When I hear a PSY-S song, I look forward to two things usually: CHAKA's high and beautifully resonating voice and Masaya Matsuura's（松浦雅也）synthesizer hooks.
I still get those with "Separate Blue", a track from the duo's 6th album "Signal" released in July 1990. With Matsuura, I get those "thrip, thrip, thrip..." notes from his synth (your onomatopoeia mileage may vary) while CHAKA gives out those plaintive and penetrating vocals. "Separate Blue", along with that ever-present jangly beat, also has some added warmth thanks to a brief interlude in the song which sounds like the melody dropped in at an old-fashioned toy shop in Germany or elsewhere in Europe. It's these little turns in new directions that made PSY-S stand out as a technopop band.
In April 1994, PSY-S released "Home Made", an album of self-covers and they performed a quieter and unplugged take on "Separate Blue". Next to Matsuura's melody, Norie Kanzawa（神沢礼江）provided the lyrics.
Very nice song. However, the dancing is awkward and doesn't blend with the mood of the song, at least from my perspective. Maybe it has something to do with the lyrics? I don't know.
ReplyDeleteRegardless, I'm intrigued by this group's sound and will need to look into their catalog.
Hi, Michael. I think from what I've seen of PSY-S in concert, the choreography was probably meant to be somewhat gawky and geeky. PSY-S was always a bit of an eccentric but catchy act.
DeleteYeah, I've come to expect to see singers with a bunch of people dancing like crazy in the background, maybe throw in some in bear or takuni costumes while a huge mech flies overhead shooting laser beams.
ReplyDeleteGave PSY・S a listen yesterday. Some stand-out tracks include 空の日, Cubic Lovers, Kisses. The lead singer (Chaka?) has a great voice.
With PSY-S, I think it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to imagine those yuru-kyara such as Kumamon or Funassyi as background dancers at one of their performances. :) It's good to hear that you've been enjoying the band's music and indeed, Chaka has a great voice.
DeletePSY-S's "Christmas in the Air" is one of my favorite Christmas songs. I have a live version that's even better than the album version. I'll have to check out some more of their music.
ReplyDeleteAfternoon, Scott. "Christmas in the Air" is a minty-fresh tune of the season. I get images of being in that horse-drawn sleigh on a sunny Xmas morning as I hear this.
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