Following the recent release of »Nippon Acid Folk«, Time Capsule has released the second part of a retrospective of the Japanese music scene of the 1970s: »Nippon Psychedelic Soul 1970-1979«. And like a time capsule, these seven songs conjure up a bygone era, tracing the sonic artefacts back to the social climate that must have prevailed as Japanese youth sought to free themselves from both the ancient traditions of their homeland and the oppressive influence of the US cultural industry. Haroumi Hosono and his band Happy End were the first to combine Japanese lyrics with the distorted guitars and organ sounds of late 1960s psychedelic rock. No other track on the album is as heavy as his »Haruyo Koi«. The rest of the album is more like Philly soul, with laid-back grooves, full horn sections and sweet strings, or spaced-out prog rock, with wild drums, extended solos and meandering song structures. Rather than presenting a whole scene, the album shows what was possible in the Japanese rock underground at the time, between hallucinogens and rebellion, science fiction and occultism. By the end, you’ll want to delve deeper into this musical time capsule.
Sho-Nuff
Body Pressure
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