Cable Hogue Soundtrack

Cable Hogue is yet another limited-edition, double-disc chapter in the continual series of after-the-fact (and crucial) releases by Japanese power garage psychsters Les Rallizes Dénudés. This set compiles the music from a video assembled by the band's singer Takashi Mizutani back in 1992. Everything issued here is live, as has everything else unissued, with versions of well-known jams like "Fallin' in Love With," "The Last One," and "Feelin' High" included in the mix. Sound quality varies, but you can hear everything no matter the fidelity. There are some repeats of various songs ("Night of the Assassins," which has two stellar versions to open and close the set is the main case in point, but "White Awakening" is another), but this band never played anything the same way twice, so it doesn't make any difference. This was an aesthetic decision by Mizutani to showcase that fact. The performance styles range from somewhat formless, improvised jams to the more repetitive, squalling, garage guitar freakouts with everything else in between. Over their three-decade existence, Les Rallizes Dénudés were one of the few bands whose every sonic uttering was worth hearing, especially since they only released one album officially. Cable Hogue is certainly no exception.