Sakanaction is a Japanese band that doesn't really fit under the label pop or rock. Experimental would be a better name for them to relate to musically in my opinion. Most overseas fans see them as a J-rock band though. I became a legit fan when I looked them up after hearing their music on Japanese films. I've been a fan eve since then. The band consisting of three men and two females took a very long break. Try about six years of no releases but they did let fans know that new music was in the works with the release of a few singles. 834.194 is the band's seventh album to date.
TRACKLIST
01. 忘れられないの
02. マッチとピーナッツ
03. 陽炎
04. 多分、風。
05. 新宝島
06. モス
07. 「聴きたかったダンスミュージック、リキッドルームに」
08. ユリイカ (Shotaro Aoyama Remix)
09. セプテンバー -東京 version
10. グッドバイ
11. 蓮の花 -single version
12. ユリイカ
13. ナイロンの糸
14. 茶柱
15. ワンダーランド
16. さよならはエモーション.
17. 834.194
18. セプテンバー -札幌 version
You would think that after six years of no albums that Sakanaction would come back transformed into a new version of their former selves six years earlier. Nope. none of that was to be found as 834.194 was a retelling of the same style that fans know the band for. Don't take this for me hating on them. Thats not what I mean. Sure, this quality being brought back again and again will get old but I still love the album for what it is. It would have been nice to hear a different sound that builds off of what made Sakanaction so popular in the Japanese music scene. Sakanaction performed a mixture of pop and rock when many other J-bands were not. Six years later and most band in Japan who were doing rock in the early 2000s are now partaking in electro dance pop to stay relevant. This band was before their time so they don't need to do much to sell albums. 834.194 did very well on the Japanese music charts, debuting at the top of the chart for the week. Eighteen tracks is enough for a greatest hits compilation which might have been the feel they were going for since they had been away for so long. The album is honestly a very fun listen if you've been a long time fan of their music. Each track either explores a vibe of groovy pop that gets you dancing in your seat or rock that makes Sakanaction feel like a solid unit. They've never done regular rock alternative songs. This album shows a little bit of a a toned down side to the band that I never got a full experience of. Well, there's enough room to add whatever they wanted in 834.194. I wish there was something new that would have surprised me a bit. Fans who listened to their old albums can tell you the range of different instruments used in the musical production. Some were Violins, drums, keyboards, even traditional Japanese instruments in order to give a taste of Japan in modern day. 834.194 truly is a testimony of "don't fix what isn't broken". Sakanaction may not have broken artistry however, their too talented at production to not be a little more adventurous.
The vocals also sound the same. Ichiro's voice continues to be bendable to whatever crazy arrangements the band decides to produce. Sakanaction milks the hell out of simple melodies tacked on to more complexed musicality. I would be bored of songs using "Lalala" if it's not Sakanaction singing it. I love the group vocals that are kind of a signature to their songs. Do they have back up singers or is it just the band singing together? It could also be voice dubbing of the Ichiro's vocals. Either way these moments give flavor to the tracks when I hear them.
834.194 is a enjoyable but very safe album. No new musically growth must have happened while Sakanaction was away during those six years. Take it for what it is, I guess….. A safe album is better than an awful album any day.
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