Customer Reviews

The Fifth Release from Matador

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When I first put this CD in the player at home, my roommate's initial reaction was "This sounds just anything else they do." While not entirely correct, that *is* kind of the point of listening to Pizzicato Five, isn't it? At the risk of sounding like I'm downplaying their abilities, most of their songs are just scads of major seventh chords thrown together in a variety of combinations, with (slightly) different lyrics, orchestrations and beats. This album is no different, but that's why I love it so much. Last year's "Playboy & Playgirl" record saw Pizzicato Five reaching for a broader, more sophisticated sound. After Konishi's breakbeat-happy, DJ masterpiece "Happy End of the World," "Playboy" seemed almost distainful of such childish antics. The beats were less erratic, the melodies were richer and more complex, and Konishi's penchant for throwing snippets of this and that together was almost unnoticeable. While the songs were extremely well-crafted, they just weren't quite as much, well, *fun*. Fortunatley, "The Fifth Release from Matador" is sort of a happy marriage of both sounds. While not as hyper as "Happy End of the World," it doesn't try to be as serious as "Playboy," and the formula still works like a charm, pushing all the right buttons. The opening track, "A Perfect World," is the most goosebump-inducing romp they've splashed through since "It's a Beautiful Day." "Roma" sounds like a jazzy, big band number on speed, complete with sampled record scratches and audience "ahh"'s. "LOUDLAND!" opens with a gorgeous snippet from track six, and then for the next four minutes sounds as if the CD player is skipping (in a good way). "Room with a View," with its energetic harpsichord and horns, crashes into the mellower "La Guerre est Finie," which sounds a bit like the previous song *after* the frantic high has worn off. The perky woodwind arrangement evokes springtime and blossoming romance. "Wild Strawberries" is the perfect groove, this years answer to "Rolls Royce" and "Porno 3003." The only real misstep on this album is when they stray too far from their formula, as they do on "Tout, Tout pour ma Cherie." The comical dance beats and irritatingly high-pitched melodies sound like something straight out of an Aqua song. Thankfully, "Serial Stories" picks up with the mellower vibe, and its loungey atmosphere removes any remaining trace of the previous song. The last track, "Goodbye Baby and Amen," is the perfect finish to this terrific album, full of everything that makes this group so fabulous. Let's hope they keep on doing what they do best.

I got my nephews hooked on Pizzicato Five three years ago after I discovered them myself, and whenever we travel together (which is a lot, as I babysit them often) they request this band's albums more than any other group besides The Beatles.

So as soon as I bought this brand new (as of this writing) release, my nephews got all excited--I put it on in the car, and as they heard it for the very first time their jaws dropped and asked me, "Do these guys ever make an album that DOESN'T sound great?"

Enough said.

Pizzicato Five is one of those rare musical acts who keep getting better and better with each album, who continue to persistently produce music that is nothing but outstanding, who are completely incapable of creating "filler" junk. And, like a lot of such acts, you can actually hear them developing on and expanding ideas from their previous projects--you can musically "connect the dots" here, so to speak, with the experimentation that occured on the previous album "Playboy & Playgirl" just as you can hear the connections between that earlier title and its own predecessor. Indeed, P5 don't appear to really be a pop band, really, so much as an ongoing music conceptual art project.

And after the particularly bad year we had in 2001... isn't it wonderful to have a band like this in the world who can create such wonderful joys in life for us all? P5 continue to remind everyone what is truly important in life. Thank God there is still at least one band around who still cares enough about people to do that.

The beauty of this album is how it jumps all around on the music scene. It blends the sounds together nicely. So what if they don't speak English! This album did everything right.

I just love it. In fact I probably play this CD once a week (I do a lot of driving). If your are a Pizzacato 5 fan this is a must own CD. I must warn you, however, if you love the mindless repetitive sound on every radio station, this is not the group for you. But if you like music that actually required effort to make and is not played on the radio every 5 minutes then this is the CD for you. This sounds like nothing you'll hear on the commercial radio stations because the style is nothing like what is always aired on the stations. Rather, some songs are similar to progressive rock, some 80's pop, and some in a league all by themselves. You must be willing to have an open mind and see that just because they don't speak English, don't play it on the radio, and isn't like anything you normally hear.

They are tragically hip, unique, and more addicting the Colonel's 11 herbs and spices.

Pizzicato Five sound more polished and sophisticated with each album. This cd is my current favorite of their US releases. What other band would include studio, live and remix tracks together is such a smooth package? This cd has me transfixed.

While "Sound of Music" remains their best, P5 bring us another collection of inventive, lounge-inspired songs that will hook you on the 3rd or 4th listen. While some songs could fit on recent albums (the opening "A Perfect World" for instance, or the fourth track "A Room with a View"), there are some new sounds ("20th Century Girl", with a mid-tempo 60's go-go backbeat), and a pure (albeit tongue-in-cheek) samba ("Room Service"--LOVE IT!). Should be part of your P5 collection.

while bits of this record seem to be simply the logical progression from the International Playboy & Playgirl Record, there are a few startlingly superb tracks which seem to harken back to Happy End of the World, my personal favorite P5 disc. LOUDLAND!, Tout, Tout Pour Ma Cherie, and Roma are brilliant in ways this pair have never quite been brilliant before. the rest of the album is agreeably put together, with appropriate helpings of the standard-issue P5 glamour, kitschyness, and materialism you've come to expect.

It's still a mellow yet upbeat listen, but not as catchy or distinctive as Happy End of the World.

Those put off by albums recorded in languages other than English should relax--and the best way to relax is to listen to this accessible, upbeat, and almost groovy album by the Japanese group Pizzicato Five. Leaders in the shibuya-kei movement, P5 demonstrates their consistent skill in songs like "Wild Strawberries" and personal favorite "Room Service."

Pizzicato 5 are at their very best when they sound new and fresh. This recording is old and stale. There is nothing here that departs from what you've heard from them before with the exception of the tracks "20th Century Girl" (the one redeeming feature of this album) and "Tout, Tout Pour Ma Cherie" (an abysmal failure...). The remaining songs all sound like you've heard them many times before in superior versions.

Where "Happy End of The World" was a leap forward for P5, "The Fifth Release" is a step backwards. If you're looking to buy a P5 album, do yourself a favour and get one of the other ones.