And yes, Nomiya is holding a Little Red Book on the cover (think Godard, not Mao). There is an “Amen, My Brother” drum break hidden in there, however, and “Let’s Be Adult” has enough synth bass wobble, film samples, and club beats to give a clear sense of P5’s new direction. (Also, who in the world asks the question, “What is the first thing you put in your mouth when you wake up?”) As for the actual songs: the fast jazz swing “Bridget Bardot TNT” feels a lot like old muddy-mix P5 with a new singer. We get an overly long burst of spoken Japanese at a live show introducing the new version of the band, and then on “This Year’s Girl #1” a protracted interview with a scripted, infantilized Nomiya over hip-hop beats talking about her love of Betty Boop, Betsy Johnson, and school uniforms. This first EP is a slight let down in terms of musical content: it’s more a Maki manifesto. In the band’s rebirth, P5 planned an ambitious schedule: releasing three EPs and an album over four months. “The Third” and near-final version of Pizzicato Five starts here with the addition of Portable Rock singer Nomiya Maki. Arguably the first group to popularize shibuya-kei from underground circles, they also later on began experimenting with the style, with what some called an innovative genre all their own. This is part three of a five-part series, covering the band’s first releases with singer Nomiya Maki. Hawaii 5-0 performed by The Ventures and The Man From Thrush The Oar both performed by Lalo Schifrin. David Marx listened to every single major release from legendary Shibuya-kei band, Pizzicato Five, so you don’t have to.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |