Bambis Dilemma

Melt Banana | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 24, 2007)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: A-Zap Records
• ASIN: B000O59228
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #183,161 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Drowned In Sound, April 30, 2007

"This album further reinstates their place as the finest purveyors of Japanese noise-punk." 8/10

Product Description

Even when at their most accessible, Melt Banana is still one of the more challenging punk rock outfits in recent history, and with their seventh full-length studio album the band that harnessed chaos to perfection in 2003's Cell-Scape continues to make music that is as thoroughly outrageous and dizzyingly hilarious as ever. While Bambi's Dilemma may not cohere as a whole quite as effectively as Cell-Scape did -- at times it feels like the missing link between that album and their previous release Teeny Shiny -- it does have moments of manic brilliance that are sure to please longtime fans and perhaps even win over a few converts. Whereas Cell-Scape operated on an almost sci-fi level thanks to the introduction of more electronic elements into the band's sound, Bambi's Dilemma largely goes back to the basics by stripping the sound back down to its roots (with the notable exception of the hypnotic "Type: Ecco System" of course). It seems that by previously experimenting with their sound the band was able to grow and expand, but don't mistake maturity for selling out because despite the "Rock Banana" moments scattered throughout Bambi's Dilemma, the band never misses a chance to catch the listener off guard with a little well-placed insanity. Perhaps nowhere on the album is this point better displayed than in "Dog Song," a tune that's sure to have listeners tapping their toes before it explodes into one of the most ear-splitting verses ever recorded. A decent introduction for newcomers and a somewhat unexpected surprise for longtime fans, Bambi's Dilemma proves without question that while they may well have the ability to craft the catchiest pop song imaginable, Melt Banana will never miss an opportunity to twist that perfection into something wholly unexpected. As with most of the releases in Melt Banana's catalog Bambi's Dilemma will likely take a few listens to truly sink in, but when the album finally clicks most will likely agree that it was well worth the effort. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great follow-up to Cellscape, June 1, 2007

By 

Anthony Thompson (Big Lake, MN United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Bambis Dilemma (Audio CD)

This year I have been disappointed by the new releases of my favorite bands (Arcade Fire and Blonde Redhead). Not so with Melt Banana. They have offered up something with melody, noise, punk and pure chaos. In the best Melt Banana tradition! I had wondered if they could equal Cellscape. They have equaled or perhaps bettered it. There is not a weak track on this album.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a wiser, gentler MB?, May 4, 2007

By 

Mr. Richard K. Weems "emperor_weems" (Fair Lawn, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bambis Dilemma (Audio CD)

This disc is a little deceptive at times, from the almost Puffy Amiyumi poppiness of "Spider Snipe" and then an almost ambient "Type: Ecco System," but doubtably Melt-Banana this disc certainly ISN'T. Granted, it's a little weird to hear Yusuko overbdubbing herself, when it seems that the main strength of of Melt-Banana is their almost pure sound in the studio that is very much emulated in live shows, which is always amazing considering the speed and power of this crew, but it is not only Yusuko's voice that almost immediately identifies the MB, but the guitar frenetics of Agata, and the machine-gun bass of Rikka.

Don't let the scattered moments of much slower Melt-Banana let you think that they're getting a little old and toning it down. The MB still maintain a music that has its roots in cartoons and video games and a hyperactivity that leaves the glue-sniffing punk of the Ramones gabba-gabba-heying in their dust. "Plasma Gate Quest" is as much a power track as they have ever done. While nothing on this disc may meet the speed of "Warp, Back Spin" or "Spathic!", "Chain Keeper" also comes to their previous kind of land speed records.

I never thought that speed alone was the defining element of their songs, and _Bambi's Dilemma_ very much offers me proof of that concept. Melt-Banana is a band working on another plane of existence, defining their music by their own sets of rules. These rules may be a little familiar, and it is clear from meeting them that they are very much of this world (and wonderful people to boot), but their end products follow a whole new constitution. Cleaerly, this is a wiser and more experienced band--Agata has had a chance to experiment with guitar on record on his Tzadik release, and the MB is much more than a fresh-on-the-scene gang of newbies now. Maybe this album doesn't have the kind of pure insanity of _Scratch or Stitch_, which just simply blew me up against the wall and made me plenty of enemies when I insisted on spinning that disc at polite parties (well, what would YOU do if you had just come across a discovery as monumental as God's own blueprints?), but I don't expect them to just keep slapping me in the face with speed, and they satisfy that somewhat on this new release.

Anyone who tries to say that the MB have lamed out hasn't listened to this disc very carefully. Aside from the pure early MBness of "Plasma Gate Quest," there is also the classic string of sonic bursts found later here, mixed along with their electronic experimentation. This is maybe not the best disc Melt-Banana has put out, but it's a strong one, and it is clear evidence that they have staying power through their ability to explore their own sound further.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars title, October 8, 2011

By 

A Dinosaur-Shaped Car "Homosexual Porn" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bambis Dilemma (Audio CD)

It's true that Melt-Banana's amalgamation of no wave, grindcore, punk rock and a bunch of other genres is like an aural caffeine rush, but they manage to maintain artistic substance beyond the purely physical and mosh-worthy by the density of their musical innovation. Whereas fellow Japnoise peers Boredoms are the spiritual successors to rhythm-obsessed krautrockers like Can and Neu!, Melt-Banana are more like spiritual successors to DNA: noisy, opaque, surreal, and happier with short bursts of jazzy micromanagement than any extended atmospheric jams. It's easy to see their Engrish song titles and assume the G-word ("gimmicks"), but don't be fooled, they are the real deal.

Bambi's Dilemma is an extremely rare case of a band streamlining their sound into something "poppier", but without phasing out any of the creativity or energy of their older material. The last album also had its share of unlikely hooks and pointed to a more accessible, jangly and melodic future, but there was still a certain manic paranoia to it; this is their brightest and most "fun" release yet. Also worth noting is that the album is clearly defined into an A side and a B side--A: chaotic but melodic dada punk that feels like a continuation of Cell-Scape, and B: straight up noise tracks where riffs are eschewed entirely in favor of splashes of pedal noise and electronics over drums and Yasuko's signature yapping. Side B is significantly weaker in terms of songwriting, but it has the hilarious "Dog Song", which contains enka-like singing about paws and furry ears, and a chorus of woofs.

At the end of the day, I might prefer the barbed assault of their 90s material, but I can hear how that evolved into this in a natural way.