a new stereophonic sound spectacular!

Vibrant, witty, happy, cheesy: these are the words that come to my mind when I think of Pizzicato Five. For those unfamiliar with P5 they are a long-standing neo-lounge-pop group hailing from the Japanese islands, famous for exporting such memorable, experimental artists, like Kahimi Karie, Buffalo Daughter, and Towa Tei. I think it's pretty safe to say that P5 is the best known, current Japanese group in the USA. And no conversation about current lounge pop kitsch can omit Pizzicato Five.

(And their popularity will soon grow with converts such as yourself.)

They are a two person group consisting of Nomiya Maki (vocals) and Konishi Yasuharu (mixing) and The Sound of Music is their third American release. Exhibiting a complex but bubbly sound, reminiscent of Deee-Lite and Saint Etienne in the mid-1990's, they combine catchy beats and Japanese and/or English lyrics to create a variety of dance pop songs.

Their songs are wonderfully superficial and simple, incorporating lyrics like "My moody blues could stay or go away" and "My heart can make brand new kind of sweet soul music," as in Happy Sad. This song is my favorite track on the cd, incorporating Ms. Nomiya's charming, lightly accented voice and a doo-wop duo in the background. Near the end of the song one of the doo-wops breaks it down: a strong R&B flavored singer who could probably cut a dance single or two in her own right. The background is lurid a whirl of guitar and bass with breakdown beats. It makes you bop automatically: what's not to love here?

And in case you were wondering if their lyrics lose something in translation, well, they don't. In The Night Is Still Young, another upbeat song, swirling synthesizer, vibraphone and bass beats accompany Ms. Nomiya with the same kind of darling, cheesy lyrics.

But what Pizzicato Five emphasizes in this album is the "sound" of music rather than its meaning. They create a really new and fun sound on this cd, which was pretty rare in the alt rock, early 90s music scene. And they also sample eclectic styles on The Sound of Music as well: from Groovy Is My Name which screams "Cheerleader!" (similar in style to It's a Beautiful Day on their later cd Happy End of the World), and Fortune Cookie whose background music comes dangerously close to elevator muzak. But P5 manages to make their songs sound effortless and alluring, unlike the angst-grunge bands which were proliferating around then.

Definitely a must for those discriminating pop lovers. One thing you might notice is their self-referential styles/lyrics to their songs on other cd's. It may be a bit annoying but I prefer to call these instances "variations on a theme". And what pulse-thumping, smile-inducing themes they are.