Forget about Shonen Knife, Puffy AmiYumi, and all those Jpop Idol singers like Hamasaki Ayumi, with her syrup pop dribble, a new cool indies band has emerged called Molice. Lead singer Rinko, can make even Joan Jett runaway.
Rinko has a soothing voice that goes well with pop, psychedelic, garage rock, and early 90’s alternative, and Devo’s Art Punk and Molice combines all those above mentioned musical styles into their own unique sound.. She reminds me of Kim Deal of The Breeders. However, Rinko is her own personality. Lead guitarist Yuzuru Takeda has plenty of tasty riffs to keep American guitar aficionados wanting to hear more.
Molice released their 2nd CD on 3/24/10, (read my review of their 1st CD, Doctor Ray, oh wait, you can’t because I was too lazy to write one Duh!!!) called Catalystrock and I think it is their best work so far. Sure, Doctor Ray contains a groovy track, Ms. Panic, but track-by-track I would still go with Catalystrock.
First up is the catchy tune, Monster, with an interesting guitar riff that would make Kurt Cobain proud. A great opening track that is just as good as anything coming out in the US.
However the second song, Romancer, is a lot more interesting with Rinko’s vocals displaying more range than Monster. Plus it has a hooky riff and driving bass line that pulls in the listener immediately. Also, a 70’s Disco wah wah guitar comes out of nowhere in the middle, yet fits in nicely within the song.
Next is Android Said, which has a unique guitar riff followed by a very different sounding bass that when you listen to the guitar first and the bass second, it just works so way that you would never want the bass to follow the guitar as in some punk.
I really do like the Surf guitar that pops up near the end.
Monday Runs opens with a psychedelic riff along the lines of Status Quo’s Pictures of Matchstick Men. However, it is Rinko’s haunting vocals that drive the track. It doesn’t matter to the listener that she is singing in Japanese, you can feel the emotion she puts into Monday Runs without the need to understand what the words mean. Which brings us to the next song.
The beginning of Paint It Yellow can easily fit on a Cure album. It has a mellow style that continues to progress and change until the end. One song that is never boring at any point.
Perfect Morning has a 60’s groovy folk feel that has a unique chorus that will have you singing along, even in Japanese.
Let’s Merge! is a great song that works so well driving along in your car. You can’t forget about the traffic and just veg.
Next is Into YOU a good garage rock with power chords cranking out. It also has a cool Fuzz guitar sound that chaotically erupts from out of nowhere.
Fine Wave has Rinko’s voice heavy on the reverb, which goes so beautifully with the rock rhythm.
Still Alive has Yuzuru’s guitar improvising as Rinko sings along. Although it is a short track, it still works well.
Next, Praying slows everything down, yet doesn’t destroy the album’s flow.
Last is The Haze, which is a fun punk song that contains a heavy chorus with Rinko’s vocal coming on just as strong. The Haze is a great way to end a really great album.
There are no filler tracks on Catalystrock and every song is great without a weak link in the bunch.
Bear in mind that Japanese CD’s are harder to find and cost a lot more then their Western counterparts. Catalystrock will set you back 2381 yen ($25.12 plus tax, shipping, and handling.) You can find it easily online for import. I recommend CD Japan because I have bought CD’s from them in the past and never had one problem.
Or you can always check out Molice on Youtube because they have several videos up now.
This is a great buy for the lost Generation X’er who can’t understand why no one young knows about Nirvana or Pearl Jam. A throwback to 90’s Alt and Indies rock with Jpop and a lot more musical styles successfully blended together.
"The Asian Aperture" is ©2010 by Jason Fetters. Webpage design and all graphics herein (except where otherwise noted) are creations of Nolan B. Canova. All contents of Nolan's Pop Culture Review are ©2010 by Nolan B. Canova.
