Tomita Lab -- M-P-C "Mentality, Physicality, Computer" (Part 3)

 

Finishing up last week on Part 2 of Tomita Lab's（冨田ラボ）2018 album "M-P-C 'Mentality, Physicality, Computer", we have here the third and final part covering the remainder of his concept of the above three features being indispensable for 21st-century society thus far. As mentioned, all of the melodies have been provided by Tomita himself.

Strings so tender that you can have them with Worcestershire sauce greet the ears in "Interlude 2" once again with KANDYTOWN 's Ryohu as your congenial host singing about the ever-present dream, you and me.

Singer-songwriter Tavito Nanao（七尾旅人）lends his lyrics and silky and chocolatey vocals to "rain on you". It's a gently undulating pop piano piece about the rain perhaps a triggering bittersweet memory of a past romance. I really do like the combination of strings and piano here along with the background chorus. If I ever decide to write out an article on a rain theme, "rain on you" is more than welcome to join the list.

The band Mononkul（モノンクル）comes in with "Yuruyakana Doku"（緩やかな毒...Slow Poison）. Bassist Ryuta Tsunoda（角田隆太）wrote the lyrics about the so-called slow poison of love as the protagonist seems to be "succumbing" to the charms of the other whose voice repeatedly plays out in the head, and probably vice versa as well. Meanwhile, vocalist Sara Yoshida（吉田沙良）gives a soft and haunting account of the affair. 

"Outroduction" with Ryohu finishes up "MPC" as a pretty lively funk-hop hinting melodically at some of the early 70s cop movie soundtracks such as "Shaft". It also references back to Track 2 (aka the title track) that was described in Part 1, but instead of the analog vs. the digital there, Ryohu gives a laidback warning about the choice between love and all of the other temptations out there in society including money. Being a realist in this century, I think a combination of everything would be fine. By the way, the album peaked at No. 72 on Oricon.