Supercar- Japan's Best Band?
One of the major downsides of narrow cultural tastes and America’s distribution system is that genuinely fantastic music slips through the cracks and nobody realizes it. This is never so disheartening as with a magnificent album from a barely-known band even in their home country: Supercar’s “Futurama”. Often called the Japanese version of Radiohead, their musical compositions fall in line with such melodic bands as the Eels, the Postal Service, and Smashing Pumpkins. The would-be Brits have a nice edgy quality to their music and after discovering them a year and a half ago (watching the Japanese movie Ping Pong which is also underrated) they have become one of my favorites, kicking out rivals like Ratatat and Pinback. For an excellent sample, check out this MP3 of Strobolights.
The band, consisting of three guys and one girl, has been around for quite some time and has made its way from hard punk to a softer electronic pop. Electric guitar, synthesized sounds, and light percussion make up the ensemble. As one of my first introductions to Japanese music, I was surprised to find their music was sung in both Japanese and English, often within the same song. This creates a few weird lyrics and song titles like, “White Surf Style 5,” but most songs are rather light on the lyrics and what is there usually blends well.
Unlike other melodic bands, they are incredibly upbeat. Bands like the Eels and Radiohead are often very slow, or sad, or both- but Supercar is neither. The music is energizing and fast-paced. Almost happy! They even experiment in another album with using children’s voices.
The band as a whole is spectacular, but I recommend this “Futurama” because it’s their best so far. It’s a very solid album with song after listenable song. Fully half the songs compete to be my favorite and the other half are still worth rotating into the playlist every once in a while. If every band could create an album this consistently good, there might be a revival of the CD. However, far from being monotonous, every song is distinct from the next.
The only downside to this band? Their CDs are only available in Japan or through Amazon as an import. Also, don’t be expecting to attend a concert anytime soon… unless you plan on traveling to the far east.
— FAN · Jan 3, 06:14 PM · #