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Blotto
Singles Collection 2004-2007 |
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Tracklist |
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01 - 2月/february 親愛なるアレックスさんへ (Nigatsu/Shin'ai Naru Alex-san he)
02 - 3月/march 青空 (Sangatsu/Aozora)
03 - 4月/april 「大人になんか解ってたまるものか!」 (Shigatsu/「Otona ni nanka Wakatte Tamaru Mono ka!」)
04 - 5月/may インスト (Gogatsu/Inst)
05 - 6月/june あめ, アメ, 雨 (Rokugatsu/Ame, Ame, Ame)
06 - 7月/july 心 (Shichigatsu/Kokoro)
07 - august/8月 (Hachigatsu)
08 - 9月/september ぼく (Kugatsu/Boku)
10 - 10月/october 黄昏 (Juugatsu/Tasogare)
11 - 11月/november インスト (Juuichigatsu/Inst)
12 - 12月/december トウキョウ (Juunigatsu/Tokyo) |
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Review |
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In the strange world of Japanese band names, few can approach the comically over the top quality of bloodthirsty butchers' moniker. Picture that name set adjacent to a photograph of frontman Yoshimura Hideki's angrily contorted mug, and you'll get a sense of how I first came across the band. The name and picture alone evoked images of three berserk Japanese men wielding giant meat cleavers, jumping and slashing angrily at their instruments while screaming bloody murder into microphones, which isn't far from the truth for the band's initial three releases. Even bassist Imoriya Takeshi considers their first album to be "caustic," a minor understatement considering the trio's early work was characterized by blasting noise that could liquefy titanium while Yoshimura half-yelled in a key that was several blocks away from the rest of the band. Four years' time hardly weakened the butchers' resolve on their major debut Lukewarm Wind, best likened to an angry swarm of hornets attacking, as even the vocals raised the ante from yelling to outright screaming.
In a shocking move, the butchers shook off that anger on their fourth studio release to produce something truly remarkable, an album that not only recalls the ghosts of Sonic Youth's legendary Daydream Nation but manages to hold its own in the face of the juggernaut recording. Yet kocorono is not a copy of Daydream Nation, nor was it meant to be, as any art-rock ambitions are counterbalanced by the emotional undercurrent still flowing strong from their previous work.
In stark contrast to the band's first three albums, subtlety and restraint rule on kocorono, and are the glue that holds the recording together. Backing off on the intensity reveals a carefully shifting layer of dynamics in every track that slowly evolve as sheets of noise peel away, gently exposing the melody. The effect is fleeting; the hooks soon dissolve as the next wave of distorted guitar rolls in. The butchers give more prominence to the bass as well, taking full advantage of Imoriya's playing to power the animated opening to "march," amplify the chaotic energy of "october" or pump "december" full of hooks. A harmonica and a handful of noisy synths complete the arrangement on kocorono, resulting in a unique balance between intricacy and the butchers' classic spontaneous disarray that is unlikely to be replicated.
The most immediately recognizable change, however, is that of Yoshimura's voice. His once mightily out of key bull charge vocals have turned to a bittersweet, melodic howl that at its quietest ("june") resembles emotive mumbling more than anything else. His scaled back approach and often bitingly uneasy lyrics support kocorono's somber tone and render some breathtaking moments, especially on "july" with its battery of guitars ringing as each line from Yoshimura seems to float and linger in the air just a split second longer before fading into the noise.
As is clearly evident from the tracks named after the months of the year, kocorono is a tried and true concept album, and its slow pace coupled with noisy, complex melodies would risk running any lesser recording into the ground. But as much as each of the individual songs were carefully constructed from the bottom up, the album as a whole was cleanly sculpted from the top downwards. And amazingly, kocorono almost never sags, thanks to the complementary nature of its tracks. The upbeat "march" kicks the album into gear after introspective "february," just as "september" helps the album wind down (perhaps a bit too well) after the emotional apex of "july" and "august." "october," with the drill-like intensity of its opening riffs, gives the album a strong jolt to the finish line after its lengthy mid-section. In a surprise move, the butchers finish their opus not with a quiet touch, but with one of their most melodic and high-spirited numbers ("december"), catching the listener with one final shot of adrenaline on the way out the door to leave a gripping impression.
Now nearing 20 years of experience, bloodthirsty butchers have become staples and flag bearers of the indie rock scene in Japan. Their uncharacteristic kocorono, hailed by critics and fans alike, played no small role in the band arriving at their current revered status. This is timeless indie rock from Japan at its finest, a recording that most certainly lives up to its title of being "from the heart." |
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