5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Spacey power pop gold, September 14, 2005
This review is from: Yoo Doo Right, Yoo Doo Slide (Audio CD)
The Velvet Underground and Can references (in the band's name and album title, respectively) provide touchpoints for this Japanese trio's sound, but the bulk of their work is less edgy than VU and less avant-garde than Can. More accurate comparisons would be to modern-day power-pop rockers like Teenage Fanclub, Smashing Pumpkins, or the 70s-obsessed work of Matthew Sweet. What sets ATP apart is that their guitar base is leavened by trippy psychedelic space-rock flavors like the backward electric guitar played against strummed acoustics on "Sure Love" or the bass-heavy opening jam "Sympathy for the Junkies."
Fronted by guitarist/vocalist Tetsuo Kitame, the band takes notes from '60s psych stalwarts like the 13th Floor Elevators and Electric Prunes, but without turning themselves into a retro act. The buzzing guitars and droning vocals fit into a modern context that's aware of the raw energy of '70s punk, '80s grunge and more recent rock revivals. What's especially impressive is that the music doesn't pinpoint any of its sources, instead the songs skim, mix and rearrange elements of each, creating music that's got the DIY glee of punk, the muscle of grunge, and the daydream artfulness of space-psych. [©2005 hyperbolium dot com]
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