Kyoto’s super-pop prog virtuosi Viva Sherry are back with a delightful 10″ vinyl release on the ever-reliable Mottomotto and considering it six tracks come in at about twenty-five minutes, it is extraordinary how much ground they manage to cover in that short period of time. 2017’s Obento Music was a similar formula, and I can only imagine that they don’t think that the general public is able to cope with an entire forty-five minutes of their mixed-up and playful vibes.
Opener “Hey Shut Up” squeezes so much into its first couple of minutes that it is almost saturated: sing-song vocals in Japanese; an insistent beat whose shambling drums are mixed up with groans and wheezes coming from somewhere, appearing at random. Its blustery bass drum and complicated xylophone run gives a hint of ’70s prog to the proceedings, but their willingness to go wherever the whim takes them finds the song skipping about like a restless child on a rainy day.
There are some fantastic drum patterns from Himeco that are intricate and patient, and quite compelling. They sit with Sato‘s warm and inviting voice, and build a framework for the various guests to drop their contribution entirely at their leisure. Makoto and Shojiro add saxophone and trumpet to the piano ballad “Point Does Not Exist On The Map” which sees out the first side. There is a touch of Billy Joel in the melancholic structure of the first section, but then it shoots off with a rolling trip-hop beat. The horns then drift sleepily over the anxious groove as a few staccato trills here and there give us a prod.
“Mund” sounds like something Pram might consider, with its childlike toy sounds and hypnotic keyboard motif; but it then drifts into a cheeky little jaunt with scraps of sound making up a cosy patchwork whole. Final track “Young Zebra” has a rolling hip-hop inspired beat and is deeper and slower, with more direct vocalising, but manages to take on the feel of a ’70s cop-show groove at various points. It is almost something Moloko might have considered, but the way it leaps between the two very different styles is almost ridiculous in its cheekiness.
Silenzio feels like people at the height of their powers, but unwilling to sit still for a moment. There must have been a lot of sugar in the studio when this was recorded and as far as I am concerned, that can only be a good thing. I am looking forward to a real long player at some point (I think my nerves could stand it), but until then, this is a joyful and dazzling gift that is more than enough.-Mr Olivetti-
