13 Japanese Birds

13 Japanese Birds is a 15 album series by the Japanese noise musician Merzbow. It was inspired by Olivier Messiaen's Catalogue d'oiseaux (Catalog of birds), but has no direct musical relationship.[1]

13 Japanese Birds
Studio album series by Merzbow
Released	January 2009 – January 2010
Recorded	October 2008 – November 2009
Studio	Munemihouse, Tokyo
Genre	Noise
Length	721:56 (standard) 760:02 (Ecobag)
Label	Important
Producer	Masami Akita
Merzbow chronology
Somei... (2009) 13 Japanese Birds (2009) Hiranya (2009)

Release history

The series originally consisted of 13 albums released on a monthly basis from January 2009 to January 2010. They were also recorded one a month, and Masami Akita frequently revisited older recordings. It was also part of his then-recent return to live drums.[1] Jenny Akita's cover art depicts illustrated birds on top of photographs. Each CD is limited to 1,000 copies.

The series was also available by subscription; as just the CDs, or with a custom-made bamboo box. Also available only with purchase of the box was an acrylic-on-bamboo painting by Akita himself.[2]

In March 2010, Important released Ecobag/13 Birds in a Bag +1, this set included the original 13 CDs, a bonus CDR of additional material from the sessions, and a piece of original xerox art made by Akita in the mid-90s. All packaged together in a tote bag and limited to 200 copies.[3] After the Ecobag sold out, the label released the Ecoblock or Bird Block in April 2012, with just the original 13 albums and a T-shirt.[4]

In 2009, Important announced that an LP named Jigokuhen would be released to celebrate the completion of the series.[5] Originally scheduled for the first anniversary of the completion of the original series (January 2011), but it was delayed until March. The album is the 15th and final volume of the Japanese Birds series, but is a stand-alone release.[6]

Albums

Suzume: 13 Japanese Birds Pt. 1

Suzume
Studio album by Merzbow
Released	January 27, 2009
Recorded	October–November 2008
Merzbow chronology
Somei... (2009) Suzume (2009) Fukurou (2009)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Musique Machine	[7]

The title refers to the sparrow (雀, suzume). "Tori Uta" was previously released as "<羽毛に纏わる水滴無限循環> Dedicated to アヒル (Duck)" on Zoundtrack by Ukawanimation!

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Red Bird of Summer Part 1"	19:42
2.	"Fandangos in Space"	5:41
3.	"Tori Uta"	6:24
4.	"Red Bird of Summer Part 2"	17:06
Total length:		48:53

[8]

Fukurou: 13 Japanese Birds Pt. 2

Fukurou
Studio album by Merzbow
Released	February 24, 2009
Recorded	December 2008
Merzbow chronology
Suzume (2009) Fukurou (2009) Yurikamome (2009)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[9]
Musique Machine	[10]

The title refers to the owl (梟, fukurō). "Gorosukehoukou" and "Noritsukehousei" are Japanese onomatopoeia for the sounds of owls.

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Gorosukehoukou"	22:18
2.	"Variation No. 1"	9:51
3.	"Variation No. 2"	9:49
4.	"Noritsukehousei"	16:49
Total length:		58:47

[8]

Yurikamome: 13 Japanese Birds Pt. 3

Yurikamome
Studio album by Merzbow
Released	March 24, 2009
Recorded	January 2009
Merzbow chronology
Fukurou (2009) Yurikamome (2009) Karasu (2009)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[11]
Musique Machine	[12]

The title refers to the black-headed gull (百合鴎, yurikamome, literally "lily seagull").

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Black Headed Gull"	31:42
2.	"February 2002"	13:33
3.	"The Angel of the Odd"	8:05
Total length:		53:20

[8]

Karasu: 13 Japanese Birds Pt. 4

Karasu
Studio album by Merzbow
Released	April 28, 2009
Recorded	February 2009
Merzbow chronology
Yurikamome (2009) Karasu (2009) Hiranya (2009)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Musique Machine	[13]

The title refers to the crow (鴉, karasu).

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Argus"	19:40
2.	"Stone the Crows"	27:35
3.	"Morgue"	16:56
Total length:		64:11

[8]

Uzura: 13 Japanese Birds Pt. 5

Uzura
Studio album by Merzbow
Released	May 20, 2009
Recorded	March 2009
Merzbow chronology
Hiranya (2009) Uzura (2009) Tempi / Matatabi (2009)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[14]

The title refers to the Japanese quail (鶉, uzura). The song titles refer to a March 2009 cull after the bird flu virus was found.[15]

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Requiem for the 259,000 Quails Culled at a Farm in Toyohashi Part 1"	15:54
2.	"Requiem for the 259,000 Quails Culled at a Farm in Toyohashi Part 2"	27:37
3.	"Requiem for the 259,000 Quails Culled at a Farm in Toyohashi Part 3"	12:35
Total length:		56:06

[8]

Kamo: 13 Japanese Birds Pt. 6

Kamo
Studio album by Merzbow
Released	June 23, 2009
Recorded	April 2009
Merzbow chronology
Tempi / Matatabi (2009) Kamo (2009) Don't Steal My Coat (2009)

The title refers to the duck (鴨, kamo). The cover depicts the tufted duck. The first track is a protest against the wild-bird cull instituted by Tokyo Governor Shintarō Ishihara.[1] Akasaka is a district in Minato, Tokyo.

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Bird Killer Governor Ishihara Deserves to Die"	16:44
2.	"Wilderness in Akasaka"	19:39
3.	"Heresy"	15:57
Total length:		52:20

[8]

Kujakubato: 13 Japanese Birds Pt. 7

Kujakubato
Studio album by Merzbow
Released	August 5, 2009
Recorded	May 2009
Merzbow chronology
Don't Steal My Coat (2009) Kujakubato (2009) Kokuchou (2009)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[16]

The title refers to the Fantail pigeon (孔雀鳩, kujakubato, literally "peacock pigeon"). The bird design on the cover was previously used on Fantail. The album was delayed until the first week of August.

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Wind of Pain"	7:50
2.	"Pigeon Walk Part 1"	10:15
3.	"Pigeon Walk Part 2"	7:58
4.	"Dove Festival"	14:07
5.	"Bird Droppings on Your Head"	5:52
Total length:		46:02

[8]

Kokuchou: 13 Japanese Birds Pt. 8

Kokuchou
Studio album by Merzbow
Released	August 21, 2009
Recorded	June 2009
Merzbow chronology
Kujakubato (2009) Kokuchou (2009) Hiyodori (2009)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[17]

The title refers to the black swan (黒鳥, kokuchō). "Ushiwaka 2" is a reworking of a track from Yoshinotsune.

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Mesmerism"	5:33
2.	"Black Swan"	24:03
3.	"Colored Rain"	13:22
4.	"Ushiwaka 2"	7:25
Total length:		50:23

[8]

Hiyodori: 13 Japanese Birds Pt. 9

Hiyodori
Studio album by Merzbow
Released	September 30, 2009
Recorded	July 2009
Merzbow chronology
Kokuchou (2009) Hiyodori (2009) Niwatori (2009)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[18]

The title refers to the brown-eared bulbul (鵯, hiyodori).

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Hiyodori"	30:20
2.	"Across the Earth"	16:18
3.	"Purple Triangle"	17:45
Total length:		64:23

[8]

Niwatori: 13 Japanese Birds Pt. 10

Niwatori
Studio album by Merzbow
Released	November 2009
Recorded	August 2009
Merzbow chronology
Hiyodori (2009) Niwatori (2009) Microkosmos Volume 1 (2009)

The title refers to the chicken (鶏, niwatori). The album was delayed until the first week of November due to printing errors.

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Niwatori Obsession 1"	29:32
2.	"Niwatori Obsession 2"	18:19
3.	"Niwatori Obsession 3"	14:48
Total length:		62:39

[8]

Shirasagi: 13 Japanese Birds Pt. 11

Shirasagi
Studio album by Merzbow
Released	November 2009
Recorded	September 2009
Merzbow chronology
Microkosmos Volume 1 (2009) Shirasagi (2009) Tsubame (2009)

The title refers to the egret (白鷺, shirasagi). The cover depicts the Asahi Beer Hall.

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Transformed into Food"	16:28
2.	"Once the Human Meat Is Done, Cut It Up and Mix with the Vegetable Curry"	11:10
3.	"Dismemberment of Nature"	14:37
4.	"Chained"	16:11
Total length:		58:25

[8]

Tsubame: 13 Japanese Birds Pt. 12

Tsubame
Studio album by Merzbow
Released	December 2009
Recorded	October 2009
Merzbow chronology
Shirasagi (2009) Tsubame (2009) Chabo (2010)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[19]

The title refers to the barn swallow (燕, tsubame).

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Destroy the Cages"	17:24
2.	"Burn Down Research Facilities"	21:38
3.	"Escape from Captors"	16:00
Total length:		55:02

[8]

Chabo: 13 Japanese Birds Pt. 13

Chabo
Studio album by Merzbow
Released	January 2010
Recorded	November 2009
Merzbow chronology
Tsubame (2009) Chabo (2010) Another Merzbow Records (2010)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[20]

The title refers to the Japanese Bantam (矮鶏, chabo).

An unreleased work called "samidara1" was played during an event at ohrenhoch in Berlin, Merzbow described it as "using the method of several granular synthesis programs and random process of the composition.", and referenced Graft, Chabo, Jigokuhen, and Ouroboros as having the same concept.[21]

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Resurrection"	51:24

[8]

天鵞絨の鳥

天鵞絨の鳥
Studio album by Merzbow
Released	March 17, 2010
Recorded	2009 at Munemihouse, Tokyo
Merzbow chronology
Graft (2010) 天鵞絨の鳥 (2010) Ouroboros (2010)

This is the bonus CDR that was included exclusively with the Ecobag, only 200 copies were made. It is also considered to be the 14th album of the series. Subscribers of the original series were able to download it from the label for free.

The album title transliterates to Tengajū no tori or Birōdo no tori and means "velvet bird". The track titles translate to "first song" and "second song".

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"第一曲"	16:33
2.	"第二曲"	20:33
Total length:		37:06

[8]

Jigokuhen

Jigokuhen is an album released to commemorate the first anniversary of the completion of the original series (January 2011), but it was delayed until March. It is the 15th and final volume of the Japanese Birds series, but is a stand-alone release.[6]

Personnel

• Masami Akita – performer, bamboo paintings, xerox art
• Jenny Akita – artwork, photography

Fukurou lists additional instrument credits:

• MA plays EMS Synthi A, EMS VCS3 II, computers, handmade instruments, various effects[8]

References

1. Batty, Roger. "Interview: The Birds of Noise". Musique Machine. Retrieved March 17, 2010.
2. "Bamboo Box release page". Important Records. Archived from the original on March 3, 2009.
3. "Ecobag release page". Important Records. Archived from the original on July 24, 2010.
4. "imprec294 Merzbow, Bird Block 13CD". Important Records. Archived from the original on March 26, 2012. Retrieved April 24, 2012.
5. Jigokuhen announcement on Twitter
6. "Jigokuhen release page". Important Records. Archived from the original on March 26, 2012. Retrieved April 24, 2012.
7. Batty, Roger. "Review: Suzume". Musique Machine. Retrieved November 4, 2009.
8. "Merzbow - Ecobag/13 Birds In A Bag +1 (CD, Album)". Discogs. Retrieved March 3, 2013.
9. Couture, François. "Review: Fukurou". Allmusic. Retrieved November 4, 2009.
10. Batty, Roger. "Review: Fukurou". Musique Machine. Retrieved November 4, 2009.
11. Jurek, Thom. "Review: Yurikamome". Allmusic. Retrieved November 4, 2009.
12. Batty, Roger. "Review: Yurikamome". Musique Machine. Retrieved January 15, 2010.
13. Batty, Roger. "Review: Karasu". Musique Machine. Retrieved March 22, 2010.
14. Jurek, Thom. "Review: Uzura". Allmusic. Retrieved February 14, 2010.
15. "Bird flu prompts quail cull in Aichi". The Japan Times. Retrieved November 10, 2009.
16. Jurek, Thom. "Review: Kujakubato". Allmusic. Retrieved November 4, 2009.
17. Jurek, Thom. "Review: Kokuchou". Allmusic. Retrieved February 14, 2010.
18. Jurek, Thom. "Review: Hiyodori". Allmusic. Retrieved February 14, 2010.
19. Jurek, Thom. "Review: Tsubame". Allmusic. Retrieved March 26, 2010.
20. Jurek, Thom. "Review: Chabo". Allmusic. Retrieved March 15, 2010.
21. "samidara1". ohrenhoch. Retrieved December 5, 2012.