3

Everything about 3 says that this album shouldn't be my cup of tea. I don't like punk, nor especially the pop-punk thing that emerged first in the 1990s and somehow stuck around. I have no fondness for Asian pop. If someone told me I would be this impressed by an album that threw all of this together with hints of math rock, I would have been very surprised. Frankly, I wouldn't have bothered had I not first seen some videos of the band by sheer accident.Truly, I stumbled into Tricot. It doesn't take long to get here if you start listening to Elephant Gym, but where Elephant Gym is precise and meticulous, with barely a hint of easily digestible pop, Tricot is something else. While both bands get classified under this thing called "math rock," they don't sound very similar to me. Whatever. Tricot is all over the place. Loud, hard, brash, but not in a true punk fashion. By that, I mean that there is a line running from The Stooges to the Sex Pistols and the Ramones through grunge and punk revival, but there is also a sort of pop-punk thing that lacks the ragged edge of punk, and combines the technical ineptitude of a particularly bad punk band with the insipid pop of a market-tested mall band from the early 1990s. I admit a fondness for Raw Power, but that latter category... no. Just... no.Yet, there is something of that pop-punk aesthetic here, without the insipidness. Just a hint of ragged energy, unlike the precision of Elephant Gym. The instrumentals retain enough to impress me, as is appropriate in math rock, and the angularity is there. Yet, there is also a sort of candy coating that I would also normally hate, and which Elephant Gym didn't have. Really, how did I get here from Elephant Gym?Regardless, something about the manic energy prevents the candied-over elements from making the music anything but exciting. Tricot manages a cool trick. These styles shouldn't go together. Bands like Polyphia can combine elements of math rock with metal and get something cool and weird and different, but that isn't conceptually odd. This is. This shouldn't work. Polyphia is taking one form of music that is intrinsically complex, and mixing it with something else that is intrinsically complex. Hiding the seams is not easy, to be sure, but it isn't something that makes you say, no WAY can that work. Combining math rock with pop-punk and Asian pop? Huh? Really? This works, HOW?It works because this is a smart and creative group that knows what they are doing. I am surprised and impressed.

Stellar production, musicianship is crisp and imaginative. A great variety of material and texture. Worth every cent.

Fantastic Freaking Album

This is Tricot's best record yet. They've always been virtuosos but I think the songwriting is just plain stronger on this record than on their previous releases. They continue to write deceptively difficult music and give it a pop/punk vocal sheen which might confuse you into thinking they're commercial. They couldn't be further from the mainstream. Well, maybe not as out there as OOIOO but the more I listen to it, the more I'm blown away by the eccentric and complex structures they're creating. Motoko "Motifour" KIda on guitar is probably the music's most distinct feature. I can hear punk, funk, jazz, rock, and Fripp all throughout her compositions. The Bass of Hiromi "hirohiro" Sagane is strong and muscular yet very agile with a prog sensibility. On top is Ikkyu Nakajima on vocals and guitar. Her singing is melodic and alternately kawaii and badass. Plus she's got an amazing vocal range. On guitar she's the perfect counterpoint to Motoko. Then there's the fact they they're all quite attractive young Japanese women with cute haircuts playing unapologetic, direct, aggressive, complicated and progressive rock music. Tricot and birthday cake Oreos are all I need in my life.I bought the vinyl and the sound is what you'd expect these days. Digital, compressed and thin. Sad. How I'd love to hear this band record a live record on analog equipment in an old jazz club! On the plus side, the wax is half pink and half clear which is kind of perfect for Tricot. Half cute and half ice-cold awesomeness. The opening track Tokyo Vampire Hotel is the title song for the Amazon series directed by Sion Sono. So I guess they're quite popular in Japan.

Not all wild and crazy; has some beautiful harmonies, and tonal and rhythmic ambiguity. But mostly just fun.

Seriously good!

I have been a fan of Tricot for a few years now. I was excited to see that their latest album 3 was getting a vinyl release. The audio is great, and I love the cover.

This is the "difficult third album" from Japanese math heroes Tricot. Rather than falling into a dull regurgitation of past glories they mannage (with the help of a new "permanent" drummer Yuusuke Yoshida) to conjure up a feast of frenetic math. To be fair, nothing less should be expected from a band in which the lead guitarist (the phenomenal Motoko "Motifour" Kida) regularly channels Fripp and the bass player (the remarkable Hiromi "Hirohiro" Sagane) brings the spirit of James Jamerson right into the room. "3" is nothing less than excellent. Standout track (perhaps; it's hard to pick) might be 18,19, although the mafignificent "Melon Soda" is probably the obvious single (and check out the admirable video that goes with it). If you haven't heard this album yet, I suggest you correct that error right away.

This was a gift for my daughter. She was happy with it, but did want me to mention that the case wasn’t as expected. It came with a paper sleeve, not a plastic case.

Majestuoso y una obra de arte.Increíble álbum.En realidad es difícil de escuchar las primeras ocasiones por ser Math rock, pero en cuanto abordas el tren directo, la música te lleva a un viaje de proporciones fantásticas.

I love this album, it's probably the best Tricot album so far. The CD cover and presentation is very basic - just a gatefold cardboard sleeve with no booklet. However, at the price it's good value and a lot cheaper than importing a Japanese copy.

Catchy Japanese rock music with math rock flourishes.