14 Mar 2007
Dir en Grey: Withering to Death
J-rock has a reputation for producing some very unusual sounding bands to put it mildly. The likes of the Boredoms and more recently Melt-Banana have shown how raw noise can also be (usually) musical, while the Mad Capsule Markets and L’Arc en Ciel have taken the concept of heavy rock and fused it with other influences that work together in remarkably improbable combinations. Another name that often crops up is that of the Osaka outfit Dir en Grey, who have been recording together as a band with no change in line-up since 1997.
The Happiness of the Katakuris is a comedy musical that highlights the trials and tribulations of everyday life, as well as the importance of family values. It is also the product of directorial talent Takeshi Miike, who gave us Ichi the Killer and Audition and has a penchant for the absurd. This should be enough to tell you that while it IS a comedy, normal it most certainly isn’t.
The release of a new Pearl Jam album always makes me feel a little apprehensive since the band are notorious for being experimental and unpredictable in their sound, doing things their way with little obvious regard for outside criticism. Futhermore their previous effort, Riot Act, was quite a sedate and restful affair that suggested the unthinkable: PJ are getting old. Hinting at a new start, their latest effort is self-titled; it seems to say simply: We are Pearl Jam. This is Pearl Jam.