Available at Gemm
| After Dinner: Paradise Of Replica |
| When
most people think of prog rock, they think of bombast, a total lack of
restraint, and, uh, dragons and stuff. A handful of intellectually
curious souls would add RIO
(aka "Rock In Opposition") and Zeuhl,
both sub-genres of progressive rock that popped up in Europe in the 70s
in response to the slicker, more "commercial" prog that was storming
the charts at the time. These two detours took the experimentation of
prog and removed what remained of the traditional rock elements still
utilized by bands such as Yes, Genesis, ELP and the like, leaving an
experimental, and often quite difficult, core that was less concerned
with fantasy and athletic feats of musicianship as it was with
confronting and challenging the listener. Not always, though. There's still room for quiet beauty in this construct, and while vocalist Haco's After Dinner was not technically part of the RIO movement, the project's approach and general atmosphere (not to mention many of Haco's collaborators) places it comfortably into that subgenre. Or at least more comfortably than it fits anywhere else. In oversimplified but less obscure terms, "Paradise Of Replica" takes the cheery innocence of early Kate Bush, the hushed wonder of early Laurie Anderson, and pieces it together from usually quiet, almost tentative instrumentation that ranges from random stuff (Haco is credited with playing "volleyball" on "Dancing Twins") to unobtrusive studio trickery. The overall effect is one of wide eyed daydreaming, like watching a particularly imaginative little girl live out her imaginary world. The album even starts off with what sounds like Alice entering her own personal Wonderland, all rising synths, hushed vocals, and hiding-under-the-blanket sound effects. Odd little noises gently poke from the corners as Haco breathily whispers "holiday," inviting the listener into the record's well defined world. Silence is this After Dinner's secret weapon. No matter how elaborate the arrangement, or relatively bright the music, there's always a sense of quietness. The constant noises that unobtrusively come at you from the silent corners of the record leave a strong sense of walking through some kind of bizarre garden, surrounded by unexplainable creatures all poking their heads out to take a look and make a noise. The two part "Kitchen Life," which merits the strongest Kate Bush comparison, features the kind of bouncy piano and theatrical flourishes that one would find all over "Never For Ever." "Motorcycle," which is sandwiched between the two parts of "Kitchen Life," sounds nothing like it's namesake: an a cappella vocal that is joined halfway through by trippy, off kilter piano and, only at the very end, an oboe. It's an odd little miniature that seems more a part of "Kitchen Life" than its own piece, but it's an intriguing distraction. After Dinner wouldn't last long. The year after "Paradise Of Replica," Haco disbanded the group (always more of a project than a band anyway,) and went on to work in the art world, release solo records, and collaborate with just about everyone: Seiichi Yamamoto and Yoshimi of the Boredoms, Rock In Opposition mainstay Fred Frith, Zeena Parkins, Otomo Yoshihide, and also Michio Yagi and Sachiko M in the utterly twisted "pop" supergroup Hoahio. Her sense of silence and avant garde intent has remained intact, and "Paradise Of Replica" is one of its best examples. |