Search - Polysics :: Now Is the Time!

Polysics do NOT suck!!!

Mr. Richard K. Weems | Fair Lawn, NJ USA | 08/03/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"An earlier review noted that this disc comes across as a little more produced than stuff like NEU or Hey! Bob! (which, once it goes into my player, usually stays there for at least three days straight), and I would second that contention, and even more I hope they don't start (unwittingly or non-) going the way of Devo and losing that amazing level they hit with Oh No! and just couldn't retain as the years plied on.



But there are still many a grand moment to be had in this outgoing, even if it isn't music that makes you see them all rolling about on the stage and jumping over each other like a song like Kaja Kaja Goo can make you do...



...though I must admit that when I found the video for I My Me Mine on YouTube, I was thrilled. It's awesome--just search it out....



...still, songs like Tei! Tei! Tei! and Walky Talky are sharp and bouncy just the same. You might need to turn the volume up a little-bit higher on this one than others to make you start Charlie-Browning about the room, but do not give hope up on it. Polysics or Die, they've said.



And I concur.

"

POLYSICS OR DIE!!!!1

Matthew Friesz | 04/28/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I had already heard songs such as "New Wave Jacket" and "I My Me Mine" over the internet, so I decided to buy my first Polysics album. I picked "Now Is The Time!". I must say it was a great choice for my first Polysics disc. I wouldn't get someone who had never heard of them before "Neu" or "Hey Bob" being they are non-stop sonic assaults. Well, on to the track-by-track review:



1. Tei! Tei! Tei! - Great album opener. Tells people what Polysics is all about at the start of the album without them running away. Guitar riffs, screaming and synths. 10/10



2.Ceolakanth Is Android - Starts with a weird clunky robot noise and then turns into a song that would be an instant classic in the Polysics community. Fast guitar riff with synth in the background. The vocoder is a nice touch. This album shows us something that hasnt happened much in Polysics history. Hayashi singing. Usually he screams and lets Fumi and Kayo handle the singing, but he is a real lead singer in this album. 9/10



3.I My Me Mine - The lead single for this album. Great choice. It is the danciest song on the album. The flute and classical piano make this song something that you wouldn't usually get from Polysics, but that is definetly not a bad thing at all. 10/10



4.Ah-Yeah!! - Cool riff. I don't know how to describe it exactly. Hayashi raps on this track. One of the weirder ones, that's for sure. I like the guitar stuff inbetween verses. It's got a great sound. Maybe it would make a bit more sense if it was in english. I dig the vocoder voice that comes in about the middle and the keyboard solo that comes after it. 9/10



5.Walky Talky - This one is more of the weird, DEVO inspired numbers Polysics have done. The verses have absolutely nothing to do with the chorus. In my opinion the intro and chorus are better than the verses. But the synth solo built around the verse is pretty cool. I like it. 9/10



6.Wild One - Weird intro. Nice song, though. I think this might be some old song, because it sounds very familiar to me. It sounds like a song from the fifties or sixties in the verses. The synth solo which sounds like it came from a Game Boy reminds you that this is Polysics, though. I like this one. 10/10



7.Super Sonic - The intro sounds like a computer dying. And then the driving drums come in along with the guitar and create awesomeness. This song does take a temporary turn for the weird at times, but a lot of songs on this album do. So I'm cool with it. I like how the song sounds like it's skipping in the near end. I know it's not, because I just got this CD today. 8/10



8.Toisu! - Weird intro. Surf song with bleeps in the background. Hayashi knows the Dick Dale style and uses it to his advantage. The song breaks down in the middle and is real cool sounding, with computer noise everywhere. This song reminds me of a track from "For Young Electric Pop", one of their Japan-only albums, "Mad Mac". 10/10



9.Boy's Head - This one is kinda weird for me. I don't know. I like the guitar part, but Hayashi is singing, trying to sound like he is sexy. I like the chorus better than the rest of the song, really. And then some guy (It doesent sound like Hayashi) starts talking over the music and it gets mellow. That quickly goes away because this is Polysics we are talking about. The song ends abruptly on a piano chord. 7/10



10.Oh! Monaliza - What the hell? It's a crazy japanese childrens song. It's fun, though, I'll give it that. I find it hard to describe. Just listen to the sample of it, I guess. - 9/10



11.Jhout - DDR paced techno starts this song off, a nice fat bassline and Hayashi's singing kick in. The surf-style guitar and synth that get added later add to the song. Some vocals get digitally lowered to sound really weird. The song ends with an extra long scream from Hayashi. 8/10



12.Mr. Psycho Psycho - I confess to downloading this song before getting the album. It starts with a driving drumbeat and some synth. A difficult sounding riff is played by guitar and bass at the same time. The high-pitched singing has grown on me. I like how between the "Psycho"'s the keys sound like they are being hit randomly. It breaks down in the middle with a raygun solo, but quickly goes back to the original song. I love this one. 10/10



13.Skip It - Starts with guitar and synth doing the same riff. This song has a very old feel, even though it's got synths going thru it almost the whole way. It's one of the more slow paced songs on the album. I like the chorus more than the verse, but the verse is great as well. I, for once, can understand Hayashi's english. I usually have to look at a lyrics page before I can understand him. 9/10



14.Baby BIAS - Very cool synths. Fumi and Kayo's voices blend together greatly. This is more J-Pop than the usual Polysics song. I like how Hayashi's scream was echoed. It's a very dancy song. I don't know what else to say about it. 10/10



15.Bye Bye Bye - A weird song in general. I don't know what to write about it. The vocoder is a nice touch. Hayashi is actually very good at hitting the high notes. I like how the song has an old vibe inbetween the verses and the vocoder parts. It ends with somebody saying "Bye bye" a few times in a weird voice. I don't know about this one. 8/10



All in all, it's a very good album. I would recommend it to anybody."

Gaaaa!!!

Matthew Friesz | Spokane, WA, USA | 01/29/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"POLYSICS, I first heard of them while living in Japan, but never found any of their music in any store. So I had to come back to the states to get my hands on it. This album contains so much powered up energy that it's liable to explode in your hands if not handled carefully. All the tracks on this album will get you going. If you're ever lucky enough to see POLYSICS live you will never, ever see a show with more raw power and energy. Now IS the time to get this album and hear the best of what's going on on the other side of the world."