album of the week: 12.4

Polysics
Weeeeeeeeee!!!
(2012)


why you'll love it:  fast and unpredictable technopop that never lets up
why you'll hate it:  sometimes too much pop, shit's for babies

In an ironic twist of fate, I now find myself confronted by the limits of my taste at the hands of Polysics.  Traditionally, they've been a band I cite when complaining people are too uptight about music, and only prefer the overdrive when it's their genre.  "XCT" is my forever go-to jam,  I've wanted more "Kaja-Kaja-Goo" from the day I first heard it, and even get this smug "punking the punkers" satisfaction out of their overdrive pop songs like "Catch on Everywhere".  But I think "Weeeeeeeeee!!!" is where I draw the line.  Not the album as a whole, or even the title track as a whole, but that phrase itself.   Has any adult said "Weeee" without irony?  The first thing I think of is Anakin Skywalker saying it, and being compared to the Star Wars prequels is DEFINITELY not a good thing.

So while I play out this internal struggle with my taste in music, and ponder if admitting to enjoying it means I don't have a fully formed brain; Polysics is firing away at what is no doubt their wildest album since National P (2003).  The band has seemed to complete its assimilation with the sequencer, since their keyboardist left in 2010.  The songs are WAY faster than they've been on the last two releases, as well as a lot of different electronic sounds at different tones and modulations.

Another thing I love that has come with the new era of Polysics is that they are generally a tighter band now.  They mess with complicated interplay between the instruments, lots of well trained stop-and-start sequences, choruses that come out of nowhere, and spotlight moments for every member of the band.  Becoming more technically proficient is something I've been hoping to see out of the band for almost half a decade now.  It may be the sequencer that forced them to do it, but regardless, they've finally conquered that last piece of uncharted territory, in my opinion.

Now that Polysics has done everything I've ever wanted them to, maybe I shouldn't bitch so much about "Weeeeeeeeee!!!"  It's just that… god dammit, ok.  There are songs on here like the title track and "Round The World" that are amazing, but have awful choruses that almost ruin the songs for me.  It wouldn't bother me so much if this album wasn't so expressive and crazy.  Ten years go, the way Polysics did crazy was in this abrasive "BACK OFF, THIS SHIT IS DANGEROUS" way.  Polysics still does a lot of mental stuff, but the edges are all smoothed.  It's more of a "Hey, come be crazy with us, it's fun!" sort of thing.  Stuff like "Weeeeeeeeee!!!" and "la-la-lala" choruses just wouldn't fly back then.  It was total nonsense like "PippikkippippiP" and whatever the hell this is.

Now I feel self conscious again, because I'm totally being that whiny fan who only complains "they were better before" without realizing the awesome things in front of me.   "Sparking Water" is a totally mental intro.  Their best since "Watson".  "Ice Tights, Mike" BLAZES!  "Distortion" should have been this album's lead single.  It's adventurous and fun.  "Why" is a jam and a half, and really shows off how creative they've become with performing around sequencers.  "Lightning Express" is a type of song they've been doing a while now, but this is one of the better attempts.  "Everybody Say No"  sounded tepid as a single, but after all the madness, it feels refreshing in the second half of this album; much like "LED" and "Cars" on National P.

ahhhhh, National P, how I wish there were more albums like you.  Polysics is a tighter band now; they're still coming up with fresh material, and anyone hearing them for the first time will still be shocked, yet here I am, pining for the past.  Thing is, I wouldn't be if this album wasn't so good.  The high-energy of this album came so close to that bygone era of sheer lunacy, that I bummed myself out.  This isn't a band that stays still.  They move on and find new ways to offend the senses.  So, I'll take the trolling in stride this time, but secretly hope that on the next album, their antics won't sound as childish.