| Mass of the Fermenting Dregs - Zero Comma, Irotoridori No Sekai |
| It's
been a predictable enough road for Mass of the Fermenting Dregs: group
of friends form a band, develop strong word of mouth leading to indie
fame, helping hand from some important people (in this case Flaming
Lips/Mercury Rev producer Dave Fridmann,) major label deal (EMI.) Likewise,
the musical path is similarly unsurprising, if less inspiring: that
word of mouth was built on a startlingly huge post rock/shoegaze hybrid
that seemed to be able to swallow the world, which the band is starting
to show signs of outgrowing. Also predictably, what's emerging to take
up the slack is a fairly straightforward pop/rock songwriting
sensibility, one which relies heavily on the typical signifiers for
Japanese indie rock in 2010: loud soft dynamics, angular chords, vocals
that are skilled enough, but act more as place holders, and don't have
much to speak of in terms of nuance or emoting (unless you count holding the vowels at every opportunity as emoting.) If this sounds negative, well, there's a reason. These tendencies don't result in bad music, per se, but they sure as Hell don't scream "personality." Ever since the advent of indie made rock star posturing unfashionable, countless bands have taken it a step too far into avoidance of charisma and out and out facelessness. Mass of the Fermenting Dregs have had that potential since their self titled debut EP, but have avoided it with sharp playing and Earth-swallowing mayhem, the latter of which is starting to pull back, revealing…what, exactly? While the group could pull out some compelling tunes when the mood struck (the spare, haunting "She Is Inside, He Is Outside" especially comes to mind,) as a unit their appeal has always stemmed from their sonic whallop. Where the band would heroically clomp you over the head in past efforts, their major label debut, Zero Comma, Irotoridori No Sekai is more subtle, an approach that seems less a dip in energy than a result of the band trusting themselves and their audience. The startling, brief vocal harmonies of "終わりのはじまり" ("Owari No Hajimari," i.e. "The Beginning Of The End,") and the eerie layering halfway through "サイダーと君" ("Saida To Kimi," i.e. "You With Cider,") among others, show that MOTFD's ear for vaguely sinister, airily fascinating soundscapes that crash and burn remains. And while the sonic splatter is toned down overall, tracks such as the twitchy "ズレる" ("Zureru," i.e. "Slide") feature an eloquent but ferocious solo from guitarist Chiemi nestled within its choppy, berserk structure. It's this exact structural choppiness and pummel that saves MOTFD from that facelessness that has been hovering at the periphery of the band's sound since their previous effort, World Is Yours. "Rat," for example, is fantastic but underdeveloped, as wordless vocals clash against relentless, careening walls of sound that start out powerful and grow stronger from there. Good as it is, it highlights the band's dilemma; while it boasts a gripping sense of barely controlled chaos, it's not much of a song. As if to drive the point home, "Rat" is followed by the considerably more fleshed out, but considerably less distinguished, indie-by-numbers of "Oneday." In Zero Comma, MOTFD have (mostly) kept their focus on their unique traits, but they're not much further along in terms of individual identity. Hopefully, they'll take a cue from Midori, another major band built on aural chaos, and find a way to balance the need to mature with their signature insanity. Zero Comma shows potential, but as of right now, it remains potential: the next step will hopefully find the group expanding with a more distinct songwriting voice. |