Eiko Ishibashi/Keiji Haino

On first listen, Eiko Ishibashi's music can sound pleasant to the point of innocuous. But the multi-instrumentalist didn't become one of the most respected figures on Japan's avant-garde music scene just by penning a few pretty ditties. In concert, seemingly simple songs such as the ones featured on new album Carapace become hypnotic, if not slightly eery. That album's producer, Jim O'Rourke, will be joining Ishibashi for the second of two Tokyo release parties, along with drummer Tatsuhisa Yamamoto and bassist Toshiaki Sudoh. Support for the evening comes from another frequent co-conspirator: sunglass-sporting Lord of the Underground, Keiji Haino.