09 January 2009

Magical Power Mako - 1973 - Magical Power Mako

Quality: 4 out of 5
Trip-O-Meter: 5 out of 5

First off: YES, THAT IS THE REAL ALBUM COVER. I confirmed this only through years of painstaking research.

I'm at pretty much of a loss to describe this one. While a large percentage of Japanese pop music is simply tired echoes of Western sounds, a few bravely trudge on in the other direction and make some of the more extreme music that you're likely to hear. This debut from Magical Power Mako is about as weird as you're going to get for psychedelic music in 1973. While there are hints of a rock band on the album, any semblance of a recognizable framework goes flying out the window as we mix in found sound, Japanese folk tones, odd electronic noise, children singing, and more.

Let's see if we can't take a quick tour of the album. We start with a news report a little like Hendrix's "ESP," but without the screaming flying saucer guitar sounds. This plunges directly into what sounds like a Japanese summer festival at its drunken height (and probably the ingestion of the wrong kind of mountain mushrooms), interrupted by a variety of odd noises and found sounds that eventually envelop the song. It's practically indescribable and completely unclassifiable. It has the potential to actually drive you mad. The next track, "Tsugaru," manages to scale things back with a wild koto and strange muttering. In fact, nothing here is identifiable 'rock' until a bit of space jamming at the end of "Flying," which is the sixth track. "Retraint. Freedom," while still completely demented, sound positively normal in this context with its discernible drum rhythm and churning guitars. This is immediately followed by what sounds like a Japanese "You Can't Always Get What You Want" backed by a local elementary school. After a few more tracks of various flavors of oddness, "Look Up the Sky" takes twelve minutes to shift from solo piano, to something kind of Berlin school-like, to an utterly strange wall of sound.

Nothing I write is really going to capture the tone of this album. It's a completely unhinged journey into whatever trip as flowing through Mr. Magical Power at the time. I can't promise that you're going to dig it, but something here will managed to bend space-time and blow your mind; probably frighten you a bit as well.

Buy Me:
Magical Power Mako - 1973 - Magical Power Mako

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

http://rapidshare.com/files/177872921/Magical_Power_Mako.rar

Anonymous said...

Amusing, likable record, and non-twee Japanese vocals! That deserves extra points.

Miles said...

doctor...

geez, it's been a while since i dropped in on your universe. my last visit may have been sept. '08. i see that you continue to unearth some otherworldly sounds.

i read the accompanying description with interest, and look forward to hearing this.

thanks for your psychedelic offerings.

Anonymous said...

Asolute Thanks for this two posts of Magical Power Mako. I preffer this one by far, its so from outaa boombastic! But super record is very good too, its exelent.
Your blog is really great.
If I asked you for somethong to post it would be teh taj mahal travellers.

Pu Jin.

Anonymous said...

It reminds me of Dokaka - the japanese beatboxer with an extreme twist...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEJvHUHIs3A

Anonymous said...

on my way to check this one out. i've liked super record very much for quite a while now, i've introduced others (likeminded and otherwise) to its delights.

Likedeeler said...

I enjoy reading your reviews very much every time. Thanks!

Maco Mines a Pint please. said...

Brilliant a band that are my namesake. Proper reminds me of DMT on the rocks

Anonymous said...

any chance to re-up?

great blog btw!

Anonymous said...

Re up this shit!

Anonymous said...

100 bucks at amazon...
anybody got a d/l link?