Muzik unLtd.

Andre’s Japanese Rock Review 1

Night Food / Ego Warppin’

Ego Wrappin is a jazz-pop duo, comprised of guitarrist Mori Masaki and singer Nakano Yoshie, and accompanied by a host of supporting musicians that occasionally expands into a big band. 

Although falling, at a first glance, in the alternative pop category, the jazz element is always dominant in their album "Night Food", evidenced in both guitarist Masaki's soloing and Yoshies' sweet, swinging female vocals.
The opening track, for instance, combines both elements of big band swing and Eastern European rhythms, and the big band feel is further explored in the following track.

In the following two tracks, they slow down into moody bossa-nova augmented by electronic instrumentation that gives track 4, specifically, an almost psychadelic trip-hop feel, with Yoshies almost sounding like Smoke City's Nina Miranda.

Cool jazz then returns on the fifth piece, with a bluesy feel, followed by "Pappaya", a fast paced song with English lyrics about the often painful aftermaths of partying and the confusion of modern life. "So Cool Down", is basically a blues - sung in Japanese!

The closing English - sung tracks, "Whole World Happy" and "Sora No Lion", constitute the album's final pleasant surpise: a couple of songs influenced by modern singer-songwriter style, but with still with jazz rhythms and guitar soloing throughout. "

Sora No Lion", a song based on a metaphor of love and riding lions' backs, is especially emotional and reflective.

Contemporary Japanese music is usually characterised by its confusing and contradictory diversity, from bubblegum pop and hard edge rock to jazz and experimental electronics.

Ego-Wrappin;s jazz-pop is a curious case indeed - their music will jump around, fast-paced in one moment, and then suddenly settle into a moody groove, and then depart in a different direction altogether.

The band explores this diversity, but also presents us with their own particular style in "Night Food", a record that will probably catch many Japanese listeners by surprise, not to mention the Western audience (yours truly).

All this jumping around and mixing of styles would have sounded a terrible mess if it wasn't for Ego Wrappin's musicianship, creativity and sensibility.

All the different influences seamlessly blend togheter to form a whole, unique musical voice.

And even the fact that these stylings are derived from Western music but sung mostly in Japanese is not a problem - Nakano Yoshies' expressive vocals, supported by Mori Masaki's creative guitars and arrangements, break the language barriers.

"Night Food" comes across, then, as a refreshing and exciting experience, quite recommendable.

One is left wondering where will they go next.

review by Andre Rocha