album of the week - 10.1

Absolute Polysics

KRE (2009)

why you'll love it: manic new wave energy

why you'll hate it: poor compared to most Polysics albums

Nine albums in just ten years - that's the tab Polysics has run up so far, and I'm not even counting singles, EPs, and live albums. Over a decade of the "tour-record-repeat" process, they've managed to constantly innovate with each trip back to the studio. Each album until now has felt like a new era, which may explain why Absolute Polysics feels like a letdown. It may seem like nothing, but this is the first album where the band hasn't altered upon their trademark jumpsuits and badges. That partnered with a short running time and more computing on tape than raw instruments makes it so I can't quite shake the word "filler" out of my mind when I think about this album critically.

That being said, filler by my favorite band in the world is still pretty damn good. The first three songs of Absolute Polysics is definitely the most exciting start to an album since Neu (2000). Of course, more initially exciting to those of us who haven't heard the songs already ("P!" being a live staple for three years now, and the other two being singles released earlier this year.); but time will be kind to that, as they still are great songs.

The album is only 35 minutes long (at 14 tracks), so the songs for the most part are at a manic pace. The band is becoming ever so slightly more technical with each release. "Beat Flash" shows off some exciting shifts in pace and melody. So does the short instrumental "Time Out", even if it is clearly a take on Devo's "Timing X". With such a good drummer at their disposal, I'm still waiting for them to cross that one last unexplored territory and create a super technical album, but , sigh, maybe next year.

The only thing on this album I can say is truly new are the two dark techno-ish songs. "催眠術でGO" sounds like a late P-Model song, while "Eye Contact" has an enjoyable 50's alien death ray kinda horror movie feeling. These won't become big hits on the set-list, but I enjoy them for what they are. If anything, this is the band's most synthetic album yet. It feels as if most songs are structured around a series of synth loops, instead of from the standard guitars and drums.

There is one major flaw that keeps this album ranked far below its predecessors. Aside from the singles, the album is TERRIBLY mixed. One of the most boring, watered down production jobs I've ever heard. Amazing songs like "Speed Up" and "Bero Bero" are totally neutered by the production. These are great songs, but are over-processed in the studio. I can't wait to hear them live, how they really should sound. It's frustrating, considering how strong everything sounded in last year's We Ate The Machine, yet this album is so inconsistent from track to track.

Absolute Polysics has become available in the US iTunes store today. It's sad that albums like Neu and National P are going for $35 on ebay, and the only albums you can find in America are comparatively weaker. Karate House is the only exception (available only in digital and vinyl formats).

A few disappointing factors spoil which is otherwise a real adrenaline rush of an album. The production job is its biggest flaw. The lack of a visual makeover and a slight "rush job" feeling concerns me, but I'm not breaking the emergency glass yet.

Another great music video!

2009 has had a good share of music videos this year!

Here is a new one by Annie Hardy (Giant Drag). This is long overdue. Hearts & Unicorns is a masterpiece of cynicism, and this Swan Song EP has been in the works for the better half of two years, at least. Hope to hear the whole thing soon...

Oh, by the way, this is the most disgusting music video I have ever seen. You make throw up in your mouth a little. Probably should have said that above the clip rather than below.... oh well.

album of the week: 9.4

Jamie T

Kings & Queens

Virgin Records (2009)

why you'll like it: Dumb fun hip hop & rock from an unlikely source

why you'll hate it: white boy rapping

I am much to captivated by Scribblenauts this week to put it down and spend a lot of time writing a detailed review; so I'm keeping this short. Jamie T sounds sorta like a Paul's Boutique era Beastie Boys sort of thing. While he's still a guilty pleasure in my book, his North English accent and indie/punk knowledge saves him from "white kid trying to be tough" embarrassment.

His 2007 debut, Panic Prevention was a more fun album, but this is no sophomore jinx. There is some cool mellow and versatile stuff on here, yet it's the catchy hip hop fast paced songs that still stand out the most. I like Jamie T. He's nothing to rush and tell your friends about, but he carves out his own little niche quite well, and I enjoy whenever one of his songs show up on my iPod on random.

zombies: the undead fad

I've been tired of the media's obsession with zombies for a good 5 years now, but that hasn't stopped movies like Zombieland and Dead Snow from being late to the party. In the world of videogames, my patience is a whole lot longer, thanks to Left 4 Dead and the totally-worth-buying-on-day-one sequel.

The xbox indie game, I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MBIES 1NIT!!!1, has also managed to break my thick "enough with the zombies already!" mental barrier. It's a 15 minute top down shooter, like Geometry Wars or Astroids. Zombies are only the goombas of the game, so to speak. After a few minutes, more crazy looking enemies creep in.

Of course the star of this game is the 13 minute song which the entire game is formed around. The creator overtly reveals what the game truly is through ironic lyrics, one big joke on the played out use of zombies in games and internet fads. Buy this game! It's only one dollar, and worth it just for the song. The song is so fun, I couldn't help but rip a copy of it myself. If you haven't played the game yet, you probably won't get much out of the song; but if you have, you definitely have stopped reading this post and gone straight to the download link.

album of the week: 9.3

塊魂Tribute: Original Soundtrack

Columbia Music Entertainment (2009)

why you'll love it: well done remixes of your favorite katamari songs

why you'll hate it: shit's for babies

Katamari Damacy is a big deal to me. I see it as a video game monument. In the age of Halo and GTA, the face of gaming had become that of a bonehead frat boy who only had a eye for ultraviolence. Katamari Damacy, with its unique design, attitude, and culture all of in its own, was one of the very few beacons of innovation that kept me interested in gaming as an adult.

Its soundtrack played a big part of the Katamari aura. Drawing generally from the Shibuya-Kei genre, the soundtracks not only represent the feeling of the games, but stand alone as wonderfully clever muisic. The Katamari games got me into Shibuya-Kei music in general, and like the games, it's not something that you get into if you have any social concerns about being seen as cool. It's a unique mash up of retro pop styles using saccharine tools. Fans of twee, bossa nova, or bubblegum pop should feel right at home with this.

Since the original and the spectacular sequel in 2005, the franchise fell into mediocrity without the guidance of creator, Keita Takahashi. Takahashi is still building playgrounds and making Noby Noby Boy, but Namco/Bandai has done the best thing they possibly could do for the next Katamari game - remix the first two good ones.

Like the new game (US gets it next week, I believe), this soundtrack mostly remixes fan favorite material from the first two Katamari games. And like, previous Katamari soundtracks, a handful of fringe Shibuya-Kei artists join in on the mix. Most notably here are YMCK with a predictably brilliant 8bit cover of "真っ赤なバラとGin Tonic"; and Buffalo Daughter with a brand new song - an absolute must have track!

The first disc of the soundtrack has a surprising amount of acoustic and straight forward covers. Its a refreshing retro early 90's feeling. The second disc falls into more electronic areas. It's a great example of showing how much range the genre has; although with each soundtrack, the music is falling more into straightforward pop, ever so slightly.

The mash-ups of two seemingly random old songs are a joy to hear. One of which combines the fan-favorite "Everlasting Love" with the not-so-great "You Are Smart" the result is gold. I'm impressed how much goodness they squeezed out of a lemon like "You Are Smart". The 70's funk remix is a highlight on this over 2 hour compilation.

Like most video game soundtracks, there is a fair amount of fluff or duds; but as a Katamari fan, you'll find at least an hour of it just as worthy as the first two soundtracks.

found in the parking lot of a Dunkin Donuts

For the record, it wasn't addressing me.

album of the week: 9.1

OOIOO

ARMONICO HEWA

commmons (2009)

why you'll love it - pure melody. fascinating and fun

why you'll hate it: noisy bitches yelping gibberish

OOIOO is best known for its association with the interstellar krautrock act, Boredoms. If you haven't heard of either of these bands before, you're in for a... yeah. Essentially, OOIOO uses tribal chants, well tuned guitars, and lots of percussion to create this surprisingly inviting and exciting atmosphere. Songs abandon your typical form of pop structure. Many tracks end up in places entirely different than the start, while others bleed into the next track to continue the rhythm. This is very much an album and not a collection of songs.

The second half of this album is where it will click with a first time listener. Listen to this whole thing! Don't just skip around. I've found those second half payoff tracks, like "KONJO" and "HEWA HEWA" very much rely on the previous buildup to be fully appreciated. You may feel frightened and lost as the album begins, but you'll be left wanting more when it ends.

Strange stuff here, but it's all surprisingly approachable with new ears. For returning OOIOO fans, I've already ranked this as my second favorite of theirs, just behind Gold & Green. It's very much in the same style as Gold & Green, resting comfortably between out there stuff like Tiaga, and groovy jams found on Feather Float.