Seeing
Melt-Banana perform is like nothing else.
Though
they have played with four members in the past, there are only two now: Yasuko
Onuki performing vocals with Ichirou Agata on guitar. There are pre-recorded
sounds and effects to fill the music out, which Yako controls via a remote.
That
sounds practical, but the way she wields the brightly colored remote -
thrusting it down, then up in a victory stance, or out at the audience - makes
it seem an even more integral part of the show. It is Yako's conductor's baton,
or weapon, or at least a prop.
I
did have my camera at the show, and took many of my usual poorly-focused shots
of the other bands, but between my lack of skill, the lighting for the
Melt-Banana set (pretty dark with bright flashes), and the frenetic speed at
which the band moved, there was no chance of anything ever coming out.
Many
people classify Melt-Banana as noise rock, but their songs do not ignore
musical elements the way many noise rock bands do. The tempo and ferocity with
which they attack the songs feels punk, but the bright lights and high pitch
feels more pop. Pop punk is a thing, but what that term is used for is not what
they are doing. On Facebook they simply call themselves a rock band based in Tokyo, and I think that's the
most sensible approach.
Probably
none of that makes it easy to know if you will like the music, because there is
no easy basis for comparison. They do have a large catalog though, so it should
be pretty easy to figure out.
I
can recommend two starting points. Fetch from 2013 is their most recent
new material, and from what I have seen was well-received by long-term fans as
feeling both new and right, a balance that is difficult for many bands to
achieve.
In
addition, the album I purchased, Return of 13 Hedgehogs (Mxbx Singles
2000-2009), gives a wide variety of songs covering a decade, and was
recommended by Yako herself. "Tintarella Di Luna" was my favorite
track from there, bringing in some almost surf rock sounds and covering a lot
more ground than you could expect in the 2:04 minutes it takes.
The
other recommendation that I will make is that even if you are not sure about
the music, but you still have a chance to see a show, the experience might be
worth it anyway. There really is no one else like them.
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