X Japan - Jealousy
Release: July 1, 1991 (Original release)
February 14, 2007 (Special Edition)
Genre: Speed metal
Label: Ki/oon Records
Length: 51:23
Nick's Rating: 3.5/5
I don't like to brag, but I think I have pretty good taste in music. Or, well, I thought I did until I decided it was time to check out X Japan. I guess this is just part of my "listen to things from all around the world" quest, and I'm afraid to trudge into the territory of Vocaloid songs without at least six guides holding my hands, and I don't feel like being a tug-of-war rope. So, a conservative choice (albeit one that would make political conservatives vomit). I got hold of this album, the special edition version with seven bonus tracks (instrumental versions of the vocal numbers from the album), and gave it a listen.
Shockingly, I liked it. I mean, it was good. It was very good. But not good as in "quirky kitsch" like Porcelain and the Tramps, and not good as in "written by a genius lyrical wordsmith" like Sparks, and not necessarily good as in "masterful instrumentalism" like King Crimson, or even good as in "abstract and demanding" like Cynic. It's more the "immaculately-made mid-level speed metal" of any 'good' third generation speed-metal band (discounting thrash, which is a whole new genre in and of itself). Let's not talk about the visual appearance... this music owes endless debt to Budgie and Iron Maiden. There is no escaping this. NO ESCAPE. NO ESCAPE...
Ahem. If you're looking for musical genius, don't start here, by any means. There are a few more genius musical moments than your average KISS record (they're purportedly big fans, or were), but that's not saying much. To be fair, though, the riffs that populate all of the good-ish five songs are worthwhile. However, maybe to make this as close to "quick and painless" as possible, let's go through the things I hate first, then what I'm lukewarm about, then what I actually like. I'm not even gonna try any analysis here; I can't understand a fucking WORD of this, and I could do without looking at the album cover again.
I utterly despise "Voiceless Screaming" and "Say Anything." Sometimes, ballads work. The minimalistic, acoustic-only "Voiceless Screaming" sounds great at first, like it might be kinda like Elvis Costello's "Little Triggers" (This Year's Model is still one of my favorite albums ever.), but it's not. The problem is that vocalist Toshimitsu Deyama (Toshi) over-emotes and sounds really, really whiny here. Taiji Sawada donates a nice arrangement, but otherwise... "Say Anything" has basically the same problem, but worse. It doesn't even have the benefit of a good arrangement. Sad, because Yoshiki Hayashi donates good songs elsewhere.
The instrumentals... well, it all depends on my mood. Two are introductions, one is just kinda weird. I'm talking about "Love Replica," and I'm counting it as instrumental even if it lists lyrics from deceased lead guitarist Hideto "hide" Matsumoto. I don't hear much in that area except a few abstract French statements. It's too long for being a weird pseudo-experimental mostly-electronic track. I guess it's cool, but it's sleep-inducing. Tomoaki Ishizuka (Pata) contributes "White Wind from Mr. Martin ~Pata's Nap~," which is the intro to "Voiceless Screaming." I like it, but it's really just the expected dicking around with an acoustic guitar. Nothing special. Likewise "Es Dur no Piano Sen" (I had to look that one up), though it does have this nice little break toward the end where everything just stops and there's a brief bit of chaos with the piano. That's Yoshiki's first contribution to the album, and it's the intro to "Silent Jealousy."
Speaking of which, I love "Silent Jealousy." I'm not ashamed. It's actually a decent number. I think the piano really makes it a hell of a lot more interesting than just another speedy riff-based song. At seven minutes long, it had better be interesting. It is. From what I've read, there's something from Swan Lake excerpted in that piano break toward the middle, but I couldn't tell you for sure. I just know that it sounds good, and this is where Toshi's strength as a vocalist lies.
Next in line: "Miscast" -- it's a great title, as if I could use one to sum up everything about the band, it would be that. Or maybe "Drain," but that's another review. The soung is even a little heavier than the last one with no regard for instrumental genius. It just rock pretty nicely, which is about all I need from an X Japan song. That's why I still listen to "Desperate Angel." It rocks nicely, even if it really is nothing special.
The real fun of this record is listening to "Stab Me in the Back" while you know what it's about. Hint: It's about being the receiving partner in anal sex. The lyrics were written by someone from outside the band (Hitomi Shiratori, according to Wikipedia), so take that as you will. I've also heard that Yoshiki thinks it's his favorite song (though I could be wrong), so tanke that as you will. You have a good night, now.
Oh, right. The song. It's pretty okay. It's the thrashiest number on here, and like most "thrashiest numbers" on records from thrash's heyday (i.e. pre-Black Album), is not always the funnest thing to listen to, unless you can't get enough of the sounds of heavy traffic (not the film, no). It's well-written and well-performed, but also lacks that technical edge that made Master of Puppets so good. "Damage, Inc." this ain't.
That just leaves "Joker." I don't know what to think of this one. It's kind of... not as good as my other favored songs, but I do like it. It's just kind of hard to remember. Maybe it's the vocals? I feel like I can make more sense of them, and I'm not sure I like that idea. Thankfully, the instrumental versions...
Well, there you go. I was probably a little hard on this record, but I don't consider it godlike. It's not really bad, though, either, just... it's not the first thing I'd take down to listen to if I was going to drive back to Chicago. Though, neither is Ghost in the Machine, which is a long-standing favorite of mine. It's well-performed, but not terribly special in terms of arrangement.
P.S. to any fans who may get prissy about fouling up information, please post a comment to this entry if I've gotten something wrong. I had to look a LOT of shit up on Wikipedia, which tends to have this effect... you get it.
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