Search - Melt-Banana :: Cell-Scape

An incredible record from Japan's noise terrorists

Christopher Nieman | Los Angeles, CA United States | 03/13/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I first heard Melt-Banana years ago on John Peel's tiny little 30-minute space on the BBC World Service. Almost as soon as the song began, it was over. And while it made an immediate, jolting impression, it took me a while to get around to trying them out.



Now that I've "discovered" what they're all about, I can say that Melt-Banana is one of the most exciting bands I've ever heard.



Imagine you put on a CD by Rage Against the Machine and accidentally set the player on fast-forward. That is just sort of what Melt-Banana sounds like. They are called noise rock, noisecore, or simply noise. But really, they are a hardcore band incorporating noise and, on this album, traces of techno, hip-hop, and even trance music. And yes, they will draw disses from your buddies that they're a punk band fronted by Yoko Ono on crack. But who cares what they say?



I say don't listen to Yasuko O's vocals as a melodic instrument, but as a percussion instrument. Once I figured out how she fits into the sound, and accepted that her approach is more rap than punk, the more I knew her style is a vital part of Melt-Banana's rhythm. And now I couldn't imagine it any other way.



Truly, the mad scientist of Melt-Banana is Ichiro Agata. He's one of the most original guitar players I can think of, drawing apt comparisons to Tom Morello. Agata can rage full-on, and often does, then he spins up piercing waves of noise. He can also chill out and get subtle, while mixing styles interchangeably, enticing you to think he's "DJ Agata." This guy is a genius of guitar noise, and a really overlooked alt-rock player.



I think bassist Rika Mm' is probably the core of the Melt-Banana sound (the way John Entwistle was with The Who, if you'll allow the analogy). The insane, manic drumming (uncredited here -- apparently MB have chased a few drummers away of late) seems to key off of the bass rather than the other way around.



Melt-Banana likes to operate at breakneck speed, changing gears as fast as an F1 car, using stop-start dynamics in ways that would leave a lot of expert practitioners slackjawed. And somehow, they are just as precise live as they are on record.



Their song craftsmanship has become more refined on CELL-SCAPE. On earlier albums, many of their tracks were furious bursts of less than a minute, hinged on a single idea or direction. What they do here is cram several ideas into cohesive three-minute structures, letting ideas develop further than before. The improved production quality also gives the band more layers of sound to surround the listener with. After demented tracks like "Shield for Your Eyes, a Beast in the Well on Your Hand" and "Like a White Bat in a Box, Dead Matters Go On," it will have you reevaluate those bands you used to think were really intense.



CELL-SCAPE may be the best stuff they've ever put out, and I think they are one of the best-kept secrets in alternative music. They are a great band, and I hope they get their due."

ThrashPop of the Future.

vyper | Minneapolis | 06/25/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Cellscape is a leap into the future,a peek at what GOOD pop music could be.The album is sandwhiched between 2 short electronica soundscapes.Compared to past albums,Cellscape is not as abrasive or raw.In fact,it is a progression for the band,there is less cutup noisy experiments,each song here has it's own identity and is well thought out.I say ThrashPop in the title of my review because this album has definite elements of pop.It's like hardcore punk/thrash blindsided by catchy as hell melodies,but of course we aren't talking the MTV style pop/punk so popular these days.Singer Yasuko coud leave Agata's insane guitar scrambling(or tame it)and create a new wave pop sound if she wanted to.The album is recorded well,the guitars are streamlined and Yasuko's melodies are front and center.Yasuko actually does a bit of straight singing on here,in addition to yelping in what I think is her most high pitched style yet.Word is they used a drum machine this time around,but it's not that distracting.Of course the adage with Melt Banana is still true,none of their albums can capture how pulverizing and heavy they are in a live context."

More accessible, just as unique

greyhound1954 | Dallas, TX | 07/07/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"In many ways, this CD is quite a departure from what came before. This is definitely Melt-Banana's most accessible CD, but I don't think that's a bad thing. The songs are longer, the intro and outro cuts are atmospheric, and the second-last cut is practically a real commercial song (I have to say that I don't care for it). But in between, it's still Melt-Banana. I like this CD a lot and I really wish Melt-Banana's current tour was passing through Denver because I am sure that others are correct when they say Melt-Banana must be seen live to be truly appreciated."