VIVA YOUNG FLORIDA

When many listeners think of music from the Japanese avant prog scene, some words/phrases which come to mind are probably things like wacky, off-the-wall, absurd, high energy, humorous...the list goes on and on. Sometimes they're not exactly the right words to describe the music, but in the case of Tairikuotoko Vs Sanmyakuonna (try to say that fast OR slow three times, I have a bit of trouble), all of these words are pretty fitting in describing the music within. As the bio mentions, the group is a project in which most of the musicians involved play a non-primary instrument (for example, Yoshida Tatsuya steps out from behind the drum kit to play bass). Why they decided to do this, I don't know, but the results are interesting.

Obviously, the level of technicality displayed isn't as high as it could be if the members were playing their primary instruments, but a certain quality is added...playfulness, I guess is the word I'm looking for. This band seems to do just about everything in good humor. The music, though not as absurdly complex as some of the band members' main bands' music, is nonetheless interesting and a bit "out there" if you know what I mean. Some of the tracks seem to be "serious" compositions (though still with a healthy dose of humor), while others seem to be poking fun, or paying homage to, other genres of music (Center of Discomo). How far down the "avant rock" road it is, I can't say for sure...surely not the whole way down the road, but still firmly on that path. Vocalist Haco provides some guest vocals on a couple of the tracks here, always a welcome addition.

I can't call this album an essential addition to anyone's collection. I think it's a good album, but it's not the easiest to find anymore, and as far as Yoshida's projects go, it's not one of the absolute most essential. The same goes for Yuji Katsui (here on his primary instrument, violin). For listeners already interested in their respective bands' music, though, and for those of you who would like to hear him play bass (he's actually a pretty great bassist too, not quite on the same tier as the bassists for Ruins/Koenjihyakkei though), I'd recommend checking it out if you can. Three stars!