As one of the country's more popular instrumental rock acts, Tokyo's Te' have sold out large clubs in Japan and toured overseas in the United States and Taiwan. Signed to local indie imprint Zankyo Record since the act's 2004 inception, Te's fourth full-length is their first stab at working with a major.
Despite the jump, Te' bassist Masa's quirky penchant for making album titles 29-characters long and track names 30-characters long remains. Due to space constraints here, songs will be referred to by their sequencing number.
Bordering on metal, Te' open their new long-player with an intense guitar-driven romp. Things slow slightly as the band go off on a brief postrock bend before the cut's thunderous ending. Anchored by Tachibana's booming drums, track two rivals the energy of its fantastic predecessor. Waves of experimental tinkering usher in the third cut, a melodic offering that is equal parts shoegaze and emo. Song five mixes spacey guitar riffs with math-rock inspired drumming to create a powerful, psychedelic jam. Track 10 falls silent at its midpoint as a looped choir singing "la la la" is introduced. The group come back in with a soaring Mono-esque distorted symphony that morphs into a fast-paced rocker.
While many struggle to create recordings as strong as their live sets, in this highly recommended effort Te' do it with ease. Te's CD-release tour starts on July 3 at Sendai's Club Junk Box. For details, visit tee.daa.jp
