This Athens, Georgia six piece seems to like gimmicks. I don’t mean this in a pejorative way; there's no judgment attached. And hey, if something works… Firstly, you’ve got the cute name. Japan. Pancakes. Japancakes. Cute. I’ve always been fond of clever Wheel-of-Fortune ‘before-and-after’ type band names (The Sheryl Cro-Mags, anyone?) And secondly, you have a potentially risky, yet utterly brilliant marketing strategy that is perhaps on par with Radiohead’s free publicity from releasing their album as pay-what-you-like, though of course set to scale. However, it is a gimmick that in many ways pays off. The release of Giving Machines, their latest record, was planned just a month before Loveless, a record which covers My Bloody Valetines’ magnum opus in its entirety. This strategy of releasing these two back to back has attracted much more attention to Giving Machines, a release that would have otherwise slipped under the radar for many. The real pay off is that their version of Loveless, a lovingly prepared tribute if I have ever heard one, is actually quite good. After listening to Loveless performed with violins and pedal steel, it is impossible to listen to Giving Machines in the same way as one would have without having heard it. Japancakes make effective use of their instrumentation, particularly the support of the strings, and the standout vocalizations of the pedal steel, and after listening to them playing songs such as “Only Shallow,” they are given a more lyrical quality in the listeners mind, reminding us that, despite not having a singer, one instrument usually stands in for the role of the singer anyway.
When the bass and keys are in the right mode, Japancakes can sound much like a pop band, and I mean this in a good way. They establish a groove, and work through it in a way that is satisfying. On other tracks, however, they seem to prefer to noodle their way around, and the results makes for excellent background music. Thus Japancakes are sometimes a ‘mood’ band, and other times a pop band, oscillating between the fore- and the background. I suppose this shouldn’t be surprising coming from a band whose first practice session was a 40-minute jam on a D-Chord, (supposedly inspired by Terry Riley.) Their various influences shine through, however, and the debt they owe to shoegaze goes beyond My Bloody Valentine. In fact, “Heaven or Las Vegas” is a Cocteau Twins cover. Though it is well done and fun to listen to, it stands out as being a bit too different in style, offering too much contrast to the other tracks.
The production on Giving Machines is absolutely solid, and the drums in particular sound phenomenal. The pedal steel, piano, strings, and other instruments are outstanding as well, and over all the mix is great. While on the subject of drums, attention is drawn to them on the first track, “Double Jointed,” as there is an unusual amount of kick drum, but used to excellent effect.
For a band whose members record and write the music separately from each other, layering part upon last recorded part, Japancakes’ compositions manage an extraordinary amount of cohesion. Giving Machines is a satisfying record in many ways, and a worthy companion to Loveless. “Recovering Australia” is, for me, the album's highlight, featuring some beautiful piano parts, whose chord progressions are deeply moving in their simplicity. I would have ended the album there.
Giving Machines will appeal to fans of more pop leaning ambient music, as well as fans of Americana inspited instrumental, such as Sumner McKane. The strings, keys, and pedal steel seamlessly merge with the bass and drums, and just enough syrupy effects and ambience are thrown in to make Japancakes’ arrangements a tasty hybrid of pop and ambient.
-Joseph Sannicandro