Melt-Banana Lite LIVE ver 0.0

(2009, Azap Records) Japan, Tokyo.

Last Melt-Banana record.

This one is live and lite, because it’s a live recording of vocals, acoustic drums with Agata’s guitar’s samples and synthesizers.

Melt-Banana try new experiments and that’s a great thing.Last time I saw them live, they were playing a couple of these songs with few light except one of their forehead, which is a pretty good idea.It is still a little bit difficult for me to listen the whole record in one shot.I really love the way the drumkit sounds this time, because of its really powerful and acoustic rendering, which, I hope, will be used in their next releases.This rendering gives a great energy to the following songs : T For Tone and Slide Down.

And really love Dig A Pit and the effects choosen.

For fans.

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COUP DE COEUR : MY TOP 5

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	1. T For Tone
	2. Slide Down
	3. Dig A Pit

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Initial T. Ep

(2009, Init Records) Japan, Tokyo.

This Ep offers some of the best Melt-Banana’s songs !

The sound production is amazing and the drum acoustic.

There is a great research as well in the production, the melodies and effects and this in the songs : Loop Nebula and Leeching.

This artwork is pretty cool too.

My favorite song is Jack And A Red Dog : What a powerful Finale !

To buy immediately.

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COUP DE COEUR : MY TOP 5

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	1. Jack And A Red Dog
	2. Loop Nebula
	3. Leeching

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Split Ep with Young Widows

(2009, Temporary Residence) Japan, Tokyo.

Pain In Ash has a good sound and an lovely acoustic drumkit.

It reminds me of “Cell-Scape” ambiences.

I didn’t know Young Widow before and Long Live The New Weight is a success.

To follow…

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COUP DE COEUR : MY TOP 5

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	1. Pain In Ash

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Bambi’s Dilemma

(2007, Azap Records) Japan, Tokyo.

Last Melt-Banana album for now.

As ever, this album is absolutely genius for its composition and effects work.

I just regret that the electronic-drumkit is not as well integrated as in “Cell-Scape”. I loved much more “Bambi’s Dilemma” songs played live with a real drumkit.

What really changes too is that there is now chorus which will remain in your head for days and decades (like in the terrific Cat Brain Land)

The production is great too.

The record and the live I saw in Paris start with Spider Snipe and its great energy and composition skills which makes you think “Cool ! another great Melt-Banana record”.

My favorite track is Heiwaboke Crisis for its grand rhythmic pattern and melody. I love the part at 0:42 “Devil Wake Up” and how the song evolves.

I love equally The Call Of The Vague with its great Delay and Whammy effects as usual.

You’ll find below a great live video in Paris at La Maroquinerie : I’ll never forget this great gig and when they played years ago at 4AD in Belgium.

Here is Blank Page of the Blind : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AyzspHMkHs&feature=relmfu

Finally the Dog Song is pure fun.

I can’t wait for a new album !

It’s the first time that two songs are ex-aequo in Radiator Hymn’s Top 5 history.

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COUP DE COEUR : MY TOP 5

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	1. Heiwaboke Crisis / The Call Of The Vague (ex-aequo)
	2. Cat Brain Land
	3. Blank Page of the Blind
	4. Dog Song
	5. Spider Snipe

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Love Song Ep

(2006, HG Fact) Japan, Tokyo.

Here is a 5″ 2tracks Ep with a very great artwork !
My record player doesn’t like 5 inch (because it always think being at the end of a LP record and stop)
At the same time, I don’t like my record player.

I really love Love Song riff and this weird auto-tune effect on the vocals.

For fans.

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COUP DE COEUR : MY TOP 5

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	1. Love Song
	2. Snake Song

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Split Ep with Fantomas

(2005, Unhip Records) Japan, Tokyo.

And another 5″ ! Fantomas contribution isn’t really important.

You have here a terrific artwork-of-art.

Cat In Red is a really experimental an powerful track !

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COUP DE COEUR : MY TOP 5

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	1. Cat In Red

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Split Ep with Chung

(2005, Sound Of Subterrania) Japan, Tokyo.

A 10″ with a Holographic cover ! Amazing and Beautiful ! (when you tilt the cover, you’ll see the animation of the guy running after the fly !)After a pretty weird introduction starts Sweeperwhich is a funny song (the bass sound to be specific) and really Melt-Bananian.Then you’ll listen to Target Inside absolutely crazy and electro.

Chung is a great band to discover !

For fans.

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COUP DE COEUR : MY TOP 5

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	1. Sweeper
	2. Target Inside

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13 Hedgehogs (MxBx Singles 1994-1999)

(2005, Azap Records) Japan, Tokyo.

It is a compilation of all Melt-Banana’s Ep in between 1994 and 1999 : 56 tracks (damn !)

This songs sound raw and noisy : not easy to start with but you may remember the following songs :

Rush & Warp from “It’s In The Pillcase” is a really interesting song mainly for the riffs played by the guitar/bass couple.

I only have “Eleventh Ep” from their “before 1999 7” “with a funny artwork. I really love Seesaw Semiology which sound as “Cell-Scape” song.

I love a lot Dead Spex, Ether Twisted and Shoot The Moon from the “Dead Spex Ep”.

For fans.

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COUP DE COEUR : MY TOP 5

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	1. Dead Spex
	2. Ether Twisted
	3. Shoot The Moon
	4. Rush & Warp
	5. Seesaw Semiology

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Split Ep with Narcosis

(2004, HG Fact) Japan, Tokyo.

Here is a really heavy 7″, half yellow half black : superb !

Steel me Lust is a great electro remix with interesting guitar effects !

Excellent !

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COUP DE COEUR : MY TOP 5

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	1. Steel Me Lust

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“Cell-Scape”

(2003, Azap Records) Japan, Tokyo.

Warning ! Mythic and genius record, Major record in music history.

This album, really rich and coherent by the way, seems to arrive from outer space.
And it starts strongly with the first track (after introduction to be precisely precise) Shield for Your Eyes, A Beast In The Well On Your Hand. You’ll recognize the four strong component which made a success of Melt-Banana’s songs : Surealistic guitar effects, Bass front in the mix, hallucinating vocals and extreme drum rhythmic patterns with a very well integrated electronic-drumkit. I love the part at 3:10.

Note that it’s maybe their best record to make someone discover about their music (I used it to convert sir Pichetti, you believe it ?)

My favorite track is the great Lost Parts Stinging Me So Cold with its great delay effects : exceptionnal ! I’ll never get bored of it.
I love at 2:28 the vocals with chorus : one of my favorite part in music, ever !

A Dreamer Who Is Too Weak To Face Up to is a great song as well, mainly for the fast chords alternated. What a break at 1:17 with a great bass riff.

Then comes the furious Chain-Shot to Have Some Fun which blastes future. What an amazing bass riff at 0:29.

Let’s finish with If It Is The Deep Sea, I Can See You There and its “melodic chorus” which reminds in head in the great Finale at 2:55 : great quality.

Better than a dream ! You need it.

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COUP DE COEUR : MY TOP 5

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	1. Lost Parts Stinging Me So Cold
	2. Shield for Your Eyes, a Beast in the Well on Your Hand
	3. A Dreamer Who is Too Weak to Face Up to
	4. Chain-Shot to Have Some Fun
	5. If it is the Deep Sea, I Can See You There

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666 Ep

(2002, Level Plane) Japan, Tokyo.

Here is a 6″ Ep from Melt-Banana : perfect size regarding the name of it.
Another hard-to-digest format for my shitty record player.

The two tracks About and Neck On B1 are very interesting and well produced.
The guitar effects are awesome as always.

Get The Head Back is one of their punk track.

Well-done.

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COUP DE COEUR : MY TOP 5

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	1. About
	2. Neck On B1
	3. Get The Head Back

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Split Ep with Big D And The Kid Table

(2002, Folk In Hand) Japan, Tokyo.

This split record offers my favorite Melt-Banana track : Monkey Man.

I don’t know how to describe that song but it is unsane : What an energy ! Funny vocals ! and the part at 1:02 is terrific !We want more !

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COUP DE COEUR : MY TOP 5

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	1. Monkey Man
	2. Operation: 3rd Attack

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Dynamite With a Laserbeam

(2002, Three One G) Japan, Tokyo.

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COUP DE COEUR : MY TOP 5

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	1. We Will Rock You

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Split Ep with The Locust

(2002, GSL) Japan, Tokyo.

No, I won’t add another chapter flattering The Locust.

I’ll add two other chapters in deed.

This pumpkin split is beautiful and wonderful.

The two Melt-Banana songs are great with the crusty Too Rough To Scoop (Find A Grain Of Greed) and its crazy-vocals-Finale.

I love the funny guitar effect in Creeps In A White Cake.

In deed this split with Locust is perfect because at this time, their music was pretty homogeneous.

A must have.

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COUP DE COEUR : MY TOP 5

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	1. Too Rough To Scoop (Find A Grain Of Greed)
	2. Creeps In A White Cake

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Split Ep with Daemien Frost

(2001, Alpharelish) Japan, Tokyo.

Yes, I finally have a peach-7″-record !

Hmm what to say ? Thank you for introduing us with Daemien Frost music and to a really strange MB song with some weird Yasuko’s vocals and speed change effects.

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COUP DE COEUR : MY TOP 5

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	1. Grave In The Hole (Pitfall Fits A Bit)
	2. Capital 1060 Hospital

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Split Ep with Dynamite Anna And The Bone Machine

(2001, Valium Records) Japan, Tokyo.

And one italian Ep, One !

Let’s rock’n’roll with Tintarella Di Luna.

A great song.

For their italian fanbase and some others.

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COUP DE COEUR : MY TOP 5

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	1. Tintarella Di Luna

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Split Ep with Three Studies Of A Crucifixion

(2001, Passaglia Records) Japan, Tokyo.

A really beautiful artwork ! You find here 6 punk/crust songs and this since Dog In Lost.

Big up to Puddle, Float and the weird guitar effect at 0:25.

The other songs are pure energy !

For fans !

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COUP DE COEUR : MY TOP 5

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	1. Dog In Lost
	2. Puddle Float
	3. Quite Free
	4. 2 Knees
	5. And I…

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Teeny Shiny

(2000, Azap Records) Japan, Tokyo.

This album starts with their now classic Free The Bee and its powerful chorus.

What a talented man Agata in Lost In Mirror ! Great new technics to play guitar : Impressive and Blasted.

I really love Third Attack for the numerous effects and the part at 0:45.

The song Flash Cube, Or Eyeball has a terrific part at 0:20 and at 0:43.

I really like the track Warp, Back Spin except the high-pitched constant sound in the background which is harsh.

A good record.

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COUP DE COEUR : MY TOP 5

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	1. Free The Bee
	2. Lost In Mirror
	3. Third Attack
	4. Flash Cube, Or Eyeball
	5. Warp, Back Spin

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Charlie

(1998, Azap Records) Japan, Tokyo.

I love the all record : A Must Have in your expandable record collection !

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COUP DE COEUR : MY TOP 5

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	1. Circle-Jake (Chase The Magic Words, Lego Lego)
	2. Spathic!!
	3. Tapir’s Flown Away
	4. Stimulus For Revolting Virus
	5. Area 777 (Phoenix Mix)

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Scratch Or Stitch

(1996, Skin Graft Records) Japan, Tokyo.

Second album recorded by Steve Albini (on your knees listener)

The sound is really high and strange to listen to.

It’s a little bit difficult to listen to but some songs are memorables :

Let’s start with Sick ZiP Everywhere which offers many different interesting ideas.

I really love the way that the bass and drum (weird riff) layers arrive on the guitar riff. Then comes the amazing Yakuso vocals. Great ending too.

Here comes the end with the great Pigeons On My Eyes (GO TO Bed!!!).

For fans.

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COUP DE COEUR : MY TOP 5

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	1. Sick ZiP Everywhere
	2. DisPosable Weathercock
	3. Pigeons On My EYes (GO TO Bed!!!)

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Cactuses Come In Flocks

(1994, Chocolate Monk) Japan, Tokyo.

This album was recorded in 1993 at Tokyo’s Faculty on a DAT with one single stereo microphone and released on a tape.

It is the really beginning of Melt-Banana and it sounds as described above.

This album is pretty free and seems improvisated : very experimental.

I liked the following songs with interesting ideas : Shining Hatcher, Sonic Hatcher and Crayfish SONG.

For the ultra-fanatics.

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COUP DE COEUR : MY TOP 5

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	1. Shining Hatcher
	2. Sonic Turtle
	3. Crayfish SONG

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Speak Squeak Creak

(1994, Nux Organization) Japan, Tokyo.

First Melt Banana album recorded in 1994 by Sir Steve Albini.

Melt-Banana is an extremely productive, creative and talented japanese band who doesn’t stop mixing genres (from crust/hardcore/punk/noisy to rock/pop).

Their music is characterized by Agata’s inventive guitar techniques and effects, Yasuko’s original vocals and Rika’s groovy bass.

Let’s start with RRAGG which is a song with many ingredients that you’ll find in their future records.

Switch is a powerful build-up, I love the guitar, bass, noise and vocals at 1:45.

I really love the break at 0:48 in P.B.D.

Let’s finish with gently played bass chords in Pierced EYE.

Interesting.

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COUP DE COEUR : MY TOP 5

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	1. Switch
	2. P.B.D.
	3. Pierced Eye
	4. RRAGG

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