(2020) Half Japanese - Crazy Hearts


Review:
Half Japanese return with another thrilling ride into unknown charters encountering beasts, celebrities, and menaces. Purveyors of noise and indie rock for over four decades, Half Japanese have inspired generations of fans from musicians and critics alike. Now set to release their 19th studio album Crazy Hearts continues with their detuned, outsider pop capturing you in the way that only Jad Fair ever can. A philosophical psych-tinged journey, these whip-smart observations are uplifting with life-affirming sentiments (‘Wondrous Wonder’) that we are familiar with. They meld melodic classic rock riffs with heavier bass lines and darker, more twisted tones on ‘My Celebrity’ and ‘A Phantom Menace’. Their last excursion saw Uncut praising them for their “unchanged, more ecstatic musings on love and science fiction” that continues to resonate here. Half Japanese deliver another well-wrought album with their usual DIY ethos and art punk spirit at its core (‘Undisputed Champions’), all whilst wearing Jad’s heart firmly on its sleeve (‘Crazy Hearts’). Recorded across various studios in Spain, France and the US, Jad Fair is accompanied by his longstanding band members John Sluggett, Giles Vincent Rieder, Mick Hobbs and Jason Willett. Mastered by Brian Pyle and mixed by Jason Willett of the band. Album includes artwork from American illustrator and cartoonist, Gary Panter and David Fair.





Tracklist:
01. The Beast Master
02. Wondrous Wonder
03. Dark World
04. And It Is
05. My Celebrity
06. Late At Night
07. Undisputed Champions
08. Crazy Hearts
09. As Best You Can
10. A Phantom Menace
11. A Job Well Done
12. Let It Show


Media Report:
Genre: alternative rock, post-punk
Format: FLAC
Format/Info: Free Lossless Audio Codec, 16-bit PCM
Bit rate mode: Variable
Channel(s): 2 channels
Sampling rate: 44.1 KHz
Bit depth: 16 bits