Stories
(2012)
why you'll love it: Incredible musical talent, delivery unlike most other bands
why you'll hate it: Doesn't meet 4 year hype, second half falls flat
why you'll love it: Incredible musical talent, delivery unlike most other bands
why you'll hate it: Doesn't meet 4 year hype, second half falls flat
*UPDATE* - The version of this album I got has a totally different order of tracks. So when I talk about "the second half" or "the last two songs" this won't exactly match up with the version you can buy on iTunes. In fact, the new order of tracks break things up in such a way that the whole album comes off better.
In this internet age, four years is a long time to go without releasing new material. The time Zazen Boys has spent out of Matsuri Studio has been close to that of the band's entire 4 LP existence before then. Seeing that every Zazen Boys album before now has had wildly different styles, the anticipation of an album brewing for four years has been unbearable. The result - something surprisingly familiar.
To describe the basics of this band's sound would take longer than I care to type, and also may require a brief look into the progression of Mukai Shutoku's previous band, Number Girl. So here is what is in this new album: A high percentage of traditional Japanese music brought into modern day (mostly found on their 2004 self-titled debut). An even higher amount of jazz fusion, making the whole thing sound like the songs were created via various free-form studio sessions (a staple of 2006's Zazen Boys III). High production, and a touch of synth work. Not as thickly applied as in Zazen Boys 4 (2008); instead woven into the mix.
Barely present at all is the hip-hop, and pop embracing Zazen Boys II (2004). As a result, the songs on Zazen Boys 5 Stories feel less like songs, and more like blueprints for songs. There isn't much of a verse-chorus / arc-climax to these songs. Just a hook or two, and everything is built around them and repeated until they decide to cut everything off and get to the next song.
This doesn't become much of a problem until the second half of the album. The first twenty minutes are solid gold. The band is in top form, musically. There is incredible fusion between the four musicians all obviously working on the same page. They stop and start on a dime. Everything is synchronized perfectly note for note. Of the first five tracks, "Sandpaperざらざら" is probably my favorite. The way Mukai scats along as the beat gets more and more intense is invigorating. This is a very restrained album, in both fury and gimmick. "Sandpaper" is the only song on here that gets close to cutting loose.
After "天狗" though, predictability begins to set in. A few slower paced tracks only more clearly reveal that these songs aren't really gonna go anywhere. Without a wild riff, it just sounds like the band is warming up their instruments rather than playing an actual song. I never say things like this, but the final two songs on this album sound just a bit too Japanese for my tastes. The drums are too repetitive, and the guitars sound like they are crying out in pain. I totally get what they are doing in these songs, but I personally found them grating.
As someone who has been following this band for quite a while, I'm disappointed that this album isn't something completely new, and that the songs don't have a whole lot of meat on their bones. I'm betting that in a live environment they will be fleshed out and thrive. I didn't like songs like "Asobi" and "Riff Man" all that much until I saw them performed live, and was immediately converted.
While this album did not meet my wild expectations, it is great to hear the band again. Their art of controlled chaos is always an interesting listen. I have to admit, when this album started with that pulse-quickening guitar riff and a familiar delivery of "繰り返される諸行は無常", my hype was in orbit, but fell back to Earth after a half hour. Newcomers should find something alluring about this innovative and talented band, but those who have waited four years should lower their expectations.
