Of all the acts to emerge during the recent city pop revival, when the funk-inflected AOR of early-1980s Japan seemed to be coming back in vogue, Suchmos has been by far the most successful. Last year saw the sextet graduate to playing arenas and providing NHK's theme song for the FIFA World Cup — albeit one that even their most ardent fans struggled to support.
It's been an impressive ascent, but at some point Suchmos was going to have to reconcile its beach-party vibes with the requirements of playing to main-stage festival crowds. Having decided that becoming the next Maroon 5 wasn't such a great look, the group opts instead for classic-rock authenticity on "The Anymal."
Opening track "Water" starts with just the sound of a piano and metronome, but by the time it finishes nearly seven minutes later — after cycling through Beatles psychedelica, Muscle Shoals rhythm and blues and countless key changes, without ever alighting on a memorable tune — it's clear that this won't be some back-to-basics affair.