爆裂トリコさん - Pop Meets Math with a Bang

When to Listen: When you need a blast of energy
Accesability: Accessible - although in Japanese
TLDR: An explosion of music that mixes pop with complex time signatures and non-standard compositions

Imagine this - you’re on a 16 hour flight from NYC to Tokyo (Via Minneapolis) you land at 3pm Japan time, make it to the hotel, to see that this random band is playing a nearby show. Weary and jet lagged you decide to make your way down to the 4th sub cellar of a large corp office tower, where you are met with a small and low ceiling venue.  You stand in the crowd, waiting for the band to come on, they enter, and you are faced for the next hour with nothing but energy, and sonic bliss. What a way to kill jet lag am I right?

That is how I first experienced Tricot live. They opened the show with the opening song from this album - 爆裂パニエさん(Loosely translated: Panne Explosion) and an explosion it was.

For those unfamiliar Tricot is a band that hails from Kyoto Japan. They present as a pop group - but many consider them a math rock band. In reality they are neither. And this is what makes Tricot such an interesting band - they manage to blend familiar pop sounds with complex time signatures, and complex and technical playing - while managing to not sound stiff (which so many math rock bands fall into).

This album (technically an EP) 爆裂トリコさん(Bakuretsu Tricot San) is probably one their best and a great into to the band. Hailing at 6 songs (or 5 if you have the vinyl) it’s short and concise, filled with energy and balance. What makes this band so exquisite would have to be the leading women. The base player: Hiromi Hirohiro - manages to play tight lines that keep the core of each song together. Ikkyu Nakajima's vocals play to the core melody and convey strong emotion, even if you don’t understand the lyrics (which most around love, love lost and similar pop themes). Then finally you have Motifour Kida who is probably one the best guitarists in the world. She manages to play extremely complex and tight melodies, seemingly dancing around the core song all in strange time signatures while never missing a beat.

Its this unique combination of soul, style and skill that makes this album stand apart. Is it mixed the best? no - it was earlier in their career, but what they lack in studio time they destroy in raw talent. Its this rawness that also makes it so endearing, there later work (while also very good) conforms a bit more to what people expect from a Japanese Pop group. 爆裂トリコさん however is still early when they were finding their sound and who they are. This leads to something that sounds more pure and organic while also being impressive and enjoyable.

So do you want something different? Do you want a blast of energy while also being fascinatingly complex? Then Tricot's 爆裂トリコさん is for you. It has the right balance of energy, complexity and beauty to keep even the most ADHD brain at bay.