Search - Beatniks :: Exitentialism

YMO+Moon Riders = Great...for now

David Goodwin | Westchester, NY United States | 08/24/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In 1981, Yellow Magic Orchestra released the highly-regarded BGM, the first of two albums to move away from the "poppier" aspects of their sound. Elsewhere in Japan, the not-nearly-as-popular-but-still-great Moon Riders had just released the highly regarded "Camera Egal Stylo," which marked their about-face into new-wave, and were working on the highly-regarded album "Mania Maniera," which was apparently too bizarre to release upon its completion in 1982. Lots of elevated regard was floating around between these two bands, apparently; thus, it's pretty much no surprise that the 1981 album by the Beatniks, the on-again-off-again collaboration between YMO frontman and drummer Yukihiro Takahashi and head Moon Rider (and Earthbound soundtrack scribe, to you video game fans) Keiichi Suzuki, is as fantastic as it is.



The oddly named "Exitentialism" (yes, ExiTENtialism...don't ask me!) is, to be sure, a bit tilted in the YMO direction. YMO, and especially Takahashi, were stars; the Moon Riders were and are Not. Consequently, Exitentialism is a bit of a 60%/30% split in Takahashi's favor--not a huge problem, as by this point Keiichi Suzuki's voice was at the beginning of its steady decline.



As an album, Exitentialism plays like a combination of YMO's "BGM" (think U-T and Cue), the Moon Riders' "Camera Egal Stylo", and...well, Peter Gabriel III, of all things, for the general dark atmosphere and the particular use of instrumental patches.





As for the songs...Unsettling semi-instrumentals like "Le Sang Du Poete" ("Exitentialism" is big on French titles) and the superbly creepy "Loopy"--shades of "Prelude" from YMO's Technodelic on that one--share space with the minimalist synth-pop of "No Way Out" and "Ark Diamant." Takahashi's "Now and Then" may very well be the best slow ballad he's ever done. The record's lingering Fracophilism is probably the cause of the odd waltz, "Le Robinet." Suzuki's "L'etoile De Mer" is the epitome of strange, with dissonant synth patterns complementing a set of lyrics which seem to be about a starfish and a dinghy. "Inevitable" is a classic Takahashi ballad, which sounds like the bastard offspring of "Cue" and "Camoflage" from BGM.



The CD bonus track, "River in the Ocean," is enjoyable, but more as a Takahashi solo track than a Beatniks track. It doesn't really sound like it belongs on the album. And I should definitely mention that the English/French lyrics remain interesting throughout, no-doubt thanks to the influence of the usual crew of YMO English lyricists.



Verdict: "Exitentialism" is a genuinely odd experience, and in its strangeness is probably a bit more of a "difficult" listen than the contemporary albums by YMO and the Moonriders. That said, it's a stellar examples of the possibilities inherent in...uh, I guess the genre would be minimalist-techno-acoustic-pop? Core? I'm not quite sure. That said, the sky-high price of the album as an import is certainly a reason to balk at a purchase. Hopefully, an impending reissue (if "Existentialist A Go Go" is worthy of reissue...!) will knock down the price somewhat."