Japan Suicide - KI

Finally, another Japan Suicide album. Okay, it hasn't been that long since Santa Sangre was released last year, but this is one of those bands that keeps getting better and better with each subsequent release for the most part. It would be an abdication of responsibility not to site the roads traveled to get here. I thought it would be tough to top the 2015 post punk gem, We Die In Such In A Place that had the whole post punk underground buzzing with excitement. I was correct in my feeling, but Santa Sangre is very good with its slower tempos and shoegaze influences.  This brings us to why we are here. 2019 unveils the next chapter in the legacy of Japan Suicide with Ki. Its very limited to 100 printed copies that will eventually disappear, perhaps finding a vinyl edition down the road sometime. For now, seek out their Bandcamp site and get it on CD/digital formats. 

According to the band's press release, KI is our legacy, an essential gesture driven by creative flow and inspiration to make a contact. Our peaceful attack." Japan Suicide always seem to drift towards highbrow topics that require a lot of Googling for those willing to explore beyond the sounds. There are many themes at work here from Japanese anti-Marxist, Mishima Yukio who is also known as an actor, model, poet and author of several novels and short stories. He is also known for committing seppuku after a failed coup attempt to restore the Emperor to power. Other influences come from Australian playwright and journalist Stefan Zweig, Mark Rothko and Katsushika Hokusai. Rothko is sited as an influence to the track "One Day The Black Will Swallow The Red" while Katsushika Hokusai is the influence and artist behind the Kanagawa-Oki Nami-Ura painting featured on the 7th track. Japan Suicide seem to take a deep interest in historical figures that commit suicide. Like Mishima Yukio, both Mark Rothko and Stefan Zweig took their own lives. Perhaps these men lost their Ki? According to Aikido master Koichi Tohei, the human being was created from ki of the universe. While a person receives Ki they are alive and deprive a person of it, they die.

Japans Suicide's music fits into the classic mold of modern post punk with its thumping basslines backed by the twangy airy guitars. The tempos vary but never get fractious in nature. The music is thoughtful and designed to parallel the darker lyrical themes. 

"Mishima" stands out as on Ki with its gentle opening and haunting post punk driven guitar rhythms. The song structure builds to more emphasis on vocal aggression while music remains airy and cold. "Fury" is another statement to the maturity in sound we hear on Ki. Musically, the structure breeds a quick tempo set to soothing vocals that compliment the music flawlessly. "Dance For You" lowers the body temperature a few degrees with its decent into the melancholy. The atmospheric foundation of the track lends to a healthy dose of the dark wonder surrounding this track. The music tells the story more than the limited lyrics do here. "Empire", "Fancy Mate" and "The Devil They Know" stay consistent with what "Mishima" and "Fury" both offer while "Erlebnis" ends the album with an experience between people that may not have ended well. The track is depressive to say the least and barely finds a beat, but works well with all the themes both musically and lyrically. 

Once again Italian post punkers, Japan Suicide come through with another gem of an album.  The more I played it the more immersed I became. I just hope Japan Suicide doesn't get too mature and go off in a whole new direction. They have the talent to do it for sure. Time will tell! Don't sleep on this one! Life is good! 

I truly apologize to the band for taking so long to complete this review. 








Jul 22 2019