Japan
Tin Drum

THE REVIEW

After the well-deserved success of "Gentlemen Take Polaroids," Japan released in '81 what would be their last studio recorded album (in '83 the live "Oil On Canvas" would be released, the final chapter of the group). The cover is one of the most original of its time... and the music will not disappoint expectations. The opening "The Art Of Parties" is a truly engaging dance track: sounds that smell of the East are entangled in a disco club-like rhythm section, resulting in a truly irresistible cocktail. If your limbs don't move while listening, it means you're dead and you haven't noticed. The following track, "Talking Drum," is even more contaminated by "almond" sounds, managing to be more refined due to a more hypnotic pace, a broken and inconsistent rhythm that interacts with well-crafted arrangements of extreme grace. Immediately after, we are invited into the mysterious garden of "Ghost," a refined elaboration by Sylvian. Its sound is menacing, enigmatic, without breaks of serenity, and at a certain point, it seems like being catapulted into a forest illuminated by dim moonlight without knowing why or how. Sinister noises penetrate the dark atmosphere, constantly disorienting you. Great song and great vocal performance. "Canton" is a joke in Chinese disguise, a dance that doesn't take itself too seriously and contrasts the previous dark track. "Still Life in Mobile Homes," on the other hand, suffers from a mannerism a bit self-serving, with offbeat rhythms and meticulous sound refinements that certainly do not benefit a song that nevertheless has a weak backbone. "Visions Of China" was one of their biggest "hits," and it must be said well-deservedly so. Its rhythm is truly engaging, its chorus easily catchy, in short, all the ingredients required for a chart-topping song without (and this is their greatness) selling out, always maintaining a high percentage of class. The album closes with the alley melody of Chinatown of "Cantonese Boys," which neither detracts nor adds to a very "unified" album, more "concept" than the previous one, with decidedly Eastern-inspired sounds. As soon as it starts playing, you recognize it immediately in an unmistakable way, and this is perhaps Japan's greatest note of merit, having had a very personal identity.