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I got a lot of pleasure out of Side A (and to some extent Side B) of
the first (vinyl) disc of
Happy End of the World. "It's a
Beautiful Day" is a great song, like being in a scene at the end of
a movie when you're on a seaside terrace and spinning your
lover around while the credits roll. And I think there's something
almost moving about "Fortune Cookie" off
The Sound of
Music. The execution's a bit off, but the seeds of something
very sweet-natured are there.
Their other stuff, though, doesn't generally do much for me.
― Phil, Sunday, 24 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
The only qualm I have about classifying P5 as "great" --- not
mindblowingly spectacular / important, but pretty great --- is the
fact that their significance is pretty limited to a certain time
period and a certain aesthetic, as evidenced by the fact that most of
their stuff *already* sounds sort of dated. Perhaps you just had to
be there and buying records in that particular vein as they came
along. . . Regardless, I'd argue that their material was pretty
wonderful at the time --- in about the same way that "So Tough" was
wonderful at the time --- and they really do deserve some credit for
popularizing, if not inventing, two worthwhile developments in mid-
90s indie: (a) the idea that electronically-based music could be
bouncy and happy as opposed to dark and sultry, and (b) the big
influx of non-rock rhythms and influences. (Was bossanova
overrepresented in this influx? Surely. But the musical vocabulary
of a demographic previously limited to the Velvet Underground, the
Sex Pistols, and the Beatles really blossomed around this point.)
Thus . . . classic. Classic like a piece of technology that seems
revolutionary when introduced but quickly becomes quaint and dinky.
The Commodore 64 of the 90s.
Funnily enough, my most-listened-to P5 record remains the "Happy End
of You" remix album --- with great contributions by St. Etienne, 808
State, Oval, and Momus. (And no, that last one is not my way of
kissing ass.)
And since they've been brought up, let me mention that the Boredoms'
latest --- "Vision Creation Newsun" --- is just about the most
fantastic thing I've heard this year. For all those who were
dismissive of their earlier noise/funk/squall incarnations, please
check in on them again --- much development there.
And I'd also mention that the kitschy / cute manner in which many
people enjoy Shonen Knife is pretty similar to the kitschy / cute
manner in which many people enjoy lots of non-Japanese or non-female
bands---Cub and Busytoby come to mind.
Are we ready for the Cornelius C or D?
― Nitsuh, Monday, 25 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
five years pass...
four years pass...
still not sure where to start with these guys.
I dig the Hosono-produced debut, but the next 3-4 albums all left me cold outside of a couple tracks
I gather the later band is much different than the early one?
― frogbs, Wednesday, 24 August 2011 18:28 (twelve years ago) link
two years pass...
Trying to DL "Playboy Playgirl" cos i bought it when it came out and lost it over ten years ago and haven't heard it since! I'm excited!
Playing Katamari Damacy got me back in the mood for Shibuya-kei stuff, I have to admit.
― Emperor Cos Dashit (Adam Bruneau), Wednesday, 1 January 2014 16:22 (ten years ago) link
one month passes...
There needs to be a complete P5 box set. All the music, all the videos. I'd pay good money for such a thing.
― EZ Snappin, Wednesday, 12 February 2014 16:20 (ten years ago) link
five years pass...
I'm so annoyed they only have one album on Spotify ("Playboy & Playgirl") and their release history is so convoluted what w/ all of these Matador rerecordings and repackagings. I guess I should just download all of their albums as they were released in Japan and start from the beginning?
― vision joanna newsom (Stevie D(eux)), Wednesday, 13 February 2019 18:50 (five years ago) link