Customer Reviews

Warp

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

 

 

This is the last orignal album of JAM, and this is the first album being produced by the band's guitarist TAKUYA. There are much more experimental tracks, some of their style are vastly different from the traditional JAM songs. Some of the sweetest taste from them are lost. But the album shows us that JAM still have many possibilities which are not being discover previously. It's a pity for them to disband while they still have much to offer. As many people can notice, the style, arrangement is quite new to us, but the winning melody writing sense is still there. We have sweet pop songs like Atashiwomitsukete and lollipop, some superb power-pop songs like Brand new wave upper ground, motto and Hitotsudake. But what the most impressing is how they combine their pop sense with their new style, Rainbow Devils Land, Luckpool, Chameleonrumy and even the 1/3 rhythm ballad Peace. All and all, it seems that they still have many ideas as a band. Their disband is not only heartbreaking to their fans, but also a loss to all j-pop/rock fans.

wow! when Warp first came out, i was amazed at how unbelievably great it was! it blew my mind how much this band had grown from their teen punk (and let's face it...a little too perky) sound into a loud crazy rock band who wrote some of the catchiest and most twisted pop masterpieces ever to come out of Japan. with all manners of heavy metal riffs, funk drumming, punk bass playing, and Yuki's expressive voice, Judy And Mary took the j-pop songbook and turned it inside out. there is alot of energy and intensity in these songs, and everything flows with an electric bubblegum kind of poison. the songs are so cute and so sweet...but yet with some bite. with Warp, they've added a lot more of an electronic edge to their songs. while none of the tunes are full on ravers, the blips and bleeps inserted here and there do add alot of colour to the edges. but then again, Judy And Mary's music has always seemed to contain alot of rando quirky noises thrown in at times...so it's not too different in it's sonic approach. but the band does sound tighter and more focused on this last outing...it seems like they new this would be the final JAM record and they put alot of time into it. sure, there may have been some stress among bandmembers, but the resulting album shines as one of their best...if not the best! i'm always a bit torn as to which Judy And Mary album is best...Warp or The Power Source. so to me, it's a tie for first place. but i think that Warp contains some of the band's best singles..."Motto" and "Lucky Pool" both practically explode out of the starting gate with multicoloured fireworks and Yuki's impressive vocal delivery slicing through the melody with exact precision of a sugar cane surgeon. if you like your j-pop loud and wild, but with plenty of tasty pop hooks, then Judy And Mary's Warp album comes highly recommended.

JAM's last all-new album is a great work. I personally like 'Motto' the best, but songs like 'Lucky Pool' and 'Brand New Wave Upper Ground' are just as good. Although WARP isn't the best album in the JAM liniage, it most certainly is a good disc to pop in and let it play.

Warp is Judy and Mary's 6th and final album, published in Japan in 2001. As a singular item, the album is quite complete and a good listen. However, the stress upon the band is apparent, and I believe that the band member's are aware that they have lost much of their former energy.

The album's strongest point is that JAM span new territory. Rainbow Devils Land is a mix of hardcore electronic and dance, Peace is a straight out ballad. The single version of Peace is arranged for strings, called the Peace Strings Version. Also amazing is the schizophrenia inside of songs -- Rainbow Devils Land jumps instantaneously through electronic, dance, and 80's hair metal guitar solos. Chamelion Lumi changes between completely unrelated paces. Lucky pool has odd jumps to different instrumentations.

In my opinion, the album's best song is "Atashi wo mitsukete" (come find me), which has beautiful music and lyrics. On the other hand, the songs Brand New Wave Upper Ground and Lucky Pool are the only two JAM songs on any album that I skip over while listening to. The tracks Chameleon Lumi, Lollipop, Motto, Sugar Cane Train, Girlfriend, and Hitotsu Dake all have more powerful counterparts on earlier albums. Warp truly is the final album of a great band that has passed its peak.

Overall, although I do complain about much of the album, I listen to it regularly and find it an essential part to any Judy and Mary collection. But, if you are just starting off I recommend Miracle Diving or The Power Source first.