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Direct Link To This Post Topic: Interpose+ from Japan
    Posted: October 20 2007 at 11:33
INTERPOSE+ are a fascinating and creative band from Japan, with a female singer and two guitars. They stride along the lines of jazz-rock and prog and have a distinct sound of their own. They have released thus far two albums Interpose+ in 2005 and Indifferent in 2007.
 
 
Their PA bio:
 
In 1986, Tanaka Kenji (guitar) and Sato Katsu (drums) - both formerly played in the legendary underground band, LIBIDO - got together again and formed a new band, aiming for some different style of music than LIBIDO. First members are a female vocal, two guitars, bass, and drums. They played in some mixture style of jazz rock and progressive rock, with this twin-guitar featured band. On March next year, they played in the first live gig at La.mama, Tokyo. In 1988, they turned into vital action, played in 9 live gigs at SILVER ELEPHANT, CROCODILE, and more clubs, took part in an omnibus album "Canterbury Edge" from MADE IN JAPAN RECORDS label. A guitarist left the band shortly after. Their sound came less jazzy, and more progressive, vocal and guitar-oriented pops style. The next year, they played only one@stage. On February, vocalist has left, and the first period of the band has ended. Remaining members kept their activity in rehearsal studios. But the bassist has also quitted in 1990, Tanaka and Sato started to looking for new members. - They played twice on stage as interpose with guest players at this time. Tanaka found Koike Toshiyuki (bass) and a keyboardist, searching for a new drummer on a rock magazine, made a contact with them and join together. The second period has started with this union. In 1991, members were fixed with a newly joined female vocalist. The sound of this period was changing into symphonic with keyboard sound. First live of this period was on March 1992, at SILVER ELEPHANT. But this period suddenly ended after the gig on October same year, at La.mama. They played only four times on stage at this second period. After that, INTERPOSE stopped their activity for long. Each member went ondifferent ways individually. In 2001, Tanaka and Koike went to see the gig stage of Satoh. They met together and reunited, the third period of INTERPOSE has started. Same year, Yonekura Ryuji (keyboards), who has played with Tanaka at the tribute band for YES, joined the band. Aruga Sayuri (vocal) joined in 2003, and third period members were fixed with new name, INTERPOSE+. Their style came to a mixture of voice and various sounds from each instrument. First live of this period was also at SILVER ELEPHANT, January 2004, and three more stages they played in the year. From February to May 2005, they recorded original songs for their first album CD. Yonekura Ryuji left the band after recording. And Watanabe Nobuo joined as a new keyboardist in July. Finally, the first album "Interpose+" has been released from POSEIDON/MUSEA Label in November. Shortly after, Koike Toshiyuki has quitted in December, and now Dani from KBB plays bass guitar as a guest player.

Why this artist must be listed in www.progarchives.com :
This is a sensational new band from Japan, one of the best releases from the last 10 years
 
 
 
Their website:
http://www.interpose.jp/index_en.html
http://www.musicterm.jp/poseidon/
 
 
 
 
 
 
Reviews of their first album:
 

Collaborators Reviews

INTERPOSE+ Interpose+

Review by erik neuteboom (erik neuteboom)
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Symphonic Prog Expert

4%20stars WOW, this is an amazing debut CD from a Japanese band that has so much to offer and an incredible high level of musicianship!

1. Aircon (11:03): The intro delivers a slow and compelling rhythm with howling electric guitar, then a powerful mid-tempo rhythm with jazzrock overtones and great interplay. Lots of dynamic shiftings moods, pleasant female vocals and great soli on electric guitar, synthesizer and violin (Akihisa Tsuboy from KBB). Their sound reminds me of fellow Japanese band Providence because of the female vocals and jazzrock inspiration.

2. Dayflower (10:04): A slow rhythm with a dreamy atmoshpere featuring awesome violin-Mellotron flights. Gradually the music becomes more lush and dynamic featuring moving, often howling electric guitar runs and a spectacular synthesizer soli. The final part delivers a short piece on classical guitar.

3. Zitensia (8:30): This compositions contains dynamic an powerful interplay (guitar, piano, rhythm-section) and many fiery and howling electric guitar soli (including wah-wah). The level is very high and evokes the excellent jazzrock from Mahavishnu Orchestra, splendid!

4. Koibumi (10:55): A wonderful track with a great build-up, first dreamy with flute-like keyboards, warm female vocals and tender piano runs, then gradually more lush featuring a sensitive electric guitar solo. Again Providence is on my mind because of the powerful female vocals and dynamic interplay. The final part delivers some beautiful classical guitar and just another splendid, very sensitive electric guitar solo.

5. Last Sign (7:16): The atmosphere is dreamy with slow and sensitive jazzy guitar runs, soaring keyboards and strong drums. The music becomes more dynamic with sensational synthesizer flights and fiery electric guitar runs, the rhythm-section sounds strong and propulsive. The second part delivers exciting dynamic music with a swirling Hammond organ solo and harder-edged electric guitar, the interplay is amazing!

THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST JAPANESE PROGROCK ALBUMS EVER MADE, I AM SURE IT WILL PLEASE BOTH THE SYMPHONIC ROCK FANS AS THE MORE JAZZROCK INSPIRED AFICIONADOS!!



Posted Thursday, February 09, 2006, 05:39 EST | Permanent link

INTERPOSE+ Interpose+

Review by Atavachron (David)
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Art Rock Specialist

3%20stars I've been slowly falling for the Japanese progressive scene for a while and this was one of the records that began to seduce me, as Interpose+ reflect some of the best aspects of that thriving milieu. Part symphonic rock, part jazz fusion and thoroughly sophisticated, this dazzlingly talented group stands up to the big boys and showcases some of the Rising Sun's best recording artists including Ryuji Yonekura on keys, Sayuri Aruga vocals, and on guitar the impressive Kenji Tanaka. This CD improves as it goes, getting hotter and more exuberant with every passing cut until you realize that Japanese musicians are doing something right and seem both liberated and inspired...a condition rare, wonderful and usually short-lived. Find some Japrog to add to your collection before these little earthquakes become truly scarce.

Posted Thursday, October 19, 2006, 04:11 EST | Permanent link

INTERPOSE+ Interpose+

Review by Prog-jester (Igor Sidorenko)
PROG REVIEWER

5%20stars Have you ever been tired of Prog? No, I really mean it! Tired of colourful sleeves, long epics with various shiftings and changes, crafty solos and top-notch drumming? Never? Youre lucky then. Personally I sometimes feel worn out by another pile of CDs of that kind (especially Modern Symphonic albums, which are mostly the same all the time). So, when Ive chanced to pick this one with an urban still life on the cover, I didnt expected much (it was unpacked more than for a month!). Besides theyre from Japan. Im not familiar much with Japanese Prog, as its mostly avant-related (honorable exception are the Gods of Post-Rock - MONO). Anyway, I gave it a spin. Then another one. And one more again

My first thought was take MAGENTA and replace the YES element with CAMEL one. I also noticed UK-like jazzy patterns and fiery violin solos. But when it came to instrumentals, Id rather compare INTERPOSE+ with fusion bands (take IQ and force them to play MAHAVISHNUs stuff something of that kind)! But any comparing is lame INTERPOSE+ mix all the abovementioned elements in their own way, supplying GENESIS+UK-like epics with tender female vocals and maturity of performance. Please, dont repeat my mistake DO NOT MISS THIS CD! Highly recommended!

Posted Saturday, May 26, 2007, 11:07 EST | Permanent link

Guests Reviews

INTERPOSE+ Interpose+

Review by Dirk (Dirk de Beer)

4%20stars With only one review sofar an overlooked album.

Actually some of the musicians in this japanese band have been playing for some 20 years already under various names and in various configuratons. They were named Interpose earlier in their career but as far as i can tell Interpose+ is the first studio album they released (if not i would be interested in other work they did). Their music is clearly different from other more well known japanese bands as Gerard and Ars Nova ranging over several styles.

Instead of being influenced by ELP keyboards as these 2 bands are, guitar is generally the central element in Interpose's music accompanied by modern sounding synthesizers (no organ or mellotron on this album). The emotional female vocals in japanese language are quite good although they don't quite match the vocals of great singers as for instance Annie Haslam (Renaissance), Heather Findlay (Mostly Autumn) or Simona Angelieonie (Aries).

It's not so easy to define the music that Interpose is playing. It ranges from pure symphonic prog to Jazzrock/funk and fusion. The vocal sections are relatively straight forward, but the instrumental interludes have a lot of variation and many melody changes. This is an album that is pleasant on a first listen but to fully appreciate it i feel many listens are required.

Aircon starts off with a wonderful atmospheric guitar/synth solo quickly transposing into a funky riff with fiery guitar breaks, a great opener. The rest of the song is somewhat disappointing, vocals are good but the melody is not as engaging as on the other vocal oriented tracks, i also feel the song goes on for a bit too long.

Dayflower consists of two movements,the first part is outstanding with Aruga's voice battling it out against Tanaka's guitar, the best song vocally. The second is fully instrumental with dense playing of various instruments in a reprise of part 1, it's good but not as interesting as the first part.

Zitensya is rather different from the symphonic atmoshere in the other songs. It's a typically instrumental jazz rock composition starting out slowly with a repeated dominant piano riff with typically jazzy guitar noodling. It really accelerates in the second part with funky guitar riffs and crazy piano, leading into a tremendous fusion like ending. I picked up Inner mountain flame lately and indeed the ending resembles Mahavishnu orchestra as was already pointed out by Erik Neuteboom.

Koibumi has roughly the same structure as the first track, a quiet intrumental intro is followed by a vocal section that is much better in my opinion than the one in the first song, really good.

Last sign, a fully instrumental piece, is my favorite of the album. After a quiet intro we have a duel between spacy high pitched synth and floydian guitar. The song is rounded off perfectly with an authoritive heavy guitar line.

Concluding, this is a really good album without any bad moments. In my opinion the second half of the first and second composition and the first few minutes of the third are somewhat weaker, the rest of the album is truly great. Rating this album is easy, it's a typically 4 star album no up or downgrading involved here.

Posted Saturday, September 09, 2006, 09:38 EST | Permanent link

INTERPOSE+ Interpose+

Review by jeromach (Jeroen)

4%20stars Not so much to add to the previous reviews, just perhaps a summarization of what it does; it can make you cry. Aircon and Koibumi specifically. That means it touches strings that apparently can't be reached by something else. I know that's personal, you're not me, I'm not you. Still, although the singing is in Japanese, both music and singing talk a universal language that I understand all too well. So, perhaps all in all not a truly unique masterpiece of progressive musique, just only for this capacity to "touch" it deserves the classification four stars.

Posted Sunday, June 10, 2007, 15:25 EST | Permanent link

 
 
 
 
 
Review of their second album:
 

INTERPOSE+ Indifferent

Review by erik neuteboom (erik neuteboom)
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Symphonic Prog Expert

3%20stars For me this band their eponymous debut album belongs to the All Time Japanese Progrock Albums Top 10, so captivating and dynamic with excellent work on keyboards, guitar and violin. Unfortunately that violin has disappeared and the band also has another bass and keyboard player.

In general the six compositions on this new album sound fluent and dynamic (at some moments more mellow or compelling) with an omnipresent role for the powerful and often fiery electric guitar with strong jazzrock undertones. The colouring of the songs by the keyboards is very pleasant, from soaring Mellotron or sparkling piano to flashy synthesizer flights or a swirling Hammond organ solo. The interplay between the musicians is awesome and the female singer delivers a decent performance. Although the compositions sound fluent and tasteful with good work on guitar and keyboards, I prefer their debut CD because it sounds more captivating and compelling to me. Nonetheless, Indifferent is a good album that will please the jazzrock aficionados. My rating: 3,5 stars.

Posted Tuesday, October 16, 2007, 15:51 EST | Permanent link

 
 
 
 
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 20 2007 at 12:10
Well Assaf, you succeeded to pick up another very overlooked great new band.  I love their first album but I have to admit that their second fails to generate the same excitement.
About Interpose+ on Prog Archives: I still find it difficult and hard to understand that most progheads keep on buying albums from know progrock bands while there are so many lesser and unknown new progrock bands to discover like Interpose+. So keep you eyes open for Avestin his threads Clap and please, a bit more adventurous mind you progheads here on Prog Archives! That starts with reading this kind of threads ..


Edited by erik neuteboom - October 20 2007 at 12:11
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 20 2007 at 14:16
This is weird Assaf,you are recommending quite a few bands I have just discovered recently.
 
I got my hands on Interpose+ debut album a few weeks ago and it is very impressive.Japanese prog is still new to me and I am discovering all kinds of gems in this overlooked part of the prog world.


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Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 20 2007 at 16:17
Excellent debut...dunno about the latest one
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