Call Florence Pow: The Strange Situation
List Price: $6.00
Audio CD (2002)
Label: Rynoblast
Tracklisting:
1. One of a Kind
2. Creepy Girls
3. A New Life
4. Preparation for Battle
5. Mother Dying
Forgive the lack of background information on this group. As much as I love independent or less-mainstream groups as much as the next guy I had never heard of Call Florence Pow until receiving a copy of what I am currently writing a review on (readers will recognize this as the finished review). I looked at the CD cover for quite possibly four minutes and just stared into it‘s hypnotic-ness. What was I thinking about? How cool the cover looked or how I had no idea in hell what It would sound like? When this was popped into my CD player I will be honest in saying that I was trying to prepare myself for the worst. There was literally not a single word on Call Florence Pow. I myself had never read a review on them nor had I ever thought to google “Call Florence Pow” or “Call”, “Florence”, and “Pow” as I like to sometimes call it when it is early in the morning and my thinking cap is misplaced. Anyway, to cut a short story shorter, when I put on the disc my fears where almost instantaneously vanished. This music is actually pretty
good. The hooks were all in place and the beats were trippin’ in that electronic/rock sort of way that is easy to enjoy. None of the tracks on “The Stranger Situation” are bad. They all have this hypnotic vibe going for them. I still can’t tell if this is due to the album cover itself or because the music is just good that way. Each track has something going for it. ‘One of a Kind’ is rock oriented with some smashing guitars going on. Creepy Girls starts off as some kind of dreamy choir-scenario and transforms into some kind of Super Nintendo techno song. But don’t consider that as a down point: It’s actually rather cool sounding. ’A New Life’ and ’Preparation for Battle’ seem to blend into each other and are both very electronic sounding songs that will really stand out for Trip-Hop fans. The closer “Mother Dying” is so superb it makes me wonder why this band doesn’t have a major record label contract. It reminds me of something The Shins would think up and the vocals are truly haunting and serene all at once. This is a record that gives a sampling of what appears to be a promising group. It’s too bad it’s only 15 minutes long… but for $6 who cares?
Final Grade: B+
Yoko Ishida: All of Me
List Price: $16.98
Audio CD (May 3, 2005)
Label: Geneon Music
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INTRODUCTION
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Yoko Ishida is back with her follow-up to 2003’s ‘Sweets’. With a sweet voice (no pun intended) and nicely melodic tunes this is an artist that will simply make one smile. Like her previous album, ‘All of Me’ consists of many anime openings and endings and a couple of brand new tracks. That can only make one wonder: How will the songs possibly manage to flow into one another? On this record almost every track has been written by Ishida . Will two years of added experience create a better or worse musical experience?
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SONG SELECTION - Rating: 8.5 (out of 10)
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Yoko Ishida is one of those anime goddesses that so many anime fans will know about. Whether this is from her singing the opening or ending theme to their favorite show or because they purchased her popular albums is beyond me. Is her music brilliant? No… most everyone will agree. But the songs are nicely composed pop tunes that will make most anyone at least bob their heads. Is this album better than Sweet? No; probably not. It is still a nice collection of songs. While the majority of the album flows nicely (which is remarkably surprising considering the mixture of anime themes and media tracks) there are unfortunately a few duds on this release. It’s not quite on par with her debut record. Regardless, It most certainly won’t disappoint those looking for some fun and easy-to-listen-to tunes. The opening track “Open your Mind”, which features a rather Celtic atmosphere, and her strong voice in one of its greatest pieces ever, is a beautiful song and truly one of the best pieces on either of her albums. This is sadly followed directly by “Passionate Goddess” which is one of the dullest Yoko Ishida songs ever recorded. It’s somewhat dull fluff. I’ve heard much worse… but I’ve heard much better too. Luckily the rest of the album manages to range from ‘decent’ to ‘really good’ for the rest of the disc. Nothing following the opening track was as brilliant except perhaps the Last Episode Theme for Texhnolyze entitled “Walking through the empty age” which is interestingly enough the final track on All of Me. Someday Yoko Ishida might make a truly breathtaking album. She hasn’t yet but both of her efforts have been pleasing so far. It would be interesting to hear how she sounded if she was accompanied by a band on the majority of these tracks rather than by computer compositions. That would make a difference. As it stands this is a rather fun album and is certainly worth listening to in the wee hours of the morning. It’s nothing exceptional but it’s a purely fun record. Yoko Ishida’s voice is as beautiful as ever and therein lies a good enough reason to listen.
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SONG QUALITY - Rating: 10 (out of 10)
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Even if it would be nice to hear Yoko Ishida perform with a band as opposed to these digital compositions there is no denying that her voice blends flawlessly with them. For whatever reason this CD has above average mastering and it sounds great. This was a very well cared for recording.
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OVERALL - Rating: 9.0 (out of 10)
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If expecting brilliance with Yoko Ishida it is sad to say that the goal has not been met. For those expecting fun and easy-breezy melodic pop tunes this will surely be pleasing for the ears. Despite some less-enjoyable songs this is a worthwhile record for it’s generally interesting results with the occasional addition of some remarkably beautiful songs.
BONUS: Geneon has chosen to include a mini-DVD with a fairly bad music video for “Open Your Mind - Follow the Small Wings” and a fairly interesting making of feature which covers the making of the video and of the album. It’s nothing spectacular but it’s a nice addition to this release and an added incentive to purchasing this.
The Pillows: Penalty Life
List Price: $14.98
Audio CD (May 3, 2005)
Label: Geneon Music
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INTRODUCTION
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The Pillows are considered as one of Japan’s definitive J-Rock groups. Virtually unknown before the smash hit anime FLCL came stateside the pillows have been gaining popularity with anime fans and music lovers ever since. Now for the first time in the U.S. a pillows album is available to own domestically with ‘Penalty Life’ the groups second to most recent album. The band is made up of Sawao Yamanaka (Vocal, Guitar), Yoshiaki Manabe (Guitar), and Shinichiro Sato (Drums).
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SONG SELECTION - Rating: 10 (out of 10)
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The Pillows used to be virtually unknown here in the United States but their fan base seems to grow consistently larger. It’s no wonder too. If it wasn’t for the language barrier that is founded by listening to a Japanese group while being an English language speaker this is a group that would not only become a favorite of Indie-Rock fans but would eventually have dominated the charts as well. Instead, they are unfortunately still fairly unknown… but for those lucky enough to be fans of this hard-rockin’ group Geneon has done a commendable job releasing one of their most recent records for our listening enjoyment. This record is a welcome addition to my collection and it’s already received about a dozen spins. ‘Penalty Life’ proves that this is not a group that is simply fooling around. Not only does this album show the group in top form but it poses a question: Were they ever not? The opening track “Dead Stock Paradise” seems to ignite a fire inside my brain every time it begins. The group is bursting to the brim with energy and from the first second to the last they are overflowing with an unnatural amount of emotionally powerful songs. “Terminal Rock Heaven”, a unique pillows song in that it includes English lyrics, is one of the best recordings from the band to date. For those who enjoy sweetly melodic tracks we are also given the likes of “The Sun will not Rise” and the hypnotic album closer “The scar whispers, nobody is in paradise”. The vocals are uplifting and joyful,. the guitars are characteristically powerful while leaping through different chord and song structures within the bounds of a 3 minute song, and the drums are always on the beat with the air of perfection. If there is one CD to buy this year then this would be it. Not only is this group one of the finest for Japan’s rock scene they are quite nearly the best rock band alive and around, well, anywhere.
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SONG QUALITY - Rating: 10 (out of 10)
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As if the music wasn’t good enough alone the sound mastering is near perfection and won’t disappoint anyone. There are no complaints about the recording quality. The recordings seem above average as the blend between guitars, drums, and vocals is so smooth and united that the three band members compliment each other rather than have one outshine another.
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OVERALL - Rating: 10 (out of 10)
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Fans of FLCL are going to love this. Fans of Music are going to love this. Why wait when you are undoubtedly a fan of both? The Pillows may not be one biggest bands on the music scene in terms of record sales but their sound suggests otherwise. This is a group unlike any other from the past decade. The music is fresh, exciting, energetic, and soulful. Repeat listens are not required but everyone will want to listen to the music over and over again anyway. Instantly enjoyable and instantly a favorite of the year this is an album that is actually worthy of a wholehearted recommendation to all.
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