album of the week: 2.1

the pillows

Trial

why you'll love it: "持ち主のないGuitar", and lots of other good songs, much better than the last two albums

why you'll hate it: really bland production/mixing

Welcome to 2012! …or do I mean 2007? Where the peaks and valleys lie can be argued, but not the fact that every pillows release on the label avex trax has kinda sounded the same. This continues on their (in total) 18th album, Trial. The production on the last few albums has really annoyed me. It's too safe, and doesn't evoke anything. I've warmed to this indie rock era of the pillows over the years. A lot of stuff they try are clever; but the point is always muddled by the nerfed guitars and drums. The much praised FLCL era of this band is long gone, and I've accepted that. They can keep the volume and speed dead and buried, but what I really miss the fuzz.

That being said, Trial has really impressed me by turning out a good collection of songs with not a single bad apple in the bunch. A few come close. I'm not a fan of "Comic Sonic", or when I heard it last year. "Flashback Story" sort of does that dopey jovial country-rock thing that has annoyed the hell out of me on their last two albums, but with a lot more restraint. "Polarisの輝き 拾わなかった夢現" and "Minority Whisper" should have been just another couple bog-standard pillows songs, but the hooks stand out more than usual here.

The biggest surprise on this album is the over seven minute "持ち主のないGuitar". There have been a lot of pillows songs that dragged on and were only three minutes. If you were to tell me they made seven straight compelling minutes, I'd laugh at you; but "持ち主のないGuitar" digs deep. It has a great driving melody, a nice long guitar solo,and builds to an emotional climax. I'd even go as far as to say it's better than any of their golden era ballads like "Beautiful Morning WIth You".

There are no other classics, but some strong tracks on here. "Trail" rocks as hard as anything on Pied Piper (their last very good album). "Энергия" has a killer riff. When they play it slow, it sounds pretty, and when they speed it up, it generates intensity. The production is just as flat as ever here, but somehow despite it, the songs find a way to work. "Revival" succeeds in creating a rousing feeling of determination, just as the second track, "Rescue", is delightfully whimsy. "Ready Steady Go!" nearly fooled me. The first thirty seconds of that song almost had me thinking the pillows were about to revive their early nineties swing sound. That would have been a fantastic surprise. It's what I really want out of this band; something to surprise me. Aside from the diverse Pied Piper, it's been nothing but very safe indie rock for a long time.

"Ready Steady Go!" is still a good song. Trial is a solid record, with hardly any low points. the pillows haven't really been all that bad over the past five years. I can't figure if it's forced down by avex, or a conscious decision; but their sound makes them sound like they don't care. Nearly all their albums are growers, but this one takes a bit less time to get its hooks in you. Good album. Way better than their last two. It could have been a whole lot better if there was some punch or personality in the production, though.