GutterPutter

Japan finds itself to have been the country that is climbing up in recognition for its take on rock since the 80s & even up to now, there’s a lot of things around it to be excited of. From the neo-psychedelic mastery of Fishmans to the artsy experimentation of Sheena Ringo, Japan’s music scene is as vibrant as many of its industries. tricot is one of the bands in Japan to have experienced a breakthrough in the 2010s & has risen to notability on the back of its all-female lineup & math rock influence which nets them a cult following. On the backs of their records like 3 or Black, the band’s surprising pop sensibility bridges the gap between fans of the accessible J-pop & fans of the avant-garde. Now with Jodeki, tricot had once again put out an eccentric rock album that’s just about catchy in its tune to not alienate you out completely

Compared to other reviews, this one is going to be short as I’m not overly knowledgable on the Japanese scene, can’t type in its character, & as far as what my listening experience with it goes, there’s simply not much to pick out into close analysis or describing. A lot of the tracks in the album show a strong sense of melody, but each one of them take a certain aspect from a disparate genre to make a distinct identity like the electronic synths in the sixth track or the slow ballad-like tempo of the tenth track. What they all have in common is that they still stick with the same franticness that makes tricot beloved. This level of similarity, even if they did try to depart from their usual output via said diversification, could prove itself to be slightly boring & without either a completely left-field direction in the band’s music or a rewardingly literary lyricism like Ichiko Aoba, there’s much to be desired. These points sticking out a bit more especially given that tricot’s main inspirations is found in the craziness of math rock & in spite of the little adjustments, you could easily skip past them even on later listens.

Nonetheless, the overall impression around the album is that it’s ultimately a rather well-gelled listening experience. The production might not push the album to a magical plane, but it makes each guitar, bass, drum, & vocal performance be heard clearly so it’s not muddy in the slightest. There’s a passionate effort found in the notes & fevour of each playing (especially the drumming) which adds a certain punk-like vibe to it. The slight diversion from the usual song structure like the quiet-loud dynamic in the first track makes for a small highlight & when the harmony comes in on the final track, it carries a heavenly charm that’s not in a sense that’s supposed to be grandiose, but it is otherwise pleasing to the ears.

So as for the final verdict? A pretty appealing album that shows its colour without a bit too much flashiness even it it does end up coming off as being a mere above-average record in the end because of it. Fans of either anime or the Japanese culture in general are likely going to enjoy it, aficionados of the artistic or the innovative might not find it to be the best thing in the world. It doesn’t have the swooning guitar notes like American Football or what might well be epic poetry like with Joanna Newsom. It’s simply just a flat-out rocker from start to finish & it does its job well with a pass & at the end of the day, maybe that’s all one would need to end a year’s worth of considerably stacked music.