Sicks

The Yellow Monkey is the premier rock group in all of Japan. As a high-energy 4 piece rock band rooted in 70's rock, TYM is probably the Japan's most accesible group to Western listeners. The Yellow Monkey is known for their incredible live performance and that really shows on this album.Sicks is TYM's 6th album (hence the wordplay "sicks"). The standout song on this 14-track release is the single called "Rakuen" which means Paradise. Other up-tempo rockers include TV Singer and I Can Be Mama (which is another play on words in Japanese). Longer songs like "Tengoku Ryoko" (Travel thru Heaven) and "Rainbow Man" give the album an epic like quality.The album ends with a bonus English version of a song called Love Love Show. The lyrics (done by someone outside the band)are kind of embarrasing and don't reflect the deep, intriguing lyrics that the lead singer writes in Japanese. Don't let the language barier scare you off, many translations are available on the web.The album drags a bit in places, but overall its a fantastic undertaking that would probably be enjoyed by rock fans who want to hear something new.