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Tracklist |
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01 - Parade
02 - Monster
03 - Trash Boy
04 - New Hero
05 - Good News
06 - Jet Juice
07 - Charanbo
08 - 氷のMoon |
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Review |
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Full disclosure. I have done this reviewing-a-Sparta-Locals-album thing before. Looking back now, I was terribly in love with the band and I still think their first three albums are a righteous triptych of Japanese Indie awesome-hood. This is especially the case for 2003's Second Fanfare and 2004's Sun, Sun, Sun, and Keikaku's community continues to debate which of these is the one above all.
Dreamer followed Sun, Sun, Sun and was itself a fine album but perhaps a little crushed under the pressure of following up such a solid run of success. Since Dreamer though, many fans agree that our Locals have gone a bit off track. The succeeding two albums split their time between trying out new musical directions and hearkening back to the post-punk that made us like them so much. The perceptive reader can guess that I was not a big fan of this stuff. I will admit that I lost touch with their music for a few years but never could I discount them entirely. And yes, perceptive reader, I am about to tell you why I'm glad I didn't give up on Sparta Locals.
Leecher is a brilliant change-up from the inconsistent and frankly lazy efforts since Dreamer. The return to form is most likely due to the presence of the new drummer, Takeshi Kajiyama (梶山剛), who is a solid groove lock throughout the whole album. The previous skin-smacker was let go by the band because they no longer fully believed in his skills, underlining exactly how demanding the job can be. It is no wonder either that many of Leecher's best moments come with a head-bopping beat and the group's characteristic intertwining guitars. Indeed, much of the material on Leecher sounds like it could have come out during the Locals' golden period, with some songs strongly reminiscent of Second Fanfare's rhythmic workouts.
With a harder and rougher sound to many of the songs it sounds as if Leecher shares the fans' nostalgia for Sparta Locals' early days. Opening track "Parade" bursts out of the gate with unhinged guitars at full-throttle, but also includes melodic interruptions that fit surprisingly well. Not to harp too much on "Maboroshi Forever" and the self-titled record, but where those albums failed to cohere Leecher demonstrates a successful balance of punk excitement and melody through every track. Track 4, "New Hero," has the best example of Sparta Locals' traditional pop energy. The more pensive "Good News" follows next with the band's secondary strength, a plodding but album-defining ballad (think of the band's excellent 2005 single, "FLy") that is no less forgettable or essential to the album's success. Despite the album being rather economical in length, having "New Hero" and "Good News" as the defining fulcrum goes a long way in establishing its lasting power.
While there is a lot to like about the structure of Leecher and its several truly great songs, the total package still has a few serious flaws. "Monster" is a bit too caustic and thrash-y to be so near the beginning of the album. "Jet Juice" is a little too silly to jive with the rest of Leecher, especially coming after the solid grooves laid down by "Good News." It is a good thing there is some excellent instrumental interplay during the second half that keeps "Juice" from rocking the boat too hard. These are but small hiccups and do very little to disrupt what is a seriously fine album.
The Sparta Locals we slavishly adored have not quite returned but Leecher comes close to reaching those heights. The consistency on the new album helps make this year's Sparta Locals album their best at least since 2005's Dreamer. With the band announcing their disbandment only a few months ago, it is great to have this record as a send-off that is worthy of the band's legacy. |
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