Music review: ミドリ (Midori) - ファースト♥ (First♥) (2005)

NB: yet another entry you won't find on any streaming platform (along with their セカンド (Second) LP) probably because they were released on obscure and now defunct labels.

A very famous band in the world of music fanatics who reached the deep end, but one I initially discarded during my first contact with their most famous 2nd LP (you know the one, with the very, erm, "unique" cover art), years ago. Much later, I discovered their initial, more fusion oriented sound and fell in love with it; my new rugged ears were also more accepting of that "ruckus".

If I were to describe the sound: take the talent, power and eclecticism from 東京事変 (Tokyo Jihen)'s first album, add Boredoms' early craziness and finally a very talented jazz pianist as base and mortar. If you can't imagine the result without listening to it, that's normal; and if you can't imagine a successful result, that means you're still sane.

Because yes, it works in spite of the weird ingredient list. The off-the-charts energy from each band member, Mariko's schizophrenic performance and the DIY sounding (in a good, punk way) production just allow the strange mixture to gel into an unexpectedly great work.

Let me just insist on two things: the abrasiveness really is an important aspect and the jazz piano is not just tokenism to boast "yeah, we make jazz-punk!" but a major and well-integrated part.

The only reason this isn't a 10 is that it's a short EP and slightly disjointed.