TIN DRUM

Tin Drum is an experimental art album that continued Japan's search for progress. If the previous album Gentleman Take Poaroids was a step away from the euro-disco of Quiet Life, this album is a huge jump out of new wave and into Oriental experimentation. The album is often cited as their main achievement and it is certainly an end point in their continuing development as original and boundless musicians.

However, there are few songs here that maintain their impact underneath the overworked arrangements, Ghosts and Canton are more then convincing, but The Art of Parties and Still Life in Mobile Homes are adequate songs that loose much of their power by the sought after Japanese arrangements. Clever as they may be, it's a step too far for me. Too intellectual, not enough gut feeling. A second impression is that the Oriental trick gets old pretty quickly, the continuous slow pace and overused against-beat rhythms make for a monotonous impression

More a matter of taste then a critical assessment, Japan's swan song is a challenging, unconventional and daring album that never made a lasting impression on me. 3 stars