Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Music: PWRFL Power

Ashok sent me some songs by PWRFL Power 2 or 3 weeks ago and I finally got around to listening to it. PWRFL Power is Kaz Nomura, a Japanese ex-pat from Seattle who now kicks it in BK. He sings quirky, honest, songs over simple, but melodic acoustic guitar lines. His English isn't so good but he's classically trained in guitar. I immediately felt a similarity between his stuff and Neutral Milk Hotel. It's not just that they're both acoustic doodz, but the earnest delivery both display in their music, albeit in very different ways, felt alike to me. Pitchfork, who know like everyyyyything and gave NMH a 10 for one of my favorite albums ever, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, gave PWRFL Power's last record a 4.9. They sprinkled their review with pejorative descriptions like "broken English cheerleader lyrics" and "presumably put-on ESL awkwardness, childlike nonsense, and whimsy". They claim that "songs about dead birds, retarded dogs, and tomatoes simply feel contrived". I wonder what the exact day Pitchfork stopped being relevant and started being out-of-touch fathers was. Not to say "I get it" but, Pitchfork definitely doesn't get it anymore.


The lyrics are simple, sure, but effective. Take "Let Me Teach You How to Hold Chopsticks" for example: "My dad used to beat me up / Because I was holding them wrong / And I don't want to beat you up because / You're so pretty." Or Tomato Song: "If I smoke too much pot/ You'll go call me a stoner / If I hit too many lines / You'll go call me a cokehead / If I like you too much / You'll call me mental / I will throw a tomato / At you / I will throw a tomato / At you / Tomato Juice / All over your face / Juice / Dripping on the ground / Why you are mean to me?"

Maybe I'm off here but I think that's fucking great. Do you?http://www.luckyhorseindustries.com/files/PWRFL_POWER_Tomato_Song.mp3

When asked by Seattle Times what was next for him, Kaz responded "I'm starting a new project, just guitar and instruments ... I already have a name for it — "Half Yogurt." ... I just thought it was an interesting image — like, what's the other half?"

PWRFL Power's Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/pwrflpower

1 comment:

Brandon Ruben said...

you are off in general because your a freak but this song is Kewler than spelling Kewl with a K which is pretty Kewl, so good job dood.

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