Fennec

Swinging Popsicle managed here to craft a baker's dozen perfect J-Pop songs fizzing with a variety, spark, and beauty that relate wonderfully to each other and cohere into by far their most accomplished and emotive album, "Fennec." If you've suffered from hearing boatloads of worthless Kei and other wannabe Japanese pop stars putting out derivative and soulless simulations of rock music, here you finally have a band that confidently and effortlessly is speaking from the heart and mind with all their skills set at ten. The music is pop without the dreary commercial sameness of so much other J-Pop.Chiming guitars, uptempo rockers, some nice swing, and lovely softer material thrill throughout. Clearly influenced by ringing alternative, emo and even some America psychedelia, REM, and whatever the cat (or Fennec) brought in, it is all blended into a thoroughly Japanese sensibility that is as rich and distinctive as any J-Pop ever made. They don't just play, they feel it and connect. Every song works; It is a true album.I lent Fennec to my co-workers and it was universally loved, especially by the women. It's J-Pop with a pure rock and roll heart. It differs from the later, more lounge-y material by Swinging Popsicle considerably and to its benefit. This is a flat-out masterpiece and, not unlike the nearly unknown canine outlier the Fennec Fox, the album's namesake, it is criminally under-appreciated.You absolutely can't go wrong with Fennec by Swinging Popsicle, one of the greatest underground J-Pop statements ever. Enjoy.

2005年くらいに「サテツの塔」でSwinging popsicleを知ったのですが、そのせいもあってかこの頃の曲が好きです。前のアルバム「Swinging popsicle」もやっぱり雰囲気が良いです。

ポプシの初期作品ではかなり好き。でも今改めて聞いてみると、時代を感じる。go!とかの方が耳馴染みはいいかな。