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Reviews

Bondage Fruit — Selected
(Pangea Music OM-2016, 1997/1999, CD)

by Jeff Melton, Published 2000-10-01

Selected Cover art

Last year's opening band at the International Festival of Music (previously known as Progfest), was Bondage Fruit, a captivating seven-piece group from Japan. Selected is a cross section of their first three albums, which I believe were all represented in their live performance last year. To describe the group, primarily they are wound with aggressive pairings of violin (Katsui Yuji) offset by lead guitar (Kido Natsuki). Yuji plays the prominent role as the gypsy soloist in the ensemble while Natsuki performs the role of architect and counterpoint. That's the format for most of the tracks on this disc. The Magma zeuhl link appears to be more for tonal and improvisational elements of the group rather than for philosophical reasons, which is honestly a relief. Their use of almost rhythmic vocals is a bit distracting to the Western ear, but effective as a generation of intensity. For example, "Daichi No Ko" features a blistering lead guitar, which dovetails into a somber vibes and vocal section. "Hikou Suru Ko," one of the best tracks from the band's first self-titled album, carries a theme reminiscent of a few Curved Air themes with bongo drums and a wobbly low end. The last track, "Recit," begins as a forlorn ballad but ends with a relentless drum excursion propelled by the seemingly endless energy of drummer Okabe Youichi. Given the track selection, Selected provides an excellent cross section of the band's catalog for easier Western consumption.

Filed under: Archives, Issue 20, 1999 releases, 1997 recordings

Related artist(s): Yuji Katsui, Natsuki Kido, Bondage Fruit, Saga Yuki

 

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