This is apparently the fifth, and also unfortunately the supposed final, album from this Japanese Psyche-Rock band. It’s my first exposure to the group, but I’m an instant believer. As always with a solid album, the genre tag sells it short. Things are certainly trippy in Kikagaku Moyo-land, but there are dashes of lounge, jazz, and a touch of funk, all suffused with a self-aware exoticism that might or might not be rooted in Japanese folk traditions. (I tend to doubt it. Sitars and windchimes brush up against distorted guitars, and the lyrics are largely in fake language.) It’s basically what I need my summer to sound like–though the gorgeous orange vinyl won’t arrive till September! In the meantime, there’s bandcamp.
(Check out the band’s homepage here. It gives a sense of their ethos.)