Japancakes

Giving Machines

Darla

originally published October 24, 2007

The double-edged sword troubling Japancakes is that the band's songs might not be abstract or dense enough to fire all the synapses of those who obsess over the sort of hi-fi genre the group explores, but each of its past albums does present a nearly flawless thesis on dusty languid post-rock that can satisfy newcomers. There's a reason no one really listens to any of the countless Stereolab clones anymore, but you can still laze around in the twilight to Japancakes.

The easy statement "if it ain't broke don't fix it" definitely applies here. While there's more anticipation to hear the band's upcoming reworking of My Bloody Valentine's seminal album Loveless (to be released next month), Giving Machines serves as a reminder of why Japancakes can probably pull it off. "Double Jointed" leads off with the usual suspects: delicate picked guitar and Heather McIntosh's cello, soon blanketed by the ol' John Neff pedal steel like powdered sugar on French toast.

A faintly wheezy synth and drums carry the track to near-epic drama, as always without ever relying on distortion. "Lalita" is a Valium hoedown. "Recovering Australia" is the best thing here, standing beside anything on Waking Hours with its incredible drone texture, syrupy pedal steel and absolutely perfect plaintive piano. There's even a cover of the Cocteau Twins' "Heaven or Las Vegas" that captures the shoegaze forebears' dream pop and effortlessly refracts it through Japancakes' twangy prism.

Giving Machines just kind of happened, without the band doing much performing to promote it, and its almost unnoticed release is a little here-today-gone-tomorrow. Regardless, the band's as top-notch as ever, and it's a good thing Japancakes is still here to inject much-needed humanity and warmth into a genre that always needs it.

Michael Wehunt