Sawao Yamanaka Tedious Man Sparta Locals Leecher Hamakita Tsubasa twenty seven MEG JOURNEY Four Tomorrow Self-Titled Perfume ⊿ (Triangle) Perfume GAME Qomolangma Tomato Limelight Blue on the Q.T. Yura Yura Teikoku Hollow Me Ging Nang Boyz 17sai		Acidman Loop Released: 2003.08.06 (TOCT-25084) Label: Toshiba-EMI Reviewer: James (2005.06.15) Tracklist 01 - type-A 02 - 波、白く (Nami, Shiroku) 03 - アイソトープ (Isotope) 04 - 飛光 (Hibikari) 05 - Slow View 06 - リピート (Repeat) 07 - 16185-0 [Inst.] 08 - O 09 - Swayed 10 - ドライドアウト (Dried Out) 11 - 今、透明か (Ima, Toumei ka) [Album Ver.] 12 - Turn Around Review With two albums under their belt, Acidman's turned the whole idea of frontman upside down. It was bassist Masatoshi who ruled on debut Sou. And with their decidedly more driven second outing, Ichigo, their drummer, grabs the reins. For casual listeners, a drummer doesn't do much more than pump steady 4/4 backbeats or supply a danceable groove. There's a reason why he sits in the back behind a pile of metal, right? Well, don't tell that to Ichigo. This guy wants to make everyone sit up and appreciate, dammit! As Ichigo takes the commanding role on Loop, he and the rest of Acidman are trying very hard to impress after their success with Sou. For overachievers like these, trying very hard by all means should equate to great compositions. Loop comprises a set of songs replete with innovation and rawk. But that's where its weakness lies - it's no more than a set of songs. The album was assembled by grouping the similar tracks together, with little attention paid towards flow or transition. There's no transition at all between album subdivisions - the jump from the explosive "Hibikari," to subdued instrumental "Slow View" is jarring, to say the least. This quarantining approach leaves Loop predictable, and a smart rearranging that takes advantage of the tracks' diverse dynamics would have amplified the power of this album. In keeping with the given album structure, Loop kicks off with its most violent movement. The four tracks here are among Acidman's hardest hitting, featuring Ichigo at his best. On "Nami, Shiroku," his frenzied beating supplemented by Masatoshi's double-time bass playing carries the energy of the song, and the switch to cymbal-dominated fills at the transition to the chorus injects more fuel into Acidman's noise machine. Even during the quieter instrumental section his fast, syncopated rhythms grab precendence. That every one of Ichigo's strikes is so clean and crisp is only further testament to his ability. Behind all this gee-whiz drumming, the rest of the band still runs full-bore. Acidman nearly abuse soft-loud dynamic shifts, with one cycle through "Nami" doing it twice, once at the close of the verse and again in the chorus. However, Acidman command such instensity that as hackneyed as this device may be, it still works. The only song that doesn't fall into this pattern, "Isotope," is the weakest of the bunch. With the percussion as the only distinguishable component, its average hard rock and passable melody are a disappointment, and the faulty English lyrics stomp out the fire in Nobuo's vocals. At the drop of a hat, Loop drops its intensity outright, moving into "Slow View" and the second portion of the album. While much of the introspective moments here aren't new, "16185-0" pushes the envelope. The swirling bass phrases and the shimmery, new-age sounding guitar are utterly hypnotic, and Ichigo's all-over-the-place drums give this instrumental track a unique spot in Acidman's catalog. It also functions as an excellent lead-in to the subtly epic and dreamy "O." Loop closes out with what might as well be called Sou II. The distorted guitar and call-and-reponse vocals return, the drums are simplified and the bass moves closer to the foreground, but the results are mixed as "Swayed" and "Dried Out" fumble on the chorus. Acidman sound like they were looking for something simple and rocking, but the result is more forgettable then fist-pumping. In a bizarre move, "Ima, Toumei ka," from the band's indie days is included but ends up the show stealer. Nobuo's strong vocals lead the song's melody beautifully, and the bass fills in during the bridge with a simple but catchy progression. I could go on and on about Loop's virtues, but the fact of the matter is, Acidman has completely squelched any notion of a sophomore slump here. The album may not come together as tightly as their debut, but a quick listen will prove the band's increased instrumental and compositional prowess since they first stormed the charts in 2002. But will Nobuo ever muscle his way to the spotlight? The answer, of course, is on the band's next album, equal. back to reviews
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