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Review: √thumm’s Coton

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As 2009 comes to a close and I eagerly await unwrapping a new calendar on Christmas, this seems like a good point to take a look at this Japan Times’ “year in review” article by Ian Martin. Besides talking about clone army AKB48 and the guy from SMAP running around naked, he also devotes a few paragraphs to techno-pop trio (and Make Believe Melodies’ eternal music crush) Perfume’s big year. It’s a well deserved victory lap, but Martin sees a few “cracks in the facade” for the electro music the group has helped elevate. He points to the failure of similar artists to make an impact on the market and then zeroes in on how this genre has “already descended into self parody” because a comedian produced a similar-sounding outfit called Cosmetics.

Two things: first, that “self parody” bit needs to be called out because one “joke” group followed by a bunch of made-up band names played for straight yucks isn’t proof of anything except the importance of self-editing. This would be like saying the existent of the Fat Boys shows how rap has just become a running gag. And do we even know if Cosmetics is a punchline? This song would be more than welcome on Perfume’s latest, it’s great. Chris Rock rapped on an Ol’ Dirty Bastard track, and people still took that seriously!

Secondly (and something Martin can’t be blamed for), the same month this article pondered about the potential demise of techno-pop, √thumm released there excellent debut full-length Coton. The trio takes plenty of inspiration from Perfume, Capsule and (the Japanese genre’s father) Yellow Magic Orchestra while also adding a touch of rock to the electronic-heavy affair to craft 55-minutes of ear-pleasing music. Coton serves as the big coming-out moment for a blossoming indie tech-pop-rock scene developing in Japan’s Kansai region, boasting other young club-friendly groups like Bang Bang Balloon and Squash. It’s a piece of gooey electro-pop stacked with killer choruses and feet-moving beats, one of 2009’s best albums by one of Japan’s most thrilling new bands.

The actual make-up of √thumm’s songs aren’t particularly cutting edge: dance-worthy electronics dashed with some rock elements, nice-enough verses transforming into knockout choruses that the band latch onto. Basically, they are following the same formula Cut Copy used to ride to the top of Hype Machine. And thank goodness for that, Cut Copy rule! √thumm err more on the side of electronics – every track on Coton thumps forward via house beats while a variety of other electronic squiggles tangle up with lead singer Lio’s dusty vocoder vocals. Things rarely approach the ear-drum-wrecking production overload Perfume sometimes fall victim to, the band instead cherry picking ideas from J-Pop, dance and rock, then laying them out in such a way as to never overwhelm listeners.

Coton’s big accomplishment, though, is how these tracks excel at creating mood. Whereas Perfume churn out candy-coated disco pop and Bang Bang Balloon release more “traditional” house jams, √thumm’s music tends to blend together into one constantly bumping mass. The trick is Lio’s singing – the effects masking her voice allows the lyrics to avoid being the center of attention, instead allowing them to slide back and meld with the rest of the noise. Plus, this technique obscures the actual words to the point where the only way to know what Lio actually says you’ll have to consult the lyric book, allowing her to slip back even more. The actual lyrics do surprise, but only in how nonsensical they are: “Magic Love’s” chorus goes “How thick/is this love + 18Fat kick/anytime/Drive6 16 Beat4.” It’s dance music, not the Mountain Goats.

The band use this ability to generate mood masterfully. “NEU!” condenses a night at the dance club down to four minutes, the beat continually pounding forward as the song goes from initial rush to cool-down to arms-in-the-air at the chorus. √thumm bring to mind Chemical Brothers on the double whammy of “Star Space” and “SP,” the former being a lightspeed techno swirl and the latter a slow burning instrumental, Coton’s only one. Just as good are the come-down numbers, slower tracks like “Beautiful Field” and “Hama.” Save for the persistent beat, “Beautiful Field” approaches Daft Punk’s moodier pieces (think “Something About Us”) in its ability to completely bathe the listener in electronics that are either really romantic or really depressing depending on your mood. The only track on the LP that sounds like conventional J-Pop is “Cosmic Square,” and even that song excels thanks to a NASA-worthy bass line, some robo backing vocals and a huge chorus.

Speaking of…those choruses! They are √thumm’s specialty, little blasts of sugar-sweet joy. This band’s so confident in the catchiness of there hooks they didn’t bother to write any verses for “NEU!”, and they aren’t missed. The centerpiece, though, is “Magic Love.” The track’s chorus soars higher than anything else in the band’s repertoire, Lio’s android singing stretching out and the instrumentation hitting on an absolutely star-eyed sound. It’s the type of track that plants a smile on your face when you hear the opening notes escape a disco’s soundsystem.

“We are…how to put it. Our job is to make you feel that happiness inside.” √thumm told SPIN Earth this during an interview shot in July. “Even if you speak English.” Coton taps into that universal thrill pop music revels in – the bliss of the big moment, the feeling of something familiar and the fun of getting feet moving. It’s what makes this album such a triumph and why this type of music will stick around- whatever you want to call this stuff, it’s pop at heart, and that’s not going anywhere anytime soon.

Info on how to buy Coton can be found here

Late But Great: SCANDAL BEST SCANDAL

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A lot of red flags surround Osaka rock outfit SCANDAL. They wear schoolgirl outfits, for one – I needed to shower away the grimey feeling I had after downloading the album art you see above. More pertinent to the music, SCANDAL are only “rock” in the sense they hold guitars; much like Vampire Weekend’s Columbia degrees or Lady GaGa’s penis (?), the band’s instruments only exist in discussions about their music as a way to market them to a very specific audience that probably would have passed on them had they known the truth. The truth being, SCANDAL make straight J-Pop that sounds a little rougher because one of the members plays a bass. I won’t even dive into the fact the majority of blogs buzzing about this band happen to be the domain of anime otakus.

Boil all of these hard truths away best you can. SCANDAL make extremely catchy J-Pop anchored by a generally upbeat design and soaring singing spurred by the band’s decision to share vocal duties. SCANDAL BEST rounds up some of the group’s earlier releases and packages them all together as an entry into the band’s music. This best-of succeeds in its mission statement – BEST SCANDAL showcases everything great and bad (the former outweighing the latter by a good amount) about SCANDAL.

SCANDAL are just the latest skirt-clad model in a long line of very young “rock bands” putting out catchy pop. They owe a large debt to Hysteric Blue and Whiteberry, two bands who brand of always-in-motion power pop they’ve taken to heart (“Hitotsu Dake” sounds like a Hysteric Blue cut). Opener “SCANDAL BABY” sums up the SCANDAL sound in a nice five-minute package: uptempo verses skipping towards an even more catchy pre-chorus bit before leaping into the big all-together-now chorus. It’s a formula the group grinds down completely over the course of BEST, but one they have great control over.

A few songs do jump above the rest of the pile. “Shoujo S” is the only track here that sounds like it would suffer from the guitars being swapped out for keyboards or something, though “SAKURA Goodbye’s” fuzzy guitar bridges push that song into the highlight reel. The one new song on this disc, “Yume Miru Tsubasa,” sports one of its brightest melodies and the group’s best chorus. SCANDAL sound best, strangely enough, when they slow the show down slightly to forge a relaxed dance groove on “Koi Moyou.” By locking on to this one riff, the group ups the impact of the bounce-house chorus while also resulting in their most laid back track.

Regardless of how in control SCANDAL are in of their music, the predictability of these songs over the course of 50-some minutes stands out as one of BEST’s most glaring problems. When an elementary synth line pops up on “Hitotsu Dake,” it sounds like cause for a celebration. Still, SCANDAL make it clear they are much more comfortable working in the confines of a power-pop, as nearly every time they try something new, it backfires. “Space Ranger” adds all sorts of unnecessary sci-fi sound effects to an otherwise decent number, reducing it to some Josie And The Pussycats In Space novelty. “Maboroshi Night,” meanwhile, works in some Mission Impossible worthy noise that turns out as well as….MI:3.

Given their youth (still in high school, I feel so old), it’s completely possible SCANDAL could eventually expand beyond their current limitations and go off in all sorts of cooky directions (did someone say ambient disco???). But honestly, I could care less, and selfishly hope they stick to what they know because they do that so well. BEST SCANDAL spotlights a band who do one thing excellently – write catchy pop songs – and features very few skippable moments. They might have anime alter egos, but let one hook wedge itself in your brain and all will be forgiven.

“Koi Moyou”

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMV3J7GvUdw&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0]

Live Report: Yo La Tengo At Club Quattro, Osaka 12/15/09

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The prospect of seeing Yo La Tengo live initially feels less like something to get excited for but more like an indie-rock requirement. New Jersey’s finest rock band has been at it for over 20 years now, so even though I’d never gotten around to seeing them in person I still heard enough live show reports to play a Yo La Tengo concert out in my head. Nevertheless, I crawled out to Osaka’s Club Quattro on a weeknight to see the trio live and check off another “indie-rock must-do” from my list.

What I didn’t expect was the across-the-board awesomeness present Monday. Some credit goes to Club Quattro, a surprisingly intimate (considering it’s on top of a department store) type of venue the band rarely plays in America anymore. The Japanese fans also earn praise for being crazy enthusiastic for Yo La Tengo, spazzing out at every new, recognizable riff and sporting old tour shirts, a detail primary singer Ira Kaplan seemed genuinely tickled by. But the obvious most-of-all accolades go to the band itself, who did everything those old live write-ups said they would do but absolutely killed them all the same.

If you’ve listened to two Yo La Tengo albums, you should have a good idea what this band does best: they easily hop from feedback-powered freakouts to sad little ballads to lounge ditties, all while b ranching off into a hundred other directions along the way. The live show follows a similar formula, starting loud then becoming a little more pop before Georgia Hubley steps out from the drum kit to sing some songs then back to loud and finish things up with some cover songs during the encore. Yo La Tengo have so many signature songs to fill these slots that you’re pretty much guaranteed to see an old favorite or three.

The big new revelation? This year’s Popular Songs might be the band’s best since And Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out. At first Yo La Tengo’s 2009 effort sounded like just a solid collection of music with some long tracks tacked on the end. But live, it suddenly becomes clear – this is a great Yo La Tengo album because it’s a solid collection of music. They played nearly the entirety of Popular Songs (sans the two long songs at the ends) and each cut felt right at home snuggled up with classic Yo La Tengo. They showed confidence in the album by ripping into the nine-minute “More Stars Than There Are In Heaven” early on, and the dreamy song didn’t disappoint as the audience swayed along for its entire run. The Quattro crowd never once felt like a group of people tolerating new music just to get to the classics – Yo La Tengo dropped the goofy “Periodically Double Or Triple” in between “Little Eyes” and “Beanbag Chair,” and it got the biggest response of the three.

As expected, the show highlighted all the band’s strengths. They turned otherwise straightforward rock songs into noise-battered experiments courtesy of Kaplan’s guitar manhandling (this man loves to abuse his instruments for the audience’s pleasure – he started punching his keyboard during “Periodically Double Or Triple”). They played it straight on well-known numbers like “Beanbag Chair” and “Sugarcube,” which drew the biggest roar of the night from the crowd. They even nailed down cutesy with the Motown influenced “If It’s True” and it’s Kaplan-Hubley back-and-forth vocals. And when Yo La Tengo got quiet, the results were stunning: Hubley added an extra note of melancholy to “Decora” and “Tears Are In Your Eyes,” the latter being a stripped-down acoustic take that was devastating and the show’s highlight.

And Yo La Tengo are so darn charming! Things never get to serious, as the group carries themselves with a sense of humor. Kaplan broke out all sorts of goofy dad poses during “Periodically Double Or Triple” that had the crowd rolling. Then there was “You Can Have It All” which saw the entire group break into choreographed dance complete with hula arms and turns. The banter was just as good, Kaplan cracking all sorts of jokes (while also more or less admitting the bass lead-in for “If It’s True” is taken from “Sugar Pie Honey Bunch”) even if 85 percent of the audience didn’t get it (which is why the dancing was so important). Yo La Tengo even made rock cliche seem cool – they asked two folks at the front of the stage for a song suggestion then played it, a very sweet gesture assuming the band doesn’t use stage plans (never). Then, following the first “not remotely a surprise” encore, the group came out a second time due to the crowd’s support. And they huddled around and discussed what to play. It all rang as very genuine.

A Yo La Tengo show might be a very consistent affair, but it’s the type of concert that ends up being consistently excellent even after two hours. Few bands can pull off a feat like that, and Yo La Tengo show no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Yes, you know what to expect after reading a review of their show. Yes, you should still go. And yes, this was the best show I’ve seen all year.

Review: HNC’s Cult

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Be forewarned: if you like your cupcakes sprinkle-less, your Facebook feed Farmville free and your music non-cluttered with frivolous noise, you will loathe Cult. HNC’s (formerly Hazel Nut Chocolates) latest full-length features the following, completely unnecessary, flourishes: cats, samples of a Spanish countdown, an elephant, something from the The Conet Project, a witch, a cat being digitally strangled and slide whistle galore.

Move past these great-taste-less filling features and you’ll arrive at Cult, one of the most exciting and frustrating pop albums of the year. This album boasts some of the most catchy sugar-high pop of 2009, but immediately follows these peaks with aimless clatter better saved for a bonus disk. Heck, the physical copy of Cult even comes with a bonus disk of tunes loaded with all the flaws of the proper album’s worst cuts, but with more than enough space left over as to act as a cruel tease of what could have been. And there are cats, everywhere.

Yuppa, the mind behind HNC, picked up a lot of tricks from her twee-crunk side gig in Love And Hates. Earlier albums veered more towards an uber-cute pop sound (just watch this). Cult keeps the kawaii elements, but features a much more aggressive breakbeat structure sprinkled with various dance signifiers (check the bass on some of these songs) more appropriate for dubstep. Coupled with her cutesy strokes, this leads to indie-pop on an all-night bender.

And the results can be amazing. Proper opening track “Kitten’s Breaks” matches Yuppa’s cooing against dancehall percussion (and, uh, meows) resulting in a surprisingly manic dance-pop tune. “Moon Song” sounds like Islands “Jogging Gorgeous Summer” sped up and with a gooey electro-bassline tacked on for good measure. “Next M” reads off a checklist of nearly sexy words (“dirty, kinky, party, working, monkey”) before settling for a mantra of “party party party party” all set to the most danceable supermarket music ever conceived.

More impressive are the tracks where Yuppa tones it down a bit and writes a conventional pop song. The adorable hop of “Kira-Kara” borders on the atmospheric save for some lovely reserved singing. Even better is “Girl Things,” which struts along thanks to piano and Yuppa’s “oh oh oh ohs.” It also has
Cult’s best lyrics – a simple sketch of what one girl walking down the street thinks about.

HNC’s lyrics, for the most part, are just another toy in the album’s playroom, an additional cute element. When the words get more prominent placement, things go south. “Witches’ party/there’s no cupcake/witches’ party/they have bloody cake” shakily kicks off “Witches’ Party” which ODs on Halloween candy and sounds way too kitschy even by the time it reaches the part about a pumpkinhead getting married to a scarecrow. “Arabian Nights” follows a similar Disneyland-approved theme, this time the vaguely snake-charmer-esque sound being so uninspired that the singing sticks out…and not much is happening on that front either.

Oh, if only those were Cult’s lowlights. If this review has sounded way to positive given the tone of that second paragraph, that’s because I’ve only focused on the song before the screeching-brakes trio of songs clustered near the end of this album. Starting with “Figure SHOUT,” the album takes a turn for the terrible – the faux-Bollywood beat on this track is OK, but Yuppa’s vocals cross into annoying territory, including some obnoxious spoken word come-ons. Following that is a completely inessential remix of “Kitten’s Breaks,” before closing out with the lazy electroclash of “Girls Don’t Cry” (accurately featuring the tag “F**ked Up By Tiny Bit Associates”). Broken up across the album’s brief running time, they would only be minor diversions. Yet bunched altogether as they are slices Cult’s momentum into pieces.

Maybe it’s all a clever trick, because just as I think HNC should start brainstorming her next LP, Cult’s knockout song comes on. “Mango” adds some island flavor to the breaks and Yuppa’s heavenly “I’m in loves!” It’s the brightest moment on an album overflowing with them.

Ignoring the album’s sequencing woes, Cult’s a strong collection of speedy pop songs. HNC’s slightly altered sound succeeds for the most part – though it should be noted two of the strongest tracks evoke her older work – without losing any of her charm. So next time HNC, get an editor for the tracklist. And for God’s sakes, less meowing.

Buy Cult over here, or on iTunes

Review: The New House’s Want Alone But Help Me

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Dear god look at all the bands listed on The New House’s influence corner on MySpace. Like an eager college freshman looking to attract friends on another social networking site, the Tokyo band have piled on artists from a range of various genres, presumably in an effort to show how well versed they are. The band’s debut mini-album Want Alone But Help Me doesn’t sound like 90 percent of the bands listed on that page. The New House don’t sound remotely like Hot Chip, Tool or Why? What acts do they sound like on this album? Let’s go through them.

The Strokes – So, by default, every band The Strokes ever cribbed from and the folks who ripped off The Strokes (er, The Cribs). The New House play guitar-heavy pop so comparisons were inevitable…but those guitars sound straight out of Room On Fire. Check the swaggering riffs of “Pale Boy” or pretty much all of “Wash My Bones.” Nothing wrong with that though, as The New House handle them well and both those songs are great. The best song on this small album, “Path To Freedom,” doesn’t do anything Julian Casablancas and crew haven’t already (save for a military drum stomp), but the results sound so good it doesn’t matter.

The Pixies – The intro to “Kill The House” sounds just like the start of “Debaser,” but all comparisons end their as the song becomes a cowbell-hop number with everything sort of falling into itself at the chorus.

The Monks – Or any band without the benefit of quality recording equipment. Though a far cry from the intentionally off-putting noise of shit gaze music, The New House still could be called a “garage rock” outfit thanks to a certain rawness present on Want Alone But Help Me. “Social Evils and a Potato” demonstrates this best with it’s five-o-clock fuzz shadow. Also largely present on this mini-album are kinda outdated sounding organ noises, like the one running throughout “Pale Boy.”

Orange Juice – The New House might sound a heck of a lot like The Strokes, but they’ve chosen to bypass that group’s kinda scuzzy lyrics for more indie-pop approved lyrics. A glance at the album insert reveals these songs are all about being pretty sad (something not really clear when you listen to the upbeat guitar-pop); by my count, three of these songs are about leaving a city and/or a bar to go somewhere more quiet. “Kill The House” sees the singer telling someone they are “as pretty as a picture.” Album closer “This Is My Story” opening lines go “this is my story/don’t take it too seriously/it’s only my dreams/play the guitar, release a record.” Sounds pretty twee to me!

Want Alone But Help Me does not try to hide it’s influences at all during it’s 17 minute duration. “This Is My Story” even goes out of the way to comment on this, the lead singer saying “you try to write new music/but it’s all been done before/always we will repeat the past” before launching into a chorus of “what is original.” It’s not The New House, but the band does make great guitar pop – none of the six songs on this debut end up misfiring. No New House unique sound emerges from this record, so they’ve got to work on that, but this is a great start for a young band who have studied up.