In case you were unaware, our entertainment culture has become flooded with influences from Japan. We have overdubbed Japanese animation on television and Japanese films being remade for American audiences. Isn't it time that we began delving into the actual products that come from this country and not rely on an Americanized version of said entertainment? Isn't it time that we embrace a Japanese group that has been influenced by a bunch of guys from Ohio that had a penchant for jumpsuits, synthesizers and quirky antics?
Polysics started in Japan in 1997 when high-school student Hiroyuki Hayashi began his love affair with Devo. Gathering up some synthesizers (one of which spawned the group's name, a Korg Polysix) and a few more band mates, Hayashi and company began creating electro-spaz-punk for the Japanese masses. Much like Guitar Wolf (who donned leather jackets and began producing rock n' roll that emulated and honored The Ramones, all the while bringing the music to a whole other level), Polysics have taken their adoration of Devo to a place where I'm sure Mark Mothersbaugh would be proud.
We Ate the Machine, not counting its simultaneous stateside release with Karate House, marks only the second time that a proper Polysics album has been released in the U.S.; the first two albums, Hey! Bob! My Friend! and Polysics or Die!!!! , were compilations of earlier Japanese releases. Let us hope that this is the beginning of a career-long trend.
Much in the way that you might grimace in disbelief at how delicious a concoction of bacon and chocolate could possibly be, the quirky keyboards mixed with the heavy guitar and drums of Polysics seem like an unlikely pair. But as everything starts to come together, you wonder why you haven't discovered it before -- and soon find yourself coming back for more.
For the sake of cutting through all of the hyperbole that I'm tempted to slather upon this album, I will just say this: I really love this record.
From the first listening, I was really unsure how much I would like We Ate the Machine. It has everything that I have come to expect from a Polysics album: catchy keyboards, voice modulation, slow and fast song structure, Japanese lyrics that I can't understand. But would the songs stay with me the way that "Kaja Kaja Goo," "New Wave Jacket" or "Lookin' Lookin' Gaa" had on Polysics or Die!!!! ? I can answer that with a resounding “yes.”
We Ate the Machine begins with "Moog is Love" and, truth be told, I wasn't too fond of it at first -- but after the second play through I couldn't get the song out of my head. It was with me at work, it was in my head while doing dishes, and it's playing in my brain right now as I write this. But unlike other songs that tend to do this, I don't feel the need to jab hot pokers into my skull to stop it. The album continued to ingrain itself into my subconscious with "Rocket" and "I Ate the Machine."
Other notable songs include "Pretty Good," which, while at the risk of sounding redundant, is definitely more than pretty good, and "DNA Junction.” To tell you the truth, there are only two songs on the album that are just average. One is the disco-esque tune “Irotokage” and the other is “Blue Noise”; “Irotokage” mostly because of its definite disco influence and “Blue Noise” because it sounds exactly like a song by K.K. Slider from the Nintendo game Animal Crossing. Now if “Blue Noise” turns out to be a homage to the little singing dog of Animal Crossing, then I applaud it for that niche geek aspect, but it doesn’t make for a very listenable song.
Please do not be put off by the fact that a large majority of the songs on Machine do not contain a single lyric in English. The songs are constructed well enough and full of enough hooks to drag you in and make you sing along even though you may not understand a damn word of it.
Release Date: September 30, 2008
