QUIET LIFE

Japan were en route to complete creative autonomy in the late seventies and 'Quiet Life' is the delightful piece of evidence we have in support of this statement. A transitional, perfumed album that albeit far from perfect, is a step in the right direction for the young band of talented performers and an ostentatious stylistic departure from the early Bowie-esque glam reconnaissance operations, and while the comparisons with early Roxy Music are often cited by critics as a weakness, Japan is a band that actually takes some special attention to appreciate and any kind of comparisons fall short when you consider both the individual contributions of each member as well as the overall image, sound, enigma and mythos of the band.

Alongside the dramatic shift with David Sylvian's singing voice (with him adopting a rather melancholic crooning), we see Japan experimenting with a longer song format and more sophisticated, layered arrangements, sometimes even with outright orchestration, together with the introduction of instruments like the sax and flute. 'Quiet Life' is an album of longing, presenting a strong sense of alienation with its lyrical themes, and offers a very particular maturity that is expressed through the lush and ominous sounds of the synths, for example, as it all makes up for one of the most elegant early synth-pop albums of Britain. Even if the title track is the most recognizable song off of this record, other great highlights that point towards Japan's evolution and matured vision would include 'Fall In Love With Me', 'In Vogue', 'Halloween', 'Alien' as well as the closing track 'The Other Side of Life'.