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Tracklist |
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01 - Newsummerboy
02 - Atami Free Zone
03 - Pills to Kill Ma August
04 - Nine Buddhas' Things
05 - Whole Lotta Summer
06 - Natsu no Mujina |
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Review |
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Following the 2001 breakup of the highly-regarded pop/hardcore/post-rock/anything-and-everything all-stars BOaT, guitarists AxSxE and Ain, most likely feeling constricted by the unabashedly pop structure of that band, formed the instrumental 8-piece juggernaut Natsumen to fully explore their virtuosic potential. Natsumen's fledgling sound was essentially the framework of BOaT's swansong Roro (insidiously catchy pop hooks stretched and teased over epic song lengths) expanded to include a 3-piece horn section and keyboards, then heavily drenched in quasi-freeform jazz and sped up to 200 bpm.
Natsumen's early output was disjointed enough to hold them back somewhat. Most songs had lengthy forays into obnoxiously discordant squealing jazz territory, and more often than not the horns clashed with the other instruments enough to be detrimental to the sound. However, like a piece of steel tempered with fire and water, the Natsumen collective has buckled down to forge an astonishingly tight and cohesive 6-song live album Never Wear Out Your Summer XXX!!!, not only by far the best release the band has put together but one of the best albums of 2006, period.
Although it is technically a "live album," this is not in the typical sense - while each of Natsumen's records has featured at least one song that was previously released in some fashion, the majority of material on Never Wear Out Your Summer XXX!!! is new. The reasoning behind their recording choice is dead obvious on first listen: the band is overwhelmingly powerful in the live setting, and theirs is a sound that demands the most punch possible. Drummer Maseeta (also of Beat Crusaders) spends most of the 45-minute running time propelling the rhythm section at breakneck speed, exemplified by the spastic, frantic hi-hat/snare dance that occupies the entire length of the opener "Newsummerboy." Instead of fighting against each other as they often did on 2005's Endless Summer Record, the various instrumental arrangements are remarkably cohesive and structured, working to strengthen the already anthemic melodies.
Everything about the band is directly related to the season of summer, from the name ("Summer-men") to the album titles (Endless Summer Record, Kill Your Winter, Never Wear Out Your Summer) to the song titles ("Newsummerboy," "Whole Lotta Summer," "Natsu no Mujina" [Summer Badger], etc.) The relentlessness of this thematic classification would be hilarious if wasn't so deadly appropriate. The oppressive power and uplifting crescendos effortlessly evoke the swampy heat and ebullience of Japanese midsummer; the breakneck speed and wistful melodies stand for the desire to fully experience the summer before the march of the seasons moves on; the scattered bits of respite from the rhythmic onslaught conjure the temporary relief of nighttime before the blazing sun rises again. Even the excessively gaudy album cover mimics the technicolor explosions of summer fireworks. And when considering that this is easily the strongest, most focused material in the band's repertoire, it's hard not to be left slack-jawed by the sheer singularity of the entire spectacle.
It's perhaps interesting to note that in a way, this thematic identification lets them "off the hook" for being an instrumental band. It's hard to imagine writing lyrics about summer for every single song without quickly falling into self-parody, and when the music encompasses the theme perfectly already, there is little need for elaboration. This band is the soundtrack to summer; what more needs to be said? |
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