What the hell is this?
Jan Makarewicz | New Jersey, USA | 06/04/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Sony, it appears, is starting to push some more established Jpop acts stateside, in the hopes that they will catch on this time. Well, Polysics aren't cute, and they don't have their own cartoon show. (Although it might be interesting -- I'm thinking Ren & Stimpy, but weirder.) What they do have is a thoroughly original, bizzarely entertaining sound.
What do they sound like? A friend of mine suggested techno punk, but that description is too glib. Imagine the bastard child of Devo and a hardcore punk group, fronted by a guy who, umm, hasn't been keeping up with his meds, and you start to get the idea.
The music is braindead fun, spastic, and thoroughly addictive. Chief Polysic Hiroyuki Hayashi (once known only as Poly-1) mugs and wails off key over a bed of thrashing guitars, bleeping synthesizers, and the sugary sweet harmonies of keyboardist Kayo and bassist Fumi. The few non-Japanese songs are more Engrish than English, but it all fits somehow. This isn't brain surgery music.
Sure, Hayashi's over-the-top style can wear on you, and they do love their vocoders. Some songs don't work -- a "live in the studio" re-recording of the single "Black Out Fall Out" (found on Japan For Sale Vol 3, for the curious) introduces unnecessary elements and loosens the songs tight charm. But the sped up, vocoded cover of "My Sharona" deserves to be on everyone's list of alltime bizzare songs, and numbers like "Kaja Kaja Goo", "Lookin' Looin' Gaa" (with its childlike verse chants), "Peach Pie On The Beach" (just TRY not singing along -- pippikippippippi!) and "Code4" really do show off the band at its hyperactive, geeky finest."
This is where you dance around like a crazy child.
Andrea Peterson | Manhattan, KS | 04/15/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is not the deep music you think about, this is made for having a happy hyper time. Don't dwell on it, just groove with it. Urge on!! and Each life each end are some of the most addictive electro-punk music you'll ever hear, and they're cover of the knack's my sharona is definately worth a listen, as is the original, the knack doesn't get enough credit; But I digress, the entire album is worth giving a shot, and if you can appreciate it a buy."
The Polysics ARE musical!
P. Shirley | Nick Morada | 09/22/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The Polysics are musical and this CD is definitely worth buying. Just because people don't look all depressed and unshaven don't mean they aint deep. Polysics are HELLA deep. Musically speaking Polysics are great musicians also. Anyone writing a bad review probably just hasn't listen to them enough. I think this band is impossible to stop. Soon, VERY soon you will see Polysics everywhere. They just ROCK!!! ... in a way people don't ROCK anymore. you can never stop ROCK!!!"