They're back! The Cosmic Inferno is finally back! And just in time. Kawabata Makoto introduced the Cosmic Inferno in 2005 when he felt that The Melting Paradiso UFO was becoming stale. What followed were 2 brilliant albums (and 3 or 4 not quite brilliant but still pretty cool albums) from AMT and The Cosmic Inferno. Then when he reformed The Melting Paradiso UFO and released some spectactular albums with them in 2006 and 2007.
What's the difference between the two bands? It's really not as much as you'd think, but it's just enough to make the difference. As far as the live show, the only difference I've seen between the two bands is the bassist/singers. Not that this is unimportant. Kawabata Makoto relies heavily on both Tabata Mitsuru and Tsyuama Atushi as lead vocalists and collaborators.
The Melting Paradiso UFO features longtime collaborator Tsuyama Atushi while The Cosmic Inferno features Tabata Mitsuru on bass and vocals. The first incarnation of The Cosmic Inferno included two drummers, but one of them could not get a visa to the U.S. because of a criminal record "for drugs". So while on album, The Cosmic Inferno made good use of two drummers to add a lot of rythmic intensity and complexity, live, they were basically the same band with a different bassist.
But apparently the two drummers is an important part of The Cosmic Inferno. So when drummer Okano Futoshi left the Cosmic Inferno, he was replaced by Afrirampo's drummer, Pikachu. As a drummer, she doesn't quite keep up with Okano. On "Anthem of the Space" and "IAO Chant from the Cosmic Inferno" created rythms that were punishing in their intensity. Pikachu's percussion just seems to add more noise to the mix. This is of course always welcome, but not quite as interesting.
But I'd still take Pikachu over Okano Futoshi any day because in addition to banging the drums, she sings. And as a vocalist, she's the best Kawabata's found since Cotton Casino left the group. In fact, she's a perfect replacement for Cotton, and I really hope she'll be invited to join TMPUFO.
Journey into The Cosmic Inferno is one of those AMT albums that threatens to be a conceptual mess but is partially saved by Pikachu. While the six tracks are called movements, there's not much to tie them together. The opening riff of "Master of The Cosmic Inferno" reappears at the end of "Ecstasy into the Cosmic Inferno" but that's about it. Usually these albums lack memorable jams and include too many frustrating and indulgent tracks. The 22 minute jam "Master of the Cosmic Inferno - Heart of Earth" opens with a strong riff but then becomes a disappointingly formless jam....until the 2nd part ("Heart of Earth" I presume) where Pikachu takes over. The band drops out and she begins to sing, chrip, cluck (not really sure what to call all of the noises she makes) a pretty but haunting melody. Slowly the band takes shape around her, and the song reaches a liesurely conclusion.
3rd movement, "Ecstasy into the Cosmic Inferno" wastes no time. It starts with the two drummers gently playing a beat and from there instruments are slowly layered over. First there's a guitar riff, then an organ drone. And then more guitar, sitar, synths, bass and what appears to be every instrument the band has available. A lesser group would become overwhelmed, but the jam never falls apart. After 11 minutes, Pikachu's vocals come in, and the song becomes even more frenzied. When the band finally cuts the pace in half and plays the riff from "Master of The Cosmic of Inferno" it feels like a relief. A very loud relief.
But the most surprising moments of this album come towards the end. Penultimate track, "Usisi" is about 8 minutes of acoustic guitar and incomprehinsible vocals (maybe this is just because I don't know Japanese. You never know with these guys). It's just one repetitive melody, but its simplicity is its genius. The track feels completely effortless but I never find a reason to hold that against them. And the closing track "Shalom Cosmic Inferno" provides a nice climax to the album. The band sings together and Kawabata unleashes a crazed but focused solo. Maybe the songs tied together better than I thought.
Pink Lady Lemonade - You're from Outer Space features basically the same lineup, only they've added longtime sporadtic vocal collaborator Audrey Gineset. Pink Lady Lemonade is AMT's trademark jam. Every version of the band plays this song live. It first appeared on their first album in a very simple version that just doesn't compare to the awesome beauty of the live version. Since then, there have been a few attempts at putting this piece on an album, but they have all fallen short. For some reason, Kawabata is incapable of recording the song as it's played live.
And with the opening track, AMT appear ready to fuck it up again. The first track is a 23 minute version of Pink Lady Lemonade, but the first ten minutes sounds nothing like the jam AMT fans know. Instead it's a totally different melody that's light and enjoyable, but when they finally start playing the song as it's known, it feels like too little too late.
Fortunately, the band redeems themselves in their next two tracks, "Message From Outer Space" and "Take me to The Universe" (yes, there's a theme here), featuring Pikachu and Tabata on lead vocals respectively. Both songs are perfect companions to Pink Lady Lemonade. While each song reaches its own frenzied climax, they both start with simple beautiful melodies, and are just gorgeous sounding. What makes Pink Lady Lemonade so unique among AMT's jams is how relaxed pleasant it is. Sure, the solos are always frenzied, but the melody at the core of the jam is exceedingly simple and pleasant. A rarity for this band. And for this album, The Cosmic Inferno maintain those good feelings for more than an hour, even when they aren't playing Pink Lady Lemonade.
The concluding version of Pink Lady Lemonade should satisfy all fans. While it's just over 10 minutes long, far shorter than the live version, it wastes no time. For the first few minutes, the band chants "Pink Lady Lemonade" while the guitar melody plays. And then Tabata howls "you're so sweeeeet" and the drums come in and the song takes off. Kawabata begins his solo shortly, and doesn't let up until the end of the song. This version wastes no time in knocking listeners off their feet.
In the AMT catalogue, these may be minor works. Except for Pink Lady Lemonade, none of these jams will become standards in their live set. Nevertheless, these are 2 of the most consistent AMT albums you can find. And apparently The Melting Paradiso UFO is back and has released 2 new albums...stay tuned.
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