Noise surrounds and permeates us, and no one is more responsible than the New Humans from that loudest and noisiest of metropolises: New York. From installation art to ear splitting live concerts, this infernal power trio lead by artist Mika Tajima eschews no collaboration, no matter how insane. Guitarist and artistic leader Tajimi is supported by electronics specialist and voice acrobat Howie Chen, drummer Eric Tsai, as well as a large number of guest musicians. The New Humans like nothing more than to drag friend and foe with them into their noise avalanches.
Semishigure proudly presents the fourth release, a unique live collaboration with artist Vito Acconci, a pioneer of body/conceptual art, and vintage experimentalist C. Spencer Yeh. This album consists of two concerts that took place during an exposition of the collective at the Elizabeth Dee Gallery in New York. Two electrifying, memorable performances that just had to be registered on CD.
The last time American performance legend Vito Acconci collaborated with a band was more than ten years ago, when he worked with punk rock brigade the Mekons. A similarly untainted, classically grim punk attitude shines through in his spoken word performance with the New Humans. “You in the Background” is the name of their jointly raised middle finger to the world. Floating on the ominously swelling waves of noise created by the New Humans, Acconci throws all frustrations overboard. Captive to a feverish, shamanic trip, Acconci speaks of each and everyone’s search for their own identity. Acconci has made a special selection from his audio works for the occasion. Texts such as “Now do you believe the dirty dogs are dead” (1978) and “Cry, baby!” (1977) still sound like screams for enlightenment and liberation. C. Spencer Yeh’s plaintive violin careens into the impenetrable wailing wall of feedback. The New Humans not just voice, but scream their anger of life under the Bush regime, and in Acconci they have found a worthy ally.