Japanese Progressive Rock presented by DamoX

Curiously, opposite to other Italian rock combo, their composition strategy is flooded with obvious musical diversity ... pop essence, cynical structure, mischievous material, and massive pleasure. Guess they have got extensively influenced by lots of rock vanguards, not only like 70s British or Italian ones but also like Canterbury, avantgarde, jazz rock, and old-fashioned psychedelic pioneers. For example, we can feel their miscellaneous vision (and their sincere sentiment for jazz rock in the latter part) through "A Reason For Goodbye" or touch their sincere sentiment for psychedelic pop in "Play With The Rebels". Such a sound variation via their experiences is quite unique, although their position as "a progressive rock band" is uncertain, vague and fuzzy.

Of course not all of the tracks in this production are innovative let me say, but at the same time it's pretty adventurous, addictive, and advantageous they have launched the first strike with multiple music (not only rock) essence into it. And it's amazing that some of their songs, if on stage, can give the audience spiritually enormous energy and power ... based upon their catchy melodic structure maybe. Personally meaningless, strange Japanese words cannot be avoided at all, anyway.

This bizarre album "Alternate Flash Heads" is filled with 99 short improvised sound shots created with saxophone plays by Ryoko in collaboration with a stormy drummer Talow. 99 tracks is the maximum for entry to one CD disc (but sadly less than AxCx's 5643 songs EP lol) and quite swift saxophone play by Ryoko is awesome indeed (and amazingly precisely harmonized with Talow's drumming woohoo) but, by the way, less violent than AxCx naturally (just kidding).

Anyway such a musical strategy like launching another musical atmosphere by every shuffle play upon this CD. In an album titled "No World Order" (1993) by Todd RUNDGREN the same method as above has been adopted over twenty years before. I've got surprised at such a novelty in musical digital world, and Ryoko's creation formed with 99 explosive tracks has reminded me of the amazement in those days, and notified me of another fresh impression for her creation.

Each of her terrific "saxplosion" can be called as a variation of symmetry (including a strange song title), and her "variations" should be basically different from other ones  e.g. in the classic music scene. And her saxophone appearances in the whole album are pretty colourful ... in some tracks she snarls against the audience, in other she sounds a tad sensitive, and sometimes launches addictive tonic winks on a regular basis. To shuffle 99 tracks randomly is not bad really but at least for me listening to them just in order should be better.

Dunno if you know but this album sleeve might be drawn with homage to YES' "Time And A Word" released in Japan, that's another interest.

KITSUNE NO YOMEIRI (a fox bride in English), whom I've stumbled across in a gig, have fermented another mysterious atmosphere among the stage and the audience. They have been founded in 2006 by the frontman MADONASHI in Kyoto. Lots of gigs have been done around Kyoto and in 2009 they've been reformed as a sextet, based upon acoustic instruments and cynical lyrics. This album "Shinitakunai (Don't want to die)" has been released as their third full-length studio-recorded album in 2013 via a Japanese independent label P-Vine. Pretty dominated via their deliberate sound visions and philosophical lyrics.

Overall via the creation, their musical attitude sounds of strongly intensive antitheses against popularity. Madonashi's lyrics and voices are cold-hearted, dispassionate, and sharp-edged, as if he would laugh quietly at the real world full of inorganic, unfeeling, inhuman atmosphere. But contrary to his distinctive messages, Hisayo's gentle, hearty keyboard works relieve us anyhow. Listen to her solo scene "Ao-Tenjo (Under The Blue Sky)", where brilliant keyboard phrases launch colourful rays of elixir ... this moment should give us momentary "safe and sound".

In the second track "Yagi Wa Shikeidai Ni Noboranai (A Goat Would Never Go To The Scaffold)", the masterpiece in this album (and a song I've listened to on stage), is another package flooded with their remarkable intention and constructive criticism for contemporary music around them.Theatrical alterations step by step can be heard like a movie, with ultra-rhythmic drumming / bass blows and somber, vague female chorus. Madonashi's voice tempos are not refined as rap music (obviously) but it's mysterious we get immersed in his roughly anti-rhythmic space at the same time. Not familiar with such a soundscape until then actually.

Afraid they could not be thought as an "authentic" progressive rock project, but who has listened to such a mystic, tough-to-categorize musical criticality? If anything, let me call them a poetic innovation.

First to say, we cannot help getting surprised at the first track "17dance", that has complicated rhythm prints (created, launched mainly by the bassist Masaharu "Wai" NAKAKITA) and offensive saxophone attacks (by Shinji KITAMURA). Such a distortion under their soundscape has been massive regardless of the poor condition upon the mixing or dubbing for this album. The following "Day Eight", featuring djembe play (anyway, they say this skin-covered drum djembe got to be the origin of the band's name DJAMRA), has a characterized by their "square" play and "lightly-tasted" bass sound (oh cannot imagine currently). Repetitive complex phrases along with their mysterious synchronicity can sound very enjoyable but never danceable obviously lol. 

The latter three tracks are their current repertoires, which we Djamra freaks know enough "to sing" (just kidding). Although their play was a tad rough and fuzzy, their strong intention for doing "musical amusement different from other artists" can be heard via this whole album ... no alteration about this attitude of theirs. Of course, djembe sounds would give another taste upon their sound basis, I guess ... but their mischievous creativity must not get shifted eternally. This undeniable fact can be understood via their soundscape now and then. What a pleasure really, and wonder who keeps this strong intention!

There is no words like "cool" or "polished" for this debut shot but it's fine for us to enjoy such a crudeness too ... well done from the beginning.