by Joe Jamnitzky
Ladies and gentlemen, we’re heading back to Japan.
This actually serves a few purposes. One, the true essence of this section is to highlight albums either forgotten or never noticed. Let’s face it, a lot of this stuff doesn’t get noticed here.
Two, and a bit more selfishly I admit, it gives me a chance to recharge. There are a number of albums I want to do, but lately have been struggling with how to properly do them. With the Japanese releases, though, since few (if any) of you are familiar with the artists, it gives me a sort of freedom, and makes things a bit easier. Does anybody read these things? Granted, I could just be doing that to myself, but I digress…
Anyway, TsuShiMaMiRe. Yup, that is the band’s name. They happen to be another one of the Japanese bands that has an underground following in the States, having played the Benten Label’s Girls Nite shows, SXSW, and even as support for the Suicide Girls Burlesque tour. An all-girl trio, their music is as all over the place as the band name. It’s definitely rock, but rather than being just one kind of rock or another, they treat the word as the blanket term that it is, meaning that they touch on almost every single sub-genre involved in rock that you could imagine.
This is something that has been evident in all their releases. That’s not to say they don’t have their own identity though. The vocals are usually sweet or frantic, and they have a knack for really good harmonies and melodies. The musicianship itself is quite excellent. Drummer Mizue is a beast on the kit; having watched her rehearse songs with the focus on the drums, it’s amazing to see how easy she makes it look. Bassist Yayoi is capable of playing either melodic bass lines or funk-style pops, whatever the song calls for. Guitarist and lead vocalist Mari, meanwhile, sings with a very sweet voice one minute, and with a very hectic, almost rapping pace the next, while alternating between playing pretty guitar parts and blistering noise. No doubt about it, this is a band of talent.
The killer part is that, underneath all that sweetness, are lyrics that are actually quite dark and disturbing, and usually deal with death, sex, or food. Their approach to sexual lyrics in particular make them stand out, as unlike the way many Japanese females are portrayed, they use a blunt, straightforward approach. Granted, this stuff is in Japanese, which I don’t speak, but having seen translations…you get the idea.
Choosing one album to do was hard, but I went with Ah, Umi Da (which roughly means “Oh, The Sea”), because it was essentially my first exposure to them. Talk about a hell of a way to start.
Within the first two tracks alone, which have barely any space between them, we get hit with a blast of fast and furious rock. The third track slows things down, but only a bit, and actually starts to show the different rock styles they like to incorporate. Track four (roughly translated as “Ominous Shopping Trip”…yes, I’m serious), is almost seven minutes long, and showcases just how far they stretch their sound and ability when given the chance. Meanwhile, “Yamaguchi”, moves along on what feels like a woozy, slightly disturbing guitar part with sweet vocals over it…until the sudden repetitive interruptions that occur out of nowhere. And when I mean out of nowhere, I mean that there is no way to predict it at all. It scares me still at times.
Halfway in and we get to “Matsuri”, without a doubt my favorite. This song is basically Angel Dust-era Faith No More, with manic vocals, a high, operatic sounding section for the chorus, a popping bass line, and crazy guitar. I’ve had more than one friend agree with me that if you dropped Mike Patton’s voice onto this, it would be Faith No More, plain and simple. To hear that kind of sound come from a Japanese female three-piece is something else entirely. Watch the video below, and make your own judgment. I bet you agree.
Things do start to calm down somewhat for the rest of the album, as they should, though the final track, “Kaichanbbutsu”, seriously has some bizarre time signatures and playing to it, while, for whatever reason, breaking into some sort of bossa-nova thing halfway through or something…I’m still not sure what it is.
That’s as it should be though. While they would later prove to be capable of doing calm, straight forward music (though only briefly), my personal opinion is that this album is one of the best for capturing their freewheeling sound and spirit. Through the whole thing is a sense of fun, which is sorely missing these days. It’s disturbing fun at times, but fun nonetheless.
But seriously, listen to this and tell me it’s not Faith No More…
