Jigsaw9 6783 Posted June 16, 2015 Artist: cali≠gari Album: 12 01. わるいやつら (Warui yatsura) 02. 脳核テロル (Noukaku Terror) 03. 颯爽たる未来圏 (Sassou taru mirai-ken) 04. セックスと嘘 (Sex to uso) 05. トゥナイトゥナイ ヤヤヤ (Tonight Toniyayaya) 06. ギムレットには早すぎる (Gimlet ni wa hayasugiru) 07. とある仮想と (Toaru kasou to) 08. 紅麗死異愛羅武勇 (Crazy I Love You) 09. バンバンバン (Ban Ban Ban) 10. フィラメント (Filament) 11. あの人はもう来ない (Ano hito wa mou konai) 12. さよならだけが人生さ (Sayonara dake ga jinsei sa) Rating: | A fine achievement from the masters of weird. When I heard the sad news that long-time drummer Makoto was out of cali≠gari, the future did not seem very bright for the band. At least, that's what I thought. cali≠gari have been kind of slacking off in terms of releases these past few years anyway – sporadic activity, lots of live-only and fanclub-only cash grabs, you name it. I, however, cannot hate them no matter what they do, as long as they deliver quality tunes I can get into. This album continues to prove that statement right, while at the same time asserting that they remain a force to be reckoned with, even as a three-piece. 12 is another typical cali≠gari full-length (as much as you can call such a quirky band 'typical'), packed with catchy melodies and occasional crazy outbursts. The band manages to find a decent balance between those two extremes. Gone are the days of totally mental freak-outs, like "Hakkyou Channel" for example, but they can still pack a punch when needed. Case in point, take the frantic trance-like pummeling punk of an opener "Warui yatsura", or the follow-up track "Noukaku Terror." These filthy little beasts contrast well with the album's brighter and airier compositions such as the gorgeous revamped version of "Tonight Toniyayaya" (proving that the creative juices are still flowing) or the sweet closing track "Sayonara dake ga jinsei sa", reminiscent of another old tune of farewell, "Good Bye." The best bits of 12, however, are the instances where the band isn't afraid to openly show their love for '80s new wave and pop nostalgia. Songs like "Sex to uso", "Gimlet ni wa hayasugiru" and the like are characterized by big fat slappin' bass goodness, twinkly synths, sharp cleaned-up guitar tones and… is that saxophone I'm hearing?? Clearly, they spared no creative expense when arranging these fine pieces of 'updated throwback' music. There’s even a nod towards a sort of proto-VK atmosphere (very much like what they did around 1998-1999) in tracks like the swift "Sassou taru mirai-ken," the post-punk tinged sax-o-rama of "Crazy I Love You", and the aforementioned "Sayonara…". Altogether, these colorful elements make this full-length both enjoyable for hardened, long-time cali≠gari fanatics and those new to the band's curious antics. Overall, 12 paints a picture of a band of 'professional eccentrics' who still know how to rock out as well as craft some interesting songs. The days of youth are gone, of course, so one mustn't expect an onslaught of all-out craziness. They more than make up for that with a big bunch of catchy moments that blends their past styles and influences into a powerful mixture that sounds anything but dated. In short, this is probably the best cali≠gari has done since their comeback. I cannot wait to see & hear what the future holds! Support the band! 12 @ iTunes (Jp) 12 @ CDJapan 12 @ Yesasia 12 Zeus, beni, Visutox and 9 others reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Peace Heavy mk II 7200 Posted June 19, 2015 Great album. Love that the last two tracks sound like they're from 18 years ago 1 Jigsaw9 reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CAT5 9075 Posted June 20, 2015 I absolutely LOVE reading your reviews! Never tried a cali≠gari album in my life, but I might have to change that. Listening to the sample, and while the vocals might take a bit to get used to, musically it reminds me of some the crazier underground/DIY stuff coming out of Japan's indie world. So that's a good thing. If I get around to checking this out, just so I know in advance, are there any other albums I should try from this band? 1 Jigsaw9 reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jigsaw9 6783 Posted June 20, 2015 ^ Glad that it made you wanna check out the album! With this singer, the general consensus is that the albums Dai 6 jikkenshitsu and Dai 7 jikkenshitsu are the best / must-listen material. Dai 5 jikkenshitsu is also a classic, tho they made that with their previous singer (his voice was a bit more straightforward / 'plain' maybe, if that helps xD). 1 Tokage reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bear 1817 Posted June 20, 2015 Nice review, boy. Tried the song though and thought it was awful. Not my cup of tea at all. I do remember appreciating some of their older albums, though. 1 Jigsaw9 reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ito 2438 Posted June 22, 2015 I honestly found 12 to be marginal at best. Better than 11 which I thought was huge turd, but there were so few songs that I really enjoyed. I marked half of the tracks as negative from my initial couple of listens and haven't really revisited the album till now...and even among the ones I didn't mind,t here isn't a single track that I -really- enjoyed. I find Cali=Gari to be an incredibly hard band to write about....as I really didn't like their specific brand of weird that they brought with this album. But that's not to say that I don't enjoy a lot of their weird. Take Hakkyou Channel for example. I have a hard time explaining how I enjoy that track but something like Van Bang Bang off of 12 just annoys me. XD 1 Jigsaw9 reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jigsaw9 6783 Posted June 22, 2015 ^ LOL yeah, I can get that if you didn't like their previous recent output (like 11), this release wouldn't appeal to you too much either. xD Glad you were able to revisit the album, even if you didn't find all that many tracks to your liking. And nobody should need a specific reason for liking Hakkyou Channel - it's simply brilliant! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
morbiusss 10 Posted June 23, 2015 I found 11 way more better than 12. The final three songs of 11 made the whole record simply perfect. And then you have brilliant song like shabaranda, Aiai, the perfect opener Haite Sutero, Cook A Doodle, EROTICA... plus, the production of 11 is really brilliant. 12 is too noisy for me, and the quality of the compositions itself are not as good. Not a bad album though. My fav is defenitely Tonigh Tonighyayaya. 1 Jigsaw9 reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jigsaw9 6783 Posted June 23, 2015 ^ I agree, 11 was also really good! Overall, I can't really complain about any of their post-reunion releases I guess... only maybe concerning their fanclub-only antics (but as long as they keep delivering such quality material, I'm okay with whatever pace they're going at). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
