Music Review: TsuShiMaMiRe – バンドは水物 (MIZUMONO)

It’s hard to believe that TsuShiMaMiRe celebrated their 25th anniversary last year, but as the band formed in Chiba in 1999, it is undoubtedly so. That the years have passed so quickly is largely due to the band’s quirky brand of punk-infused indie rock that’s often powered by amphetamine-fuelled beats that hurry the passing of time with its bustling nature. Well, the band are back and brighter than ever, so be prepared to be dazzled by their 20th full-length album バンドは水物 (MIZUMONO).

The explosive effervescence that immediately bursts from my speakers from opening track Look Back In Anger evidences a band who are still relevant, and by listening to the bouncy beat, you could draw no other conclusion. There’s a definite early English indie vibe going on here (think Wedding Present, Prefab Sprout), only updated for the new millennium; the vocals are delivered in rapid time and are fairly dizzying, yet you don’t need to be fluent in Japanese to get the gist, the meaning becomes apparent through the combination of words and music. However, as with much of TsuShiMaMiRe’s work there’s a strong duality going on here. On one level there is that vibrant, carefree beat which wends its way through the song, but dig deeper and you’ll find a discordant, discombobulating keyboard motif. It makes for an interesting juxtaposition, and one that will recur throughout the album. It feels as if the band are peeling back the veneer of our world, only to reveal something far darker beneath. Lyrically too, the band display a duality that often runs counter to the buoyant beat, with the latter often masking the slightly disturbing nature of the former, but it makes for an interesting listen, and one that will keep you returning again and again.

Yet, TsuShiMaMiRe can also be enjoyed on a more visceral level, and it’s impossible not to get swept up in the sheer joy which latest single 24030 radiates. It’s two minutes and twenty seconds of pure pop heaven that dances with a surf rock vibe and electrifies the air with the energy it emits. Perhaps the greatest thing about this trio is their refusal to be painted into a corner, and true to form the eleven tracks that comprise MIZUMONO each inhabit a unique space, and that makes for a kaleidoscopic album that’s stitched together by its own eclecticism. It never ceases to throw up surprises such as the Ennio Morricone western styling on Double Punch Kick (where the hell did that come from?!), or Color which channels early Kate Bush (and could easily have appeared on her Kick Inside album), but in whatever guise the band appear, whether rocking like a boat on a stormy sea (Pressure Drop) or a spiky and angular ball of aggression (YORI MODO SHICHUU) it’s always intriguing.

With MIZUMONO, TsuShiMaMiRe have produced an album that rivals their early work and could be considered a career best.

Tracklisting:

1. Look Back In Anger
2. 24030
3. Pressure Drop
4. BAKA MOTO KAREE
5. YORI MODO SHICHUU
6. SHOW YOU MY SOY SAUCE
7. Psychedelic Soliloquy
8. Double Punch Kick
9. Color
10. MEIKYOKU
11. MIZUMONO