album of the week: 11.4

AFRICAEMO

Power of The City

(2011)

why you'll love it: high-energy, fast singing

why you'll hate it: annoying backup vocals, kinda predictable

Nearly anywhere else, Africaemo would stand out. Not in Japan, though. Their funk-rock approach would lead most people to draw comparisons to Mr. Bungle, or early Red Hot Chili Peppers. Since they are from Japan, and have a keyboard player, I only see them referred to as not Polysics, Vola, or the telephones. It's a real unfair comparison, because Africaemo doesn't seem to be trying to do the same thing as those bands. They're not as gimmicky, or easy to define. They have youthful energy, and Hiroshi Kishi sings at 100mph; but there seems to be a deliberate restraint, as if maybe staying out of that "race to the asylum" competition makes them stand out.

I can't tell if that restraint is a good or bad thing yet. Their 2010 debut, squatter, did not blow me away, but I saw a lot of potential in it. Power of The City doesn't build off that potential at all. These songs feel like they were written at around the same time. A quick youtube search finds performances of these songs dating back as far as 2008, so I guess they were. Newcomers to the band may get the same buzz I did last year, but I've experienced some diminishing returns with this release.

Although, production could be to blame as well. Structurally, "After The Millennium" gets a bit dark. "Cheers" and "Night Man" have strong crescendos. Unfortunately, thorough all of this, the mixing keeps everything at the same volume and depth. Some more variation in sound, and maybe some flow between tracks rather than hard stops would have made the experience more engaging. As high-speed as they can get, it's easy to peg them for what they are about halfway through, then begin to zone out .

I love this band's energy, and feel they get an unfair shake, but they don't leave me much to defend; aside from my personal preference to energetic music and a killer lyrical pace. Still waiting for that breakout moment, but until then, this band is pretty much only a quick fix. Good sugar rush music.