Singles

Akira - Japanese Frequencies

Matt Harrold 28/09/2008

Rating: 4/5

Car crash music shouldn't sound so sexy, seriously, the whole term should conjure up the image of a fused mangle of seperate genres - the band themselves bleeding to death making genres blend that just shouldn't. Take for instance Post Rock, it's all all about the texture, the timbre and the sheer intensity of it all, right? Now take pop - Sheer slinky accesability decked with bubble gum hooks and try to mix mentally mix the two together. Hurts, doesn't it?

So the fact that the three multi isntrumntalists - Joel Janiurek, Gbenga Adelekan and Sarah Donachy - that form Akira have managed to meld the two, along with art punk and electonica is a fete in itself. Though it might also go some way to explaining why it's taken them so damned long to find their way from the live circuit into a proper studio to record their first official Ep. Yes, there's been a few unofficial releases, but none that weaves through the musical genres with quite the same sense of fun as 'Japanese Frequencies'.

Kicking off with the slow pulse of 'Harding Feelings' with it's oh-so-quiet build up bursting into discordent pop gold. It's The Future of the Left fronted by Tim DeLaughter developing a bad case of the horns. 'Tickertape' machine guns across the 'nu-rave' into the background yelps over the off kilter power pop that most people wish Ash would get back to bloody making. Even the one minute ditty 'God's Warning To The People of Earth' doesn't feel like filler as hauntingly "Show me the face I want to see" echoes after the intro dirge straight out of the Fuck Buttons back territory. Which leaves 'End#' to polish off the affair with it's extended take on M83 style post rock, just with less 80s hysteria. Yep, it's a little rough around the edges and maybe a tad repetative with the fuzzed out "I Love You" but it's a gorgous track once it kicks in.

Release date: 29/09/08