CD/MUSIC REVIEWS ~ CANDY ROCK (Mini-Album)
Aug 18, 2010 20:48:42 GMT -5
Post by earthfarm on Aug 18, 2010 20:48:42 GMT -5
CANDY ROCK
Released in Japan 5/22/2003
If this CD was released one day later, it would have come out exactly one year after the last album, Heavy Songs. So what have the Yamano sisters been doing for the last 364 days? Not using synths, that's for sure. "No Synthesizers", it states in the credits, which means a return to a straight-up punk rock sound – it sounds a lot like Happy Hour – which can only be good.
As far as I know, none of the songs on this mini-album have been re-recorded in English, although there might be a clip of "Crossword" being performed live in English on Youtube somewhere. I could be wrong about that though. Anyway, this is a really good CD, eight fast, fun, catchy and hard-rockin' SK tunes, which makes it more of a shame that it will never see the light of day outside Japan.
The songs:
Mass Communication Breakdown: Awesome song! I think they did a video for it too. It's fast, it rocks out, it has a tambourine. The lyrics follow a similar theme to "Watchin' Girl" (one of my fave SK songs) about the mass media being relentless. The first line of the chorus translates to something like "Find the sound that's only for you".
Messy Room: Another fast one, this is actually a shade faster. This one also rocks and should stay in your head. The only song to feature any English lyrics, and there aren't many. (Also, this is the only song to have its title written using Roman letters. I just Anglicized the other titles.)
Wonderland: A bit slower and laid back, this one is bass-driven. More relaxed strumming on the guitar. It's not about an amusement park, in fact I don't know what it's about. Good though.
Seiuchi: Three guest musicians here; Calvin Johnson, Kyle Field and Phil Elverum. There's a bit of acoustic strumming by one of them which makes this a nice listen. The other two do weird low vocals and whistling in the background.
Virtual Reality: A fast punk ode to video games. Has a great solo as well. Cool song.
Crossword: The only song here written by Atsuko. The pace slows down for this one. A bit heavier, with great drumming and some interesting guitar effects.
Nazo: The chord progression makes this my favourite of the lot. It's a serious song about the world's energy consumption problems, using too much oil and running cars non-stop. The title means "Riddle".
Monkey Brand Oolong Tea: For all fans of the Tortoise Brand Pot Cleaner (and I suspect every one of you) this is quite exciting. Up until now most of the lyrics have been about serious matters (hey, some people may consider 'not being able to finish a crossword' pretty serious), but the CD ends here in a light hearted mood, with some flanged guitar and harmonies from Atsuko.
My rating: out of 5.
Released in Japan 5/22/2003
If this CD was released one day later, it would have come out exactly one year after the last album, Heavy Songs. So what have the Yamano sisters been doing for the last 364 days? Not using synths, that's for sure. "No Synthesizers", it states in the credits, which means a return to a straight-up punk rock sound – it sounds a lot like Happy Hour – which can only be good.
As far as I know, none of the songs on this mini-album have been re-recorded in English, although there might be a clip of "Crossword" being performed live in English on Youtube somewhere. I could be wrong about that though. Anyway, this is a really good CD, eight fast, fun, catchy and hard-rockin' SK tunes, which makes it more of a shame that it will never see the light of day outside Japan.
The songs:
Mass Communication Breakdown: Awesome song! I think they did a video for it too. It's fast, it rocks out, it has a tambourine. The lyrics follow a similar theme to "Watchin' Girl" (one of my fave SK songs) about the mass media being relentless. The first line of the chorus translates to something like "Find the sound that's only for you".
Messy Room: Another fast one, this is actually a shade faster. This one also rocks and should stay in your head. The only song to feature any English lyrics, and there aren't many. (Also, this is the only song to have its title written using Roman letters. I just Anglicized the other titles.)
Wonderland: A bit slower and laid back, this one is bass-driven. More relaxed strumming on the guitar. It's not about an amusement park, in fact I don't know what it's about. Good though.
Seiuchi: Three guest musicians here; Calvin Johnson, Kyle Field and Phil Elverum. There's a bit of acoustic strumming by one of them which makes this a nice listen. The other two do weird low vocals and whistling in the background.
Virtual Reality: A fast punk ode to video games. Has a great solo as well. Cool song.
Crossword: The only song here written by Atsuko. The pace slows down for this one. A bit heavier, with great drumming and some interesting guitar effects.
Nazo: The chord progression makes this my favourite of the lot. It's a serious song about the world's energy consumption problems, using too much oil and running cars non-stop. The title means "Riddle".
Monkey Brand Oolong Tea: For all fans of the Tortoise Brand Pot Cleaner (and I suspect every one of you) this is quite exciting. Up until now most of the lyrics have been about serious matters (hey, some people may consider 'not being able to finish a crossword' pretty serious), but the CD ends here in a light hearted mood, with some flanged guitar and harmonies from Atsuko.
My rating: out of 5.