Ahito Inazawa was the drummer for Number Girl and then Zazen Boys before he started Vola & The Oriental Machine in 2004. Since he left Zazen Boys, both that band and Vola & The Oriental Machine have been making new wave inspired dance-rock with wildly different approaches.
Zazen Boys has focused on a tight rhythm section, improvisation, and math-rock time signatures. Vola, on the other hand, has been more conventional in their song-writing, and have experimented with jagged textures. With each album they’ve gotten better at combining incredibly catchy melodies with fuzzy synths, dirty basslines and tight rhythms. Vola’s new album, SA-KA-NA Electric Device sounds like a blend of Franz Ferdinand, Bloc Party and Polysics.
‘Weekend Lovers’, the first single on SA-KA-NA Electric Device is a glossy synth powered anthem about living for the weekend. It’s got a great melody, but only hints at the energetic chemistry of ‘Turning Turning’, the bongo groove of ‘No Dream’ and the strength of Inazawa’s falsetto on ‘Future Days’. This album rarely enters unexplored territory, rather classic songwriting conventions are used to great effect.
While Vola & The Oriental Machine’s previous albums have had highs and lows, this one is consistently great. There’s nothing on here that reaches the noisy highs of ‘Mexico Pub’ (my favourite Vola song) but this remains their best overall album regardless. Additionally, much of the album is in English – so hopefully it will help Vola win over fans outside of Japan.
Audio: No Dream –
Video:
Weekend Lovers:
Turning Turning:
