Polysics - Now Is The Time

Tokyo, Japan’s Polysics makes no bones about their major musical influences, or should I say, influence; singular. That influence is Devo. The band unabashedly professes their love and admiration for Devo--they even dress in Devo jumpsuits with the word "POLY" sewn on where "Devo" would be, and at first glance Polysics seem little more than a tribute band. But for main disciple Hayashi, and his fellow bandmates, Devo’s aesthetic is just a launching point. Polysics is like a Bizzaro World version of Devo--imagine an alternate universe where Devo came out of Japan in the late '90s rather than Akron, Ohio in the late '70s. In this alternate reality, the Spartan and robotic elements of Devo battle the ultra-frenetic elements of J-Rock for musical dominance; and the J-Rock side usually wins. True, Polysics’ songs are usually built around sci-fi synthesized pulses by band members that play their instruments with dead-pan expressions on their faces, like their American musical heroes did; but lead singer/guitarist/band leader Hayashi’s thrashy guitar style provides a strong juxtaposition to his bandmates' robotic stoicisms. No robot he; Hiroyuki Hayashi instead plays the J-Rock--rockstar with the exuberance of a kid air-guitaring his little heart out--jumping around the stage, hitting all the classic stances of guitar heroes, past and present. After repeated listenings it becomes apparent that Hayashi and the rest of the band has been listening to more than just Devo. Fragmentary references to kraut-rock, Talking Heads, The Knack, girl-group Motown, and surf guitar flows effortlessly from the band and their wacky enthusiasm is infectious. This wacky enthusiasm has earned the band’s live performances an already legendary reputation that turns casual listeners and the curious into fans. Any chance to see Polysics is highly recommended. To get a sense of Polysics’ shows, check out their videos. A good little collection can be found here. Listeners that haven’t been exposed to other Japanese bands such as Space Streakings, the Boredoms, Melt Banana, and the like, may find Now Is The Time a bit hard to swallow at first, but Polysics is worth the effort. [www.polysics.com]