Pochakaite Malko from Japan
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Topic: Pochakaite Malko from Japan
Posted By: avestin
Subject: Pochakaite Malko from Japan
Date Posted: October 17 2007 at 22:47
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http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=2915 - POCHAKAITE MALKO
Background: Pochakaite Malko is a Japanese band who emerged from Tokyo in August 1996. The name they took is Bulgarian for “just a minute”. The origins of the band can be traced to the meeting of Shigekazu Kuwahara (bass) and Kazuo Ogino (keyboards) in a previous band led by Tatsuya Yoshida called Magma Copy Band in 1995. The first lineup consisted of five people but was unstable at first. The other 3 members were Youichiro Shin (drums), Sharmin (keyborad), Shiho (Bulgarian vocal). They first rehearsed for some time until their first live show in May 1997, when they also decided on the band’s name. a change in the lineup came in December 1997 when Junzo Tateiwa (drums) replaced Shin Youichiro. However shortly after that the band was in hiatus due to Ogino’s work in Ghost and Tateiwa and Kwahara forming Ton-Den-Hei (Techno-Prog rock). December 1999 sees the band’s coming back to activity and the joining of Tomohiro Ueno (keyboards) to the band. The lineup was now Tomohiro Ueno (keyboards), Kazuo Ogino (piano), Sharmin (keyborads), Shigekazu Kuwahara (bass), Junzo Tateiwa (drums). However another change occurred in 2000 when Sharmin left. You can see now how heavy a keyboards emphasis there is in their sound. An important even, according to the band, was in December 4, 2000 when they played music by Zamla Mammaz Manna, with Lars Hollmer. Up until now, they released no studio album and focused on playing live their material. In April 2001 recordings began on their first full length self-titled to be released on November 22nd, 2001. In early 2002, Tomohiro Ueno left the band. However the trio was reinforced by the addition of Akihisa Tsuboy, from KBB (electric & acoustic violin). In November 2004, their second album called Laya was released. In 2006 an EP called Doppelgänger was released. Junzo Tateiwa is active in other groups as well; for instance Spiral Tones which plays traditional Arabic and fusion music; Memories of Nada - North Indian Trad. and Trance Music; Hiromi Takemoto & Ku-lan – Hawaiian; Elephant Talk - Female Avangarde Pops; aside from that he teaches, composes and writes books. Kazuo Ogino is also a member of the band Ghost, which is listed here in PA under Pscyh/Space-Rock. Shigekazu Kuwahara who is one of the founders of PM, was also a part of Kohenji Hyakkei and Tondenhei. As was noted, Akihisa Tsuboy was in KBB. Music: Their sound is pretty wild, but not in a raw, primitive sort of way, but in that it releases a high dose of energy that rock the listeners. Influenced by two seemingly opposing styles, you can hear an influence of Zeuhl in their albums as can be heard with the bass work. This is not surprising given the two founding member’s background in the Magma Copy Band and the relation to Koenji Hyakkei. However this is not a net Zeuhl album given other heavy influences which appear in the music. There is also a notable influence of ELP sounding keyboard work, which is not surprising given the lineup as was mentioned above. Happy Family also comes to mind, with the dense and aggressive nature of the sound. At times the listener might think this is too much notes, or too loud. Therefore, do not listen to this when tired or if you want a calm album. Their albums are thrilling, a joyride, usually uplifting, emotive and dynamic; taking the best from each of those influences and fusing them together in an efficient way to create a sound of their own. The musicianship is of high proficiency and a major part of their sounding so intricate and coherent. http://www.ab.cyberhome.ne.jp/~pochamal/pochakaite_malko/ - http://www.ab.cyberhome.ne.jp/~pochamal/pochakaite_malko/ Their second album is the one most widely regarded as their best output so far, but their first one is a good one as well, very keyboard dominated with a lot of ELPesque sounds to it, mixed with other more avantish bits (ELP on steroids if you can imagine such a thing...). Reviews in their PA album pages:
http://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=14906 - Pochakaite Malko
http://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=14907 - Laya
http://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=14908 - Doppelgänger
And here:
http://www.progreviews.com/reviews/display.php?rev=pm-pm - http://www.progreviews.com/reviews/display.php?rev=pm-pm
http://www.seaoftranquility.org/reviews.php?op=showcontent&id=179 - http://www.seaoftranquility.org/reviews.php?op=showcontent&id=179
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Replies:
Posted By: chamberry
Date Posted: October 17 2007 at 22:52
My name is Ruben Dario and I approve this message.  I only have their debut and its a good album, although I've seen in many places that Laya is the better album of the two. I call it the ELP gone Zeuhl! ------------- 
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Posted By: avestin
Date Posted: October 17 2007 at 23:40
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^^^
Nice description, Ruben.
Here's the only review here for Laya by Cesar Inca:
POCHAKAITE MALKO — LayaReview by http://www.progarchives.com/Collaborators.asp?id=378 - Cesar Inca (César Inca Mendoza Loyola)SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Symphonic Prog Specialist
Posted Sunday, April 01, 2007, 18:56 EST | http://www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=117071 - Permanent link ------------- http://hangingsounds.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow - Hanging Sounds http://www.progarchives.com/ProgRockShopping.asp" rel="nofollow - PA Index of prog music vendors |
"Laya" is one of the most brilliant examples of how well has the RIO trend of prog aged for the new millennium. With one less keyboardist and the addition of violinist extraordinaire Akihisa Tsuboy, Pochakaite Malko was prepared to create and release yet another catalogue of challenging, energetic music. The melodic ideas in this album are as extrvagant as they are captivating, full of exotic elements (Far East, Arabian, Hindu, North African), perfectly blended in a jazz-fusion atmosphere to be matched with the sense of adventure and multicolored creativity inherent to the band's most obvious Occidental infuences: Univers Zero, Present and a bit of early Magma. All in all, despite the tension that feels so patently demanding, this band does not emulate the cerebral darkness of the aforementioned RIO bands, only their density and their orchestral equilibrium. Tsuboy, being the 'new kid on the block', really owns the starring role in the band's overall sound, while the rhythm section guys interact in a display of total versatility all through each and every intrincate number. Last but not least, Ogino knows how to create precise bridges between the violin and the rhythm duo, effectively filling the melodic spaces among the violin leads. 'Laya' and 'Death by Hanging' bear a playful spirit, with the former leaning toward the colorful side of RIO and the latter going for a jazzier road. 'Cristao' finds the musicians organically focused on the elaboration of disturbing dreamy ambiences, with a simplistic bass line whose minimalistic impulse sets the pace for the other instruments to create a sonic polyphonic nightmare. After this emergence of sheer disturbance, comes a very convenient contrast, 'Hallelujah', which is obviously more joyful, mostly due to the special fusionesque vibe used by the band. PM's style doesn't let things get too comfortable here - we must remember, after all, that this is a RIO-inspired band. But the playfulness goes on with 'Frozen Shoulders', one of the most amazing pieces of this amazing album: its mixture of Celtic cadences and traditional Japanese colors is solidly displayed on a 7/8 tempo, with the added percussions being somewhat more featured than the basic drum kit input. Next comes a couple of solemn tracks, 'Meat Powdered Bones' and 'It Came from…', which are when PM get the closest they can to Present's prototype. But even then, of course, we must keep in mind that this band always gets to keep its sound from getting beyond the reasonable tortuous. 'Somewhere in Time' meets the best of PM's both worlds: starting with what seems a tight commitment to jazz-fusion, there are some climatic interludes in which the explosive dangers of RIO arise with fire and steel. A special mention goes to the marriage of organ and bass that erupts somewhere in the middle - quite Magmaesque, indeed. This would have made a perfct closure for the album had the last 11 minutes of the album not been occupied by 'D.N.A.'. This is real music from and for the underworld, made out of Vulcanus' fire to set heat in the listener's brain. The initial 4 1/2 minutes of languid ambiences may seem deceiving at first, but the listener should suspect that there's a subtle air of danger hanging around. Then comes a 2-minute section of sinister orchestrations, controlled yet positivley creepy. At 6:30, teh creepy thing turns a bit more pompous and schematized, even including carnival-like adornments. The return of the creepy section feels particularly strong due to the augmented dose of energy portrayed by the violin and the piano, while Tateiwa and Kuwahara sustain the climax in a very consistent fashion. The final solitary piano chords bid a proper farewell to the listener. "Laya" couldn't find a more proper ending than this, and definitely, Pochakaite Malko should already be regarded as masters of current avant-prog. Posted By: Sckxyss
Date Posted: October 18 2007 at 01:13
I just got Laya and it blew me away... Awesome stuff. The violin playing (sometimes distorted like a guitar!) was definitely a highlight. I'll listen for ELP influences next time I listen to it 
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Posted By: avestin
Date Posted: October 18 2007 at 11:49
No, the ELP influences are gone here (mostly) but are very prominent on their first album.
Laya is indeed great and quite different than the first album, shifted direction.
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Sckxyss wrote:Posted By: TheProgtologist
Date Posted: October 19 2007 at 23:12
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I love,love....LOVE this band,and can't recommend them highly enough.
The debut is good but I think Laya is even better. -------------  |
Posted By: avestin
Date Posted: October 19 2007 at 23:25
I agree. Laya shows how diverse the band can be, it's a wonderful album, recommended to all prog fans, not only avant-prog.
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