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Blotto
Singles Collection 2004-2007 |
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Tracklist |
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01 - I did Are
02 - O
03 - Kairaku Do Re Mi
04 - Want You
05 - I Am Bird
06 - Pekkopa In Brooklyn
07 - Nakimushikemushi Good Bye!
08 - Kui! Kui!
09 - On Ska To Paar Ya
10 -Hadaka |
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Review |
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Afrirampo, a manic duo from Osaka, describe themselves as naked soul rock. If they hadn't said it themselves, I wouldn't have had the slightest clue what to call them, but, in my defense, trying to pigeonhole KOREGAMAYAKUDA wouldn't have done Afrirampo justice. The band effortlessly transitions from rabidly heavy garage rock riffage to chaotically incoherent noodling and yelping, often within the same song.
The thirteen minute long opener "I did Are" begins with two overlapping voices mumbling, "Watashi are yatchatta, kore ga mayaku da." The voices quickly begin to clash and crescendo into a cartoonishly violent chant backed up by a sludgy metal riff. All of a sudden the riff is abandoned and replaced by a double time riff reminscent of the Hot Snakes. All of this happens before the two minute mark. By the middle of the ninth minute, when the sludgy metal guitar returns, the song has gone through countless shifts between the absolutely weird and comically cute.
Indeed, everything one might expect to hear on the remainder of KOREGAMAYAKUDA is hinted at on "I did Are." Songs like "Kairaku Do Re Mi," "Kui! Kui!," and particularly "Want You" summon the lighter and catchier side of Afrirampo's repertoire. "I Am Bird" borders on Stooges-like rock and roll until it degenerates into noodling for its final quarter.
By the time the end of the album rolls around, it's pretty hard to recall how many songs you've heard, or if they were even songs. It's fitting then that album closer "Hadaka" (which means "naked" when translated) brings everything into perspective for this naked soul rock band. The massively cathartic shredding and repeated cries of "Hadaka" are absolutely thrilling.
KOREGAMAYAKUDA, with all of its ups and downs, is quite possibly the heaviest album I've ever heard. The album's raw production lets the guitar, drums and screams speak for themselves. Serious questions were raised in my head about its actual musicality, and furthermore, the nature of good music. Does Afrirampo's insanity excuse their disdain for aurally pleasing sounds? I doubt I'll ever buy any of their records, but you can be sure that I'll be front and center at their next show. |
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