Buffalo Daughter Albums (5)
What The Critics Say
Where previous Buffalo Daughter albums had flirted round the fringes of the shibuya-kei movement, with their eclectic influences and quirky, cut-and-paste approach to songwriting, Pshychic sees the band express a different side of their character. With only five tracks to its 50 or so minute running time, it's an album of repetitive loops and long, drawn-out dance grooves. Opening track "Cyclic" tells you all you need to know about it in its title, while "Pshychic A-Go-Go" uses basically the same dance beat and percussive guitar, but takes a more minimal approach, leaving the song with more of a Krautrock feel. "S.O.I.D." is as sweet a melody as the band have ever written and there are hints of the old Buffalo Daughter in the eccentric electronic dots and loops of "Chihuahua Punk," but cyclical, groove-led dance rock is really the order of the day on Pshychic, with the 20-minute closing track "303 Live" bringing the album to a slow-burning but suitably hypnotic finale, with its dueling guitar and sequencer, and an impressive performance from Matsushita Atsushi on drums. Self-indulgent it may be, and it may be a painful shock for longtime fans of the band, but Pshychic succeeds in putting the ghost of shibuya-kei to rest as well as on its own progressive, space rock terms. ~ Ian Martin, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Though Buffalo Daughter's previous albums balanced pop and experimentation artfully, the group makes its first real misstep with I, its third album and Emperor Norton debut. Actually, calling the album a misstep might be putting it too strongly -- there's plenty to recommend it, including the darkly dreamy opener "Ivory," which, with its ethereal harmonies, twining guitars and sleek beats, recalls the group's work with Takako Minekawa; "Five Minutes," a mix of sparse, spooky beats and sweet yet menacing vocals, exudes Blade Runner-esque sexiness; and "Discothèque du Paradis," which could almost be mistaken for a J-Pop parody if not for its airy artlessness. However, there's also enough wrong with I to make it a frustrating listen even for Buffalo Daughter fans. The main problem is that the group tries so hard to be clever and cutting-edge that it detracts from the album's strengths. Songs like "I Know," which sets samples of people saying "I know!" to synth bleeps and arty string arrangements, and the strangely theatrical, metal-influenced "Earth Punk Rockers," feature interesting elements that never quite jell into something listenable. The almost-catchy "Volcanic Girl," "A Completely Identical Dream" and the lackluster bossa nova of "Moog Stone" and "Mirror Ball" reach for the poppy, playful heights Buffalo Daughter scaled on Captain Vapour Athletes, and (especially) New Rock, but fall short. Even more frustrating is that since their previous label Grand Royal's demise, Buffalo Daughter's best albums are much more difficult to come by, making I both a disappointment and the easiest way to hear this fascinating, always-challenging (but, unfortunately, not always successful) group. [The CD was also released with a bonus track.] ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Japan's Buffalo Daughter has had fun at our happy expense since 1993, seeping into our delicate collective consciousness with Listerine commercials, video games, soundtracks and film scores, CD ROMs and other alternative musical techno media. Two previous BD albums on Japan's Cardinal Records, Shaggy Headdressers and Amoeba Soundsystem (released in '94 and '95, respectively), heralded the band's emergence as something other than an attitudinal gaggle of oddballs, although the music that SuGar, Yumiko and Moog make is still a far cry from what we have come to expect from a traditional "band." The title track on New Rock demonstrates their movie-music influence with the air of a credits sequence, revisited with "Super Blooper" later on down the disc. "Rhythm and Basement" reintroduces a funky balance of electronic and simpler sounds reminiscent of their previous Captain Velour Athletes projects. The breezy "Great Five Five Lakes" reassures you that the kids will be all right only until the album blossoms into its realized strange self with "Socks, Drugs, and Rock N Roll," "No New Rock," and "Autobacs." The Daughters have been accurately -- and favorably -- compared to the Slits, the Flying Lizards, Kraftwerk and even a riff or two as hardwired into all our heads from the Beatles transcendental White Album, which is all good news for the weird BD and their happy, weirder-yet fans. ~ Becky Byrkit, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Buffalo Daughter's 1998 album, New Rock, finds the group balancing their talents for sample-friendly pastiche pop with a simpler, more direct sound. The title track introduces this concept, opening the album with a straightforward guitar-and-drum foundation topped with spacy, distorted vocals. "Super Blooper," "Sky High," and the lovely "Jellyfish Blues" continue the trend, pairing stripped-down, guitar-prominent arrangements with the group's innovative production techniques. But Buffalo Daughter's too-much-is-never-enough sonic approach resurfaces on songs like "Rhythm and Basement," "Great Five Lakes," and "Autobacs," which feature the funky synths and samples the group is so fond of, and sound collages like "No Tokyo" and "Airport Rock" showcase BD's kitchen sink recording style. With as much simple as there is sample, New Rock shows progression and restraint. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide
'Captain Vapour Athletes'
Release Date 8/26/1996
Tracks 12
Label Grand Royal
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
The Japanese trio Buffalo Daughter spent their early career contributing to everything from commercials to video games soundtracks overseas. Their American debut honors that cut-and-paste past with a combination of songs from two earlier EPs and new tracks that display their mobile mentality. Daughter manages to blend abrupt breakbeat snippets, rough guitar work, sugary synth pop, and lazy-day harmonies, often seconds apart in the same song. While their dependence on complex samples and retro electronics helps add a certain edge, some of the best moments on Captain Vapour Athletes come from the simple, shy, and naked harmonies of Yumiko Ohno. Buffalo Daughter's desire to get experimental can stop a song dead in its tracks, like the dreary techno of "Baby Amoebae Goes South" or "Vapour Action Forever." But when all elements click, like the new wave robotics of "Cold Summer" or the sublimely droning ten-minute epic "LI303VE," a near-rhapsody of downtown funk and scratching, they prove themselves to be one of the more innovative and adventurous indie rock imports operating today. ~ Jason Kaufman, All Music Guide
