Crack 6: Maneuver 6 (Beat Art Recordings/Euclid Agency; dist. by Universal Music K.K.)
With Maneuver 6, a three-track maxi-single, Chisato and his year-old group Crack 6 continue their pursuit of the ultimate fusion of rock, pop, hiphop and rap. It’s good-time music: fun to listen to, great for dancing. Just don’t try to analyze it too deeply.
Chisato--now restyling himself as MSTR for his Crack 6 gig--and his pals seem to be out for a good time and I for one am happy to join the party. What other rock group lists an official BMX rider and in-line skater as band members? (As far as I can tell, they don’t play or sing--they just BMX-ride and in-line-skate, I guess.) The music is catchy, with some nice rapid-fire Japanese rap by Chisato (sorry, I just can’t get used to the MSTR handle) and some more traditional-sounding rap by guest artist SOTARO of ZZ on the second track “Nothing But Music.” There are a few--but too few, in my opinion--manic guitar interludes and way too many incomprehensible English lyrics, but perhaps that’s what being hip and happening is in Japan.
About those lyrics. At least this release doesn’t require a parental advisory sticker, unlike the group’s Trinity album. And these definitely seem to be songs with a message of sorts. Track 3, “Okinawa” evolves into an anti-war anthem--well-meaning, but hardly subtle. Track 1 seems to be a free-spirited ode to fun: “Give me to fly tonight the wing”--I’m not sure what it’s supposed to mean, but it sounds fairly exhilarating. My favorite, lyric-wise, though, is “Nothing But Music,” with its message of music as the all-healing, life-changing force that drives MSTR and Crack 6. “I love it music people dance . . . Exciting Crazy MUSIC.” Not only a message I can tune into, but presented with enough joy and effervescence to keep me playing and dancing.
Chisato--now restyling himself as MSTR for his Crack 6 gig--and his pals seem to be out for a good time and I for one am happy to join the party. What other rock group lists an official BMX rider and in-line skater as band members? (As far as I can tell, they don’t play or sing--they just BMX-ride and in-line-skate, I guess.) The music is catchy, with some nice rapid-fire Japanese rap by Chisato (sorry, I just can’t get used to the MSTR handle) and some more traditional-sounding rap by guest artist SOTARO of ZZ on the second track “Nothing But Music.” There are a few--but too few, in my opinion--manic guitar interludes and way too many incomprehensible English lyrics, but perhaps that’s what being hip and happening is in Japan.
About those lyrics. At least this release doesn’t require a parental advisory sticker, unlike the group’s Trinity album. And these definitely seem to be songs with a message of sorts. Track 3, “Okinawa” evolves into an anti-war anthem--well-meaning, but hardly subtle. Track 1 seems to be a free-spirited ode to fun: “Give me to fly tonight the wing”--I’m not sure what it’s supposed to mean, but it sounds fairly exhilarating. My favorite, lyric-wise, though, is “Nothing But Music,” with its message of music as the all-healing, life-changing force that drives MSTR and Crack 6. “I love it music people dance . . . Exciting Crazy MUSIC.” Not only a message I can tune into, but presented with enough joy and effervescence to keep me playing and dancing.