Review Summary: Well-crafted dream pop that may sneakily become your summer soundtrack.
Japan is curious in the fact that it loves to borrow ideas from other cultures and add their own flavour to them. French cuisine, American junk food and candy, and even McDonalds all have been reengineered by Japan for their own demographic. In the world of music, shoegaze has become quite popular in Japan, with bands like Tokyo Shoegazer, Mass of The Fermenting Dregs, and the classic Honey Dip, it’s not hard to discover talented and worthwhile artists. Looking at Japanese dream pop, which has a very pleasing feel, perhaps the leader is Kinoko Teikoku, whose name translates to “Mushroom Empire” – sadly, not a reference to the Mushroom Kingdom of Nintendo fame.
Long Goodbye is Kinoko Teikoku’s first EP, consisting of just five short tracks adding up to about 20 minutes. What the album lacks in longevity, however, it makes up for far and away with quality and catchiness. Taking the spotlight is Sakou, the band’s female vocalist and rhythm guitarist, who is ever present on each track. Sakou's vocals are done in a typical fashion for shoegaze inspired music, lightly singing in a way that sounds as if the words are pouring out of her mouth. On some tracks, like the stellar “パラノイドパレード" (Paranoid Parade), her voice is more prominent in the mix, but for most of the album she sticks to a rather subtle delivery. Backing her up is Ah-chan on lead guitar, who creates bright leads which inevitably become stuck in your head hours after you’ve heard them. Ah-chan also adds backing vocals to Sakou’s, and they play off of each other nicely.
The rhythm section, featuring Taniguchi Shigeaki on bass and Nishimura “Kon” on drums provide the backdrop to the music. The drums and bass together are usually lively and quick, weaving the base for the guitars and vocals. Since the songs largely rely on simple chords and leads, it’s great to see such energetic rhythm supporting them. Without the constant barrage from this pair, the album would be in danger of falling into boredom. The majority of the music here also relies on past work by shoegaze bands, but at the same time, Kinoko Teikoku throw in catchy bass, post-rock elements like tremolo picking and heavily delayed guitar, and a lot of very ear-pleasing passages. The album is also paced perfectly, with the first three tracks charging in with quick beats, slowing down for the luscious ballad “Flower Girl” before ending with the short and optimistic “Make L”.
The album likes to change tone as often as it does tempo. Though the songs are absent of any grating qualities, they shift between being more mellow and sickeningly happy. Opener “*ンググッドバイ” (Long Goodbye) remains one of the most blissful and down to earth tracks I’ve heard in some time, and “海と花束” follows suit, too. But on Paranoid Parade, the album takes on a more regretful tone, culminating in “Flower Girl”. Although I can’t understand Japanese, it’s easy to see the songs have much different meanings. Now, this is not a complaint – variety is always good. But on the EP, it sounds as if the band wasn’t sure which style they wished to pursue, and instead drew upon two different sounds. The songs all are well crafted and delightful, but the change in tone also makes the album seem less cohesive. On a full length, I think it would have felt more natural, and less like a “Greatest Hits” collection of dream pop tricks.
Kinoko Teikoku definitely lean towards a lighter brand of shoegaze/dream pop, and by doing so also create one of the most infectious EPs you’ll hear. Although the album clearly displays its influences, it doesn’t feel like a rip-off. And despite the disconnected feel of the EP, each songs feels just right, never staying too long and always adding something catchy and interesting to keep you listening. Long Goodbye is certainly worth your time if you like classic bands like Cocteau Twins, MBV, Slowdive, or even Galaxie 500, and want something refreshing to jam as the weather improves.
