Uchu Conbini – Feel The Dyeing Note (2014)

I feel that I can’t say anything that could convey the true beauty of Feel The Dyeing Note. What I can suggest is that Kyoto’s Uchu Conbini have figured out the vivacious-math-to-hook-rich-pop golden ratio. Although the exact value will remain somewhat of a mystery, Feel The Dyeing Note is evidence that it exists.

The seven track mini-album bursts into life with ‘Pyramid’, albeit very peacefully. The guitar-tapped work of Daijiro Nakagawa, frenetic in structure but sweet in substance, is abruptly met with the angelic vocals of Emi Ohki, guiding the music towards more sustained and soothing pop sensibilities. Yet, the bizarro meter changes in the bridge, steered by drummer Yuto Sakai, provides enough allusions that Uchu Conbini are not only technically and musically proficient, but there is still an element of unpredictability to their overall sound.

And this is confirmed as Feel The Dyeing Note progresses. Tracks like ‘8films’, ‘strings’, and the complexly punctuated ‘Compass’ showcase both the rapier precision of these young musicians, and their ability to wedge these complex segments amongst catchy pop choruses. While the guitar work is energetic and rapid-fire, the chords never stray far enough for the music to become discordant. This allows Uchu Conbini to employ one of those quasi-magical agents of musicality: harmony.

Uchu Conbini delivers an album that is texturally frantic but at the same time idyllic, beguiling and, above all, charming. Assuming this to be true, I can only subsequently assume that the initially macabre title, ‘Feel The Dyeing Note‘, refers to the colouring effect of music, a means of illustrating the vibrancy of all things.