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REVIEWS
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coffee
150th dream
Spirit no.9
THE story of INAZUMA
AYA
Asuka
birdsongMIX
Seikatsu Electro
floating garden
Late Night in Yagi
IWAISURU
WordBeat
pinkHouse
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REVIEWS
Many Birthdays
Sub Rapid Express
Red Cake Records
Posted: Thursday, May 04, 2006
By: Rik MacLean
By: Rik MacLean
A fascinating and eclectic work with a very cerebral approach to music making.
There’s a fine line between abstract artistry and eccentricity. More often than not, musicians tread on the wrong side of the line, creating something self indulgent and obvious in its effort to be cool. But sometimes, you find artists that are able to find the right balance, find the right blend to make things work effectively. Many Birthdays is one of those bands that makes it work, and with their release, Sub Rapid Express, they show that you can take some chances without compromising intelligence.
There’s a wealth of eclectic and entertaining material here, but a few tracks stand out in particular. The first track, “coffee” features samples of Japanese Taiko Drummers and monotone vocals singing in harmony. Well, okay… that’s the simple description; I doubt my ability to accurately capture the feel of the track. Suffice to say that it’s very cool. “150th dream” is a surreal trip through the imagination where snatches of sounds come and go like waves playing overtop slinky drums and bass. “THE story of INAZUMA” features a vocal in Japanese, adding a guitar sound from the best ‘50s horror movie you can think of, along with theremin instrumentation and a little backward masking just to add flavor. It’s quite a mouthful to say out loud, but I can assure you that it’s quite pleasing to the ears. “AYA” has a lo-fi indie sound; just guitar, vocals, and drums, but it works very effectively amidst all the more complex tracks on the disc. “birdsongMIX” is a minimalist track with a pair of vocals, sparse percussion, and occasional bent guitar breaks. It all comes together very nicely.
Sub Rapid Express is a very effective disc, a clever collection of short songs that captures a feeling of space and environment, each one of them a different land filled with unusual and unique sounds and experiences. There’s a very abstract and intellectual approach at play here, and while many artists would get bogged down under the weight of this kind of work, Many Birthdays rise to the challenge, creating something both artistic and accessible.
There’s a wealth of eclectic and entertaining material here, but a few tracks stand out in particular. The first track, “coffee” features samples of Japanese Taiko Drummers and monotone vocals singing in harmony. Well, okay… that’s the simple description; I doubt my ability to accurately capture the feel of the track. Suffice to say that it’s very cool. “150th dream” is a surreal trip through the imagination where snatches of sounds come and go like waves playing overtop slinky drums and bass. “THE story of INAZUMA” features a vocal in Japanese, adding a guitar sound from the best ‘50s horror movie you can think of, along with theremin instrumentation and a little backward masking just to add flavor. It’s quite a mouthful to say out loud, but I can assure you that it’s quite pleasing to the ears. “AYA” has a lo-fi indie sound; just guitar, vocals, and drums, but it works very effectively amidst all the more complex tracks on the disc. “birdsongMIX” is a minimalist track with a pair of vocals, sparse percussion, and occasional bent guitar breaks. It all comes together very nicely.
Sub Rapid Express is a very effective disc, a clever collection of short songs that captures a feeling of space and environment, each one of them a different land filled with unusual and unique sounds and experiences. There’s a very abstract and intellectual approach at play here, and while many artists would get bogged down under the weight of this kind of work, Many Birthdays rise to the challenge, creating something both artistic and accessible.
