Super7aiyan –East City Vixen EP review
Both band name and E.P title are as misleading and as confusing as each other, giving the impression of a band comprised of ‘1337’ gamers who somehow wandered into music. Thankfully Super7saiyan are relying on enticing potential fans using a short tapestry of math rock, rather than a nostalgic throwback to 90’s Japanese cult shows. The E.P is comprised of a meagre two tracks which is quite a gamble for such a fledgling band, although the decision to cull those tracks which were not fit to represent the band could be seen as a wise choice.
The first and shorter of the two tracks Vixen opens with soft delicate strings muddled together, before opening into the bass and full drums which mimic the light riffs of the track. The bass is warm, and the drums are kept compressed as not to drown out the clean crisp sound of the guitars talking back to one another. The track as a whole is comprised of pleasant riffs which, as stand-alone pieces are quite impressive. However the complete track lacks any real bursts of satisfaction, the tone of the song sails continuously through stops and starts by the bass and drum without deviation. It becomes the musical equivalent of a daydream, pleasing, fleeting but soon forgotten.
East City on the other hand truly is a track which promises as much oddity and interest from the band as its name would suggest. The song wears more layers then a cold pensioner as it jumps from the placid and tame, to the downright heavy. Piano interludes which could have been lost amidst the catchy riffs and motifs of the song are done exactly right, building the track to an almost ‘Avalanches’ crescendo. Unlike Vixen the only reason a riff may be forgotten in this six minute exercise in ‘how to keep an instrumental satisfying’ is because it is usurped by another even more interesting riff.
Although only two tracks appear on this E.P, it gives a pretty palatable taste of this bands potential. The band’s craft and precision on both tracks is pretty indisputable, but it’s the sheer complexity of the textures which appear on East City which promise a future for the band. It seems as if the best way for Super7aiyan to avoid obscurity is to pump their music full of it.