Iwazaru is the “speak” of the the three wise monkeys; those of “hear no, see no and speak no evil” fame. It’s probably the wisest monkey, as only the deaf will go through life without hearing evil, and only the blind not seeing. Not speaking no evil may be one of the hardest life lessons to learn; to moderate the self, to calm the mind.
Belfast group Robocobra Quartet’s “Iwazaru” is a practical lesson in calming the mind. The track begins with horns and rhythm slamming into you, only to settle down to a relaxing jazz riff as drummer vocalist Chris Ryan free associates lyrics playing to and against the beat. The video smears as figures barely move, dissociated from identity calmly moving out of time to the music, barely anything there.
But that minimalism of the visual only serves to reinforce the minimalism of the track itself. The A-side of an EP that tackles two of the three wise monkeys (“Mizaru” being the other), Tom Tabori and Jamie Mackenzie’s twin saxophones weave in and out, reinforcing each other and attacking while Nathan Rodgers’ bass maintains steady head bobbing time.
You can pre-order the Iwazaru / Mizaru EP here and stream “Mizaru” on their Bandcamp page.
Robocobra Quartet tour dates:
September
25 The Magic Garden, London, UK
26 Four Bars, Cardiff, UK
27 The Mothers’ Ruin, Bristol, UK
October
30 Black Box, Belfast, NI
31 STA Studio, Derry, NI
November
13 Bello Bar, Dublin, IE
