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Japan’s rather unusual progressive rock group, Happy Family, has only recorded a few albums, and while they share much, there are some differences. Almost two decades separated Toscco from its next album, Minimal Gods, and while there is a through-line that would allow the listener to understand that the albums are recorded by the same group, the distinctions are clear, and one could almost imagine a series of albums slowly transforming over time. Yet going back to Toscco, and the “original” sound of Happy Family, or something like it, we hear a band thriving on creative energy.
Japan’s progressive rock scene has a variety of styles, but in this particular subscene, the influence of Tatsuya Yoshida looms over all. The drummer and bandleader who has overseen so many of the Japanese zeuhl and progressive groups that have influenced the sound is a towering figure, and Happy Family, particularly earlier in its incarnation, was strongly under the Yoshida spell.
Yoshida is perhaps best known for Ruins, which is the purveyor of a chaotic sound based around bass, drums and chanting in a confrontational and aggressive style. Complex, propulsive, and sometimes challenging conceptions of music itself, Ruins is not for the faint of heart. Yet they are deeply influential. Happy Family exists somewhere in the interstices of the Japanese zeuhl style and math rock, combining the aggressive and confrontational elements of Yoshida with the more nuanced compositional techniques of Japanese math rock. Where they set themselves apart is in the incorporation of more “classic hard rock” elements than most such bands use, giving them a point of reference that will feel somewhat more comfortable and familiar for some Western listeners.
That aspect of their playing grew stronger over time, such that Minimal Gods is almost listener-friendly, by comparative standards. Toscco, though, remains too closely tied to zeuhl and its chaotic energy to be easily digested by those whose listening tastes are too closely tied to conventional rock. Those with an ear for experimental jazz will find a way in, and fans of zeuhl or math rock will be able to appreciate the unique incorporation of classic hard rock sounds that really only have reference points in groups like Acid Mothers Temple, and occasionally Korekyojinn, although Happy Family is considerably less out-there than Korekyojinn.
It is a matter of taste whether Toscco will be preferable to later work. There is more raw, chaotic energy on Toscco than later Happy Family, as the connection to zeuhl is stronger, but there is also a little less individuality, as the shadow of Yoshida looms. Tradeoffs are everywhere. With open ears, though, Toscco is a trilling and lively album, full of unexpected turns, as such an album should be.
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