DarkSeaDream

Food Brain, an obscure band in the Anglosphere, is recognized as the foundation of Japanese Psych Rock in the Sino. Notable for its absurd album cover, which displays just an elephant standing upon a trace-like field, it sets up an expectation of world music, as opposed to Western-influenced Rock. The most diverse group of the early Japanese rock scene, consisting of Chinese guitarist Shinki Chen, often labeled the Hendrix of Japan; Masayoshi Kabe, a half-French bassist; keyboardist Hiro Yanagida; and drummer Hiro Tsunoda. He later went on to join Flied Egg, alongside the famous Masayoshi Takanaka.

Food Brain kicks off with “That Will Do,” the most bass-driven psych-funk tune among the 70s rockers, reminiscent of the Jon Lord and Blackmore era of Deep Purple, think “In Rock.” The bass and keyboard, displayed front and center, carry you along for a psychedelic trip that carries on for almost 10 minutes before transitioning into a short interlude titled Naked Mountain, before leading us to Waltz For M.P.B., a title whose name confuses me as I’ve yet to read the inspiration behind the name. Shinki Chen plays a simple two-chord vamp from A minor to D, with Yanagida once again jamming over the entire tune in that psychedelic, LSD-induced mess you’d expect from 70s rock jam bands.

Up next is the most off-the-wall titled song on the album, Liver Juice Vending Machine, alongside the most trippy jam. Had I been unaware of when The Inner Mounting Flame was released, I’d have assumed Mahavishnu Orchestra influenced them. Not to say they are on par, but I can draw parallels here. The genres MO incorporated into their sound are showcased here for the world to enjoy. It opens with some idiophone-sounding synth sample, which appears to be spiraling downward before the entire band kicks into some up-tempo rock and funk-esque jam. It sounds like a continuation of That Will Do turned up to 11, with some Jeff Beck-era Yardbirds guitar playing mixed in. The Conflict of the Hippo and the Pig is a drum break that incorporates animal sounds, almost like a primal ritual, meant to invoke a state of grooving.

The clock is what sounds like them trying to imitate a clock or an alarm; this is a more experimental approach than the previous hard rock tunes. The keyboards oversaturate the entire song, just like the earlier tracks. A bit of lead playing from Shinki Chen is included here, but by this point, I think his time to shine is far behind. If anything, I consider this a breath of fresh air after being suffocated by all that overdriven keyboard playing. One-Sided Love is a very baroque-sounding piece that runs shy of 50 seconds. Not much to say about this track, as the one following is the longest on the album. The Hole In a Sausage begins as a light jam before a saxophone makes its appearance, the first on this album. It sounds very free-form, as I can’t follow what is going on. We get some nice drum feels here and there, with their keys playing a very minimal role in the mixing. At this point in the album, I am almost burnt out from everything else I have just listened to, and find it hard to follow these songs this late in the album. It feels like a song thrown together from previous unused riffs a la Henry Cow. The album closes with “Dedicated to Bach,” which sounds more like a droning melody with no correlation to Bach. A homage to their influence? Maybe. But I hear no Bach whatsoever.