Shanghai’s Round Eye is a true freak’s dream - half punk, half
noise, half jazz, and half bad math. As much from the school of Albert Ayler as
the Boredoms, the Flesh Eaters, or the Residents, Round Eye is chock full of
audacity and ability. On their self-titled LP, the band proves its ability to
go from interesting to compulsively important in the span of a couple minutes,
and let’s be honest – these cats are fucking great on their instruments. While
Round Eye clearly pulls from an improvisational tapestry, their album is
hypercomposed, moving along as though some mutant opera with clearly-defined
suites and moods that rear their ugly, or occasionally staggeringly beautiful,
heads to the listener. A lesser band would be out of its league, but Round Eye dual
wields a strange restraint alongside its bombastic energy and volume.
On track two, “Street Light A,” the band begins with the
free jazz instrumental with which the listener may seem somewhat familiar from
track one, but when the vocals hit, it’s a free-for-all. This is where Round
Eye lets the listener in on the program for the evening, so to speak. From this
point on, the defined chaos meanders from punk bangers like “City Livin” to
instrumental landscapes like “HeSheRoshima,” all the while maintaining a
consistent hold on its unique voice and backdrop.
This is boundless music, perhaps wearing influences, but
certainly casting off any and all shackles. Stream it below!
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