LEAP SECOND NEUTRAL

In need of a energy booster?

I remember the sunny days in Rome last year, when I listened to this album exclusively for a week probably. It was too hot during the day to do much of anything, so while my family was resting, I looked for my energy elsewhere. I had just discovered this band, and thought that Leap Second Neutral would brighten my day. It was truly one of the few great decisions I've ever made in my life.

Machine and the Synergetic Nuts have it all really, from mind-boggling technical performance, to the ability to create surprisingly catchy compositions, it's all here. This Canterbury-inspired group blends so many different ideas together, that it's quite simply amazing. If you can imagine a blend of modern jazz music, Soft Machine, National Health and Nucleus, add 500% of more energy and enthusiasm to the mix, you still don't have a clue what this Japanese band sounds like at all.

This is pretty difficult to grasp at first, as the music tends to be quite noisy and difficult, and a couple of times we are almost approaching the RIO environment. Nevertheless, one of the great things about this band, is that while most jazz-rock bands tend to rely solely on technical performance (and forget the compositions), these guys know how to keep things relatively accessible. Just listen to Trout, and try to tell me that the piano-sax riff used there isn't catchy as hell? The saxophone parts particularly, are very infectious on this album. The incredibly energetic rhythm section is one of the most impressive I've ever heard, and on top of that, there are no weak tracks on this album. I really don't see how a Canterbury/Jazz-rock fan could live without this album.

Pretty amazing stuff, indeed. 4,5 stars.

Active musicians tend to often unite the unit in the item of Jazz Rock/Fusion of Japan. It is very difficult to produce the masterpiece with the flow and is done most Jazz Rock by the derivation from the creation of the musician of Jazz. It might not have the so many changes for the situation now. Uniting with Prog Rock is exactly guessed that an experimental element is still strong in the item of Jazz/Fusion. Own music character is established like this "MSN" at the time of beginning, and the band that functions well as Jazz Rock is unusual and existence of valuable for circumstances of the music of Japan.

They three were formed. The demo tape is produced in the organization of four people inviting a present Bass player in 2000 after the demo tape is produced in 1998. An original music character is established like them at the time of beginning and there are not too much a lot of bands of Jazz Rock that unlimitedly takes the element of Prog Rock. Men who had announced 1st Album in the form of independent production in 2003 got into the news at once. There might have been elements of a few Hard Rock in 1st Album. Jazz Rock in the album ..expanding the width of Music further... Or, the element of club Jazz has been taken.

The height of the technology of the performance of the band has the feeling that should make a special mention. Their technologies might have greatly improved to the announcement of this album. This album has been released from United States Cuneiform Records though 1st Album was announced by independent production in 2003.

Their activity has already been known aiming at the world. It is Soft Machine and Weather Report as the style of their music. Or, they are hanging with the element of Fran Zappa. The music listened to here values Ensemble of the band very much of course while following good atmosphere of Canterbury. The impression in simple Jazz Rock without because the state of Ensemble of the band has succeeded very much will be given to the listener. The composition of the tune that never drops the quality of music though it has avant-garde's element a little is splendidly expressed. The member of the band has taken an active part very much in the place of the session and the technology that cultivates it in those places is done by uniting their performance and root.

Shouts in our mind that we do hope to get stability or something even in an unstable condition ... cannot avoid feeling such a phenomenon by four talented artists via this album "Leap Second Neutral".

Complex and powerful drumming by Toshiaki, deep and heavy bass moonquake by Hiroyuki, and sharp-edged keyboard kicking by Noriya, might tell their "strict inconstancy" terrifically filled with sensation of speed. As if we would stand upon a fragile plate ice, we should always have gotten scared of their uptempo instability, but it's not true actually. Listen to the first track "M-B" and you can feel that these four superb "sound magicians" could get quite stabilized and harmonized like a clear, square crystal upon such a complex poly-rhythm structure. Their powerful loudness cannot be forgotten always, while delightful, funky, fancy grooves in "Neutral" go through our brain massively.

On the other hand, here is another fluctuation like "Stum" (as the title ... immature wine ... says) with risky state of sounds downstream eternally. The sound structure of "Solid Box" should be solid indeed but Mahi-mahi's flexible saxophone can make this track more fluid and more liquid than we expected. Even into short tracks like "Monaco" their intensive complexity and eccentricity should be squeezed fully. We can enjoy their sounds of dizzying speed and various appearances in their principal theme "strict inconstancy", like long-matured whisky or wine. Splendid theatre.