Search - Pillows :: Happy Bivouac

Japan's Art-Punk darlings

Crow Winters | Detroit, MI | 11/09/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It's intresting, and somewhat confusing, for me to even begin writeing a review of this band. Frank Black hasn't really stirred things up in the musical world for quite a while, and most would be willing to say that The Pixies era and style of music is over and done with. Yet, on the other side of the world, there's a little band called "The Pillows" that's waveing the flag Frank Black had dropped a long time ago, and thanks to the advent of Cartoon Network and FLCL, a whole new generation is falling in love with catchy crunchy riffs and a group of goofy musicians, regardless of language barriers.In a way it's probably a bit unfair to call The Pillows the "Japanese Pixies", but it can be tempting to do so when there are so many obvious nods to the art-punk band of yore. The infectious "Kim Deal" is an ode to the Pixies-Bassist-Gone-Breeders-Singer of the same name, and "Back Seat Dog"'s chorus just happens to have the same chord structure as the only pop-chart-topper the Pixies ever wrote, "Here Comes Your Man". (Which, ironically enough, has it's chorus sung as "Back Seat Dog" fades away into the next track). It can be quick to write them off simply because of all the name-dropping, and it's a shame, because there really is so much more to this band.Happy Biouvac is, first and foremost, about guitars. Even if you took away every syrupy japanese yelp that lead singer Sawao Yamanaka pours out, your still left with some incrdible guitar work that both elevates and breathes life into the bouncy brand of pop-rock that The Pillows are slowly becoming famous for. Sawao's melodies and pop-sensibilites are simply iceing on the cake of this deliciously sugery musical treat. Happy Biouvac is quite a ride, as well, and is arranged, wether purposefully or not, very smartly. The opening song, and also the title track for the CD, is a mid-tempo, sunshine filled rock star with quite possibily The Pillow's most memorable riff, which easily shrugs off any notions that Sawao and co. need The Pixies referneces to make up for anything. The proceeding songs, "Rush" and "Last Dinosaur", are as intense as they are light hearted, and fade in perfectly to the ironically dark (well, as dark as The Pillows can get) "Carnival". "Back Seat Dog" and "Kim Deal" mellow out the sound a bit before picking back up with the CD's big ripper, the power-punk headbanger, and only true representation of The Pixies hardcore elements, "Advice". Sawao sounds quite different here then he does on the other tracks, and the delicious, decadent nature of the song, as well as the impossibile-to-get-out-of-your-head hooks, is worth the price of admission alone. Unfourtantly, though, no good deed goes unpunished, and The Pillows still have a few wrinkles in thier clothes. "Our Love and Peace" tends to get lost in itself and brings an unnatural break to the carefree flow of the CD, and "Beautiful Morning With You", as an insturmental intermission, seems entirely out of place both with the rest of the set, and with it's place at the end of the CD. Occasionally Sawao's good intentioned and crafy pop vocals tend to run into each other, sometimes makeing a few tracks not sound as sharp as they should simply by comparision. Fourtantly these are all problems that simply are fixed with time and maturuity, but for The Pillows, it'll prove to be an intresting to balancing act for them in the future- will the continue on with the title of Japan's Awnser to The Pixies and Weezer over thier heads, or will they, as the apoctolyptic nature of "Advice" and "Carnival" suggest, surprise everyone with a much different and more stylized sound? That's another review for another CD, but with where they are thus far, The Pillows are on the right track, either way.For all it's worth, The Pillows are still a young, callow band. There's room for improvement and risks, but what The Pillows offer- easy to digest, hook driven rock that isn't bogged down by a band that takes itself entirely too seriously- is amongst the best of it's kind. The Pillows are, all in all, a good rock band trying to have a good time, and this simple message of "Just Have Fun" is beginning to earn them a remarkable amount of international attention. If they can hone and refine thier craft, and possibily drop the name-dropping, we may be hearing from Sawao and co. again real soon. Sawao growls under his breath "I still have a great deal more to tell you" in english in the CD closer "Advice", and with all the perks this CD has to offer, we can only hope that this is the case."

"Music with no borders."

A. P. | Texas | 03/20/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I saw The Pillows perform live in a club venue, and they sound just as incredible 15 feet in front of you as they do on a CD. Their hooks are phenomenal, and every note, every song, has a sense of purpose.



The Pillows create nothing throwaway or forgettable, and their songs range from anthem-like chants celebrating youth (Little Busters) to grinding noise-fests (Nightmare), to thumping, yet fizzy pop (Blues Drive Monster). Even my young daughter loves The Pillows, no matter that most of their songs are in Japanese.



During the concert, Sawao told the crowd that music should be free of borders, that good music should be timeless. "Music should make people happy, " he said. "We want to make people happy." How cool is it that one group's success, dreams, and immense talent can, in effect, be a gift for so many?



I can't recommend The Pillows highly enough, and I'd encourage anyone to buy any of their albums.

"

I review: Happy Bivouac by The Pillows

pabcool | 02/28/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Happy Bivouac by The Pillows
King
Explicit: No (Almost every track is in Japanese)
Best Track: Last Dinosaur
Worst Track: Kim DealFirst of all, If you're reading this, you've probably seen FLCL. So I won't have to blabber on about that. Second of all, if you own this, go buy some Pixies albums. Now I'll shut up.Bivouac is pretty much 40-something minutes of orgasmic guitar hooks. If that sounds like a good thing to you, (which it is) then shell out the obsene amount of cash right now. No one does orgasmic guitar hooks like The Pillows. While that's basically the album in a nutshell, I of course must mention the genius single-worthy Last Dinosaur, which is an absolute joy to hear. The Pixiesesque noise just sticks in your head. Of course, there are a few flaws. Our Love And Peace is a fine song, but it drags too much and would be better snappier. Back Seat Dog's too sacharine even by Pillows standards, and Kim Deal's even more so. (Though many fans love it, I could be an exception)The last track, Advice, lays on a slightly heavier sound but most notable are the unintentionally hillarious lyrics composed of bad English, or as we here geeks call it, Engrish. Don't let the Japanese turn you off, though, as the guitar hooks ARE the album and most of the lyrics are pretty average. But you get what you pay for. And with the overwhelming import price of 40 bucks, that really speaks volumes. Bivouac, is, in the end, no artistic masterpiece. What it is, though, is in many ways better. It's basically the essence of fun boiled down into perfect, bouncy pop-rock. And we all need fun, do we not?Final Grade: A+(Maybe you liked this, maybe you didn't. But I don't really care all that much, since I do this for self-satisfaction and fun)"