In A not C

More than 25 years on from their first collaborations with Makoto Kawabata, including the INUI series and the classic Kawabata/Youngs release, Acid Mothers Temple land on VHF with their first proper LP for the label. In A Not C is part of the group’s occasional minimalism-inspired run, but this is no static drone.

Instead, it moves like a live wire, taking a small repeating cell and pushing it forward in the same spirit as the band’s 2001 take on In C. The current lineup brings a fresh feel, with Jyonson Tsu and Satoshima Nani adding lightness and agility to the band’s blazing guitars and bubbling synth.

Both sides build toward rich, layered crescendos, where Tsu’s gentle vocal loops meet frenetic drums, whistling electronics, and guitar that flips between trebly feedback and soft arpeggios. Cut by Golden, pressed in Chicago at Smashed, with a first pressing on clear vinyl.