Ruins Biography
Ruins (Tatsuya Yoshida (drums/vocals) and Hisashi Sasaki (bass/vocals)) plays a unique form of manic and twisted progressive rock for these millennial times. This duo's compositions are complex and can be disorienting to any listener who is accustomed to less innovative, dynamic, and demanding musics. Yoshida, the founding member of Ruins, formed the band in 1985. Since that time, there have been a number of different bass players, including Ryuichi Masuda, Hisashi Sasaki, and Kimoto Kazuyoshi. Bandleader/drummer/singer Yoshida credits such diverse influences as progressive rock stalwarts Magma, classical composers such as Chopin, and traditional throat singing from Tuva. Though hints of these and other influences (e.g. Bill Bruford, Rush, Pink Floyd, Gong, King Crimson, Magma, Yes, and Genesis) often come through in the Ruins sound, there is no mistaking them for anyone else. Many of their compositions employ odd time signatures, sudden tempo changes, and passages of heavily processed noise. The bass, which unlike most has six strings, is often threaded through various effects. Both members of the band sing vocables that complement one another. These vocables are meant to be nonsensical and that's how they sound and are usually improvised, as are portions of their songs. Their overall sound is chaotic yet precise, noisy yet harmonious, catchy yet repelling, frenetic yet disciplined. As if the demands of Ruins were not enough, both Yoshida and Masuda keep themselves busy with various musical side projects (e.g. Vasilisk, YBO2, Men of the Continent Versus the Mountain Women). From time to time, Ruins will collaborate with others. These people have included saxophonist/producer John Zorn, keyboardist Kenichi Oguchi, vocalists Eleonola Emi and Aki Kubota, the acrobatic punkers Schlong, Kazutoki Umezu, producer Steve Albini, and guitarists Derek Bailey and Jason Willet. Ruins have many releases in the form of singles, collaborations, and full-length CDs. Among these full-length albums are Stonehenge (1990), Burning Stone (1992), Refusal Fossil (1997), and Symphonica (1998). Pallaschtom followed, comprised of three tracks: a classical music medley, a hard rock medley, and a progressive rock medley. They were critically celebrated and found time to release a compilation of their rareties, titled 1986-1992, in the spring of 2002. Several months later, Tzomborgha appeared. ~ John Vallier, All Music Guide
Popular Biographies:
Hurricane party Biography: Hurricane Party was a British rock act indebted to the sounds of AC/DC and Led Zeppelin, as well as the swagger of early Bon Jovi and Mötley Crüe. Led by vocalist Richie Hevanz, the band...
Anthony b Biography: Reggae singer Anthony B. was born Keith Blair in Clarks Town, Jamaica; after performing with church and school choirs throughout his youth, he made his debut as a deejay with the local sound system...
Steppenwolf Biography: Led by John Kay (born Joachim Krauledat, April 12, 1944), Steppenwolf's blazing biker anthem "Born to Be Wild" roared out of speakers everywhere in the fiery summer of 1968, John Kay's threatening...
Across five aprils Biography: Hailing from Chattanooga, TN, where Steve Taylor (vocals), Zak Towe (guitar/vocals), Jarrod Smith (guitar), Jason Barry (bass), and Drew Miller (drums) began playing together in September...
Utada Biography: She dominates the charts in Japan whenever she releases a single or album, but to call her a J-pop singer ignores Utada's American roots and her desire to break all the rules of the genre. Born...
Bloodrock Biography: Bloodrock was an early '70s hard rock band from Fort Worth, TX, led by singer/drummer Jim Rutledge for the first LP. They charted with six albums between 1970 and 1972 and scored a Top 40 hit with...
Kryoburn Biography: By the time they released their Fear Factory-inspired industrial thrash debut album, Enigmatic Existence, in 2005, Kryoburn had been wrecking nightclubs and rehearsal spaces in their native Carlsbad,...
Firehouse five plus two Biography: The Firehouse Five Plus Two started out as an amateur Dixieland band mostly comprised of cartoon animators from the Disney Studios. Their spontaneous sessions (led by trombonist Ward...