Escape Plan, early Napalm Death, the Ruins, DHR, Today is the Day, Meshuggah, "gabber" techno, "happy hardcore," Carl Stalling's MERRY MELODIES scores, video games, crying babies and/or migraines should pick this bizarre record up as soon as possible, and if given the chance should ABSOLUTELY see Space Streakings in one of their rare U.S. appearances (if they ever tour the U.S. again, I'm there with bells on).
F.O.J.K.!!!"
Awesome Japanese Hardcore
Alexander R. Toth | Boston, MA | 02/12/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Space Streakings has to be one of the most intense bands I've ever listened too. Live they have an extremely energetic performance with that peculiar weirdness that only Japanese bands can pull off. Space Streakings, despite their unique style, is quite infectious and probably the most listenable of the Japanese hardcore bands. I highly recommend the CD, if for no other reason than to get an insight into the bizarre world Japanese hardcore music."