To be honest, it took me a couple listens to really get into All Tomorrow's Party. I'm comparing it to sushi. It's an acquired taste. Whether it's the fuzzy guitars, the psychedelic space rock/garage rock with hints of the Stooges, the Beatles and 60's era pop, it somehow still manages to work.
Yoo Doo Right, Yoo Doo Slide can be compared to a drug. You start off low, slow and gradually build up and at its peak it's a great feeling and as the album winds down, so do you. Which seems to make sense since the theme of the album is love and drugs.
"Sympathy for the Junkies" is a mellow, six minute instrumental introduction to the album that sets a heavy bass mood until "Love Can Bring You Down" starts.
"Juliette", a psych pop love song of sorts with a heavy 60's British band influence done acoustic style - (" something in the way / she loves me
will it bring you down? / ride into the sun / tell me what you want me do")
The dreamy "As Tears Go By" is full of bittersweet lyrical poetry ("Don't wanna kiss you / But I need you so") and ("Love can bring you down by here / I just say you're my burning spear") with an oddly familiar line at the end of the song (" Now you've gota hide your love away")
Songs like "Fever" and "Light of Love" are perfect examples of 60's garage rock while "Bad Bee Says" is a fuzzy scuzzy solid rock track.
Shimokitazawa, Japan's All Tomorrow's Party has only been around for two years but they have a sound that makes you think they've been playing together for much longer. Singer/songwriter/guitarist Tetsuo Kitame described the band's sound as being "violent, sexy, timeless, dark, melodic and hallucinogenic" . His vision of what he wanted ATP to sound like was "a sound like we are living in a spaceship and moving around the globe slowly". Kitame must be happy - he has pulled it off.
Complete track listing:
Sympathy for the Junkies
Love Can Bring You Down
Light of Love
In Shade of Blue
Healer
Cracked
Juliette
Fever
As Tears Go By
Bad Bee Says
Sure Love
The Night Porter
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You can read Jones Violet's stuff at Stolen Pony.
Article comments
1 - Matt
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Matt Freelove
BC Music Editor