Tomita Lab -- M-P-C "Mentality, Physicality, Computer" (Part 2)

 

Last week, I provided an article on Part 1 of Tomita Lab's（冨田ラボ）2018 album "M-P-C 'Mentality, Physicality, Computer'", and so far, from him and his collaborators, it's been some a mixture of R&B, hip-hop and even a bit of synthpop. All music is by the Lab himself.

I guess with the overall concept of what life is like in early 21st-century Japan, there will be a couple of interludes. "Interlude 1" which is officially Track 5 is another cooperative effort between Ryohu of KANDYTOWN and Tomita that has disco and rap as the former gives his patter about making that first step going into the big city for what might be a terrifyingly exhilarating night. Looking in the liner notes, I gotta say that I never expected a couple of clarinet players alongside the horns helping out here.

Track 6 is "Let It Ride" which I already wrote about and the link to that song can be found in Part 1, so let's go over to the soulful "OCEAN" featuring Naz, aka Nazu Yamada（山田なづ）, an Okinawan R&B singer. With lyrics by Lori Fine of COLDFEET, Naz delivers a pleasingly smooth and smoky performance about suddenly finding joy, reassurance and power. Her website is currently out of commission but her Facebook and Twitter accounts are still open.

One more track is "POOLSIDEDELIC" featuring singer-songwriter and guitarist Rei. With lyrics by Jun Kamoda（鴨田潤）, aka hip-hop musician Illreme（イルリメ）, I'm not quite sure which part of R&B this track belongs to, but the percussion is snazzy. Lyrically, there seems to be an Agatha Christie novel's worth of suspense and intrigue surrounding one recreational pool. In any case, I will wrap up "M-P-C" with Part 3 next week.