Author: Sandi Sadar Šoba
Artist: Mouse On The Keys
Label: Denovali Records
Released: 2010
Running time: 35:27
Rating: 4.5/5
If before 2007 jazz from the Land of the Rising Sun was more of a rarity and a huge surprise than any kind of given, since then at least one name has been burned into the subconscious: a Japanese jazz lounge shaker going by Mouse On The Keys. Two years after the EP Sezession the Japanese post-rock jazz trio returns to the scene of the crime and sets out to conquer the world, Europe included. Raw impulse and effortlessness are once again the guiding principle, and the imperative “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is the basic logical thread of this first full-length, which digs around in your subconscious and sounds damn good doing it.
The theme of the journey is Tokyo once more, as the band members see it. The expression of ingenuity, sensitivity and love for a city of neon lights and constant bustle idealizes modern urban living, and An Anxious Object is a stylized tribute and soundtrack to the pulse of the concrete jungle. To start, they give you a musical lesson in what the concept of satori means – total nullification and annihilation – with the track Completed Nihilism. After a slow-but-fast intro, you soon find yourself on familiar turf: wild musical eruptions and outstanding virtuosity. Two pianos, drums, and sweet additions of soprano sax and trumpet are already proven to work. Spectres De Mouse is one of the more recognizable cuts on the record, though on first listen it may remind you a bit too much of Saigo No Bansan from their notorious EP. Don’t get me wrong: An Anxious Object is, in terms of playing and listenability, a lovely, gentle and hypnotic piece of work, full of surprises for everyone who hasn’t yet heard their excellent debut EP. And even those of you who already know what to expect will find it a pleasant listen. This impure fusion of jazz, leanings toward rock and post-rock musicality opts for a touch of suspense in its assault on your senses this time, which makes the record far more calculated and intellectualized than the organic feel of the Sezession EP. Rummaging through the dusty, lesser-known sequences of musical memory turns up a few parallels with the European and American scene. The tracks Soil and Unflexible Grids bring to mind bands you still need to get to know – Contemporary Noise Quintet, for instance. Mouse On The Keys are one of those things that make you reach for new music and want to know more. But let’s get back to the whirlwind year around this truly exceptional album! The traditional undertones of playing jazz standards bring an undeniable scent of cherry blossoms and a taste of the Orient into what you hear, but after just a little over half an hour of teasing you with brilliance and subtlety, it nails you firmly to the ground, because suddenly the album is over. If I had to voice a gripe, it would be that the longer format of a record is once again a space for packing in exceptional ideas that all follow the same groove, as if the band hadn’t let itself explore anything beyond three-minute sprints.
What little Johnny learns, grown-up John knows? It might look that way at first glance, or maybe the first contact was just so strong and convincing that it became the yardstick for all the epics to come. Still, this isn’t imitation, because the record is softer and a more mature piece of work than the Sezession EP. Every last detail is carefully carved and polished. There are no sharp edges to bother you or throw you off balance. There’s still plenty of room for improvement – if not musically, then at least in the production, which is too clean and therefore actually too dry, though that doesn’t kill the strong urge to come back for more listens and longer follow-ups in the future.
Lineup
Akira Kawasaki – drums, piano
Atsushi Kiyota – piano, keyboards
Daisuke Niitome – piano, keyboards
Keisuke Ikeda – piano, visuals
Daisuke Sasaki – trumpet (on the track Seiren)
Jun Nemoto – soprano sax (on the track Soil)
Production
Takaaki Mino & Mouse On The Keys
Tracklist
1. Completed Nihilism
2. Spectres De Mouse
3. Seiren
4. Dirty Realism
5. Forgotten Children
6. Unflexible Grids
7. Double Bind
8. Soil
9. Ouroboros
