epIC. 01

"Greatness coming around the corner" It's been ten years since babamania came out with any new material. Perhaps this time around the world will sit back and take notice of a band that was pushing boundaries over a decade ago. For those of you familiar with babamania, I'm sure you'll love the two new songs recently recorded. But for those of you uninitiated to the band, it may come as a surprise that a band of this caliber didn't get more notice back in the day. Well we can blame it on the market that didn't understand them, but the band labored on their own and after ten years, came up with a couple of gems. After listening to their two new tracks, "COME ACROSS" and "FUGEE", I realized that the band's wordplay in their lyrics was just as esoteric and beautifully convoluted as ever. The guitarist, Yujin has pulled away form his aversion to solo guitar and gives us some wonderful fretwork that even a seventies music fan who was raised on self indulgent, overplayed guitar solos would appreciate. The interplay between the two vocalists, smoky Mari, and the tongue in cheeky Genki weaves in and out while keeping out of each other's way just enough. The rhythm-section, held together by the drummer Daigo and the bassist Takeo, who the band booted out years ago much to the band's detriment is back and keeping it in the groove. Sometimes the guy that seems least important is the piece that holds it all together; think CCR without Tom Fogerty. All in all a great effort and a precursor of greatness just around the corner. Maybe this time around the world will be ready for babamania and put them on the rock mantle that they deserve to be on. George Cockle