2010 will be a year of great opportunity for me. I’ve packed my bags and moved to Japan, where I’m hoping to learn more about the cultural roots of much of my favourite music. Of course, moving around the world also involves many ”Goodbyes” and sacrifices, so 2010 will also be a year of big challenges for me.
SuiseiNoboAz’s debut album has managed to tug upon the deep range of emotions that this year has brought me so far. I only picked up this album at all because Mukai Shutoku (Number Girl, Zazen Boys) produced it, and at first listen I felt that SuiseiNoboAz was good, but perhaps unambitious.
Clearly my first impression was flawed! Further listens have allowed the band to gradually reveal their powerful depth of emotion. It’s to their credit that SuiseiNoboAz don’t immediately come across as ambitious and far-reaching. They make their music seem effortless, which is only possible because there is a deep well of honesty behind their ambitions.
Sakurai Nori’s drums strike with a clarity that pulls at your heartstrings. He is a driving force behind the album, injecting funk into “from suisei with whole lotta love”, Arcade Fire-esque movement to “poolside murder case” and simple honesty into “Happy 1982″.
My Japanese language comprehension is quite poor, so I rarely comment on lyrics, but when Ishihara Masaharu sings “Sayonara Girl. Sayonara Pixies” during “poolside murder case” (referencing two of my favourite bands – Number Girl and Pixies) I can’t help but feel a swell of excitement – it’s a bit early to make comparisons to either of those bands, but the potential is there.
Ishihara’s vocals and the rest of the band’s melodic sensibilties are expressive enough to transcend the language barrier and “Happy 1982″ draws out waves of nostalgia (though I’ll admit that I wasn’t even born until two years after 1982). My time in Japan has been amazing so far, but of course there’s plenty that I miss from back home, and this is the first new music I’ve heard this year to successfully tap into both my excitement and anxiety’s at once. The best art can help people understand their emotions in ways that weren’t possible before, and that’s what this album does for me.
Although Mukai Shutoku’s involvement with the record was the reason I first heard about this band at all, I’ve spent remarkably little time talking about his production. There are lots of his signature sounds, and fans of Zazen Boys will definitely hear some familiar engineering tricks, but his production fits the band so well that it’s transparent.
Consider this album highly recommended. This is a potent debut that makes SuiseiNoboAz a band worth watching. SuiseiNoboAz make music with a casual sense of clarity and honest intentions that add up to a uniquely powerful album.
SuiseiNoboAz Myspace
Listen: “poolside murder case”
Watch: “from suisei with whole lotta love”
