P-Model (album)

P-Model
Studio album by P-Model
Released February 26, 1992 (1992-02-26)
Genre
Label Polydor K.K.
Producer
P-Model chronology
One Pattern
(1986)		 P-Model
(1992)		 big body
(1993)

P-Model is the eighth studio album by P-Model and the first by the "Defrosted" lineup.

Background

In the aftermath of the band's "freezing" (凍結) in 1988, P-Model's members went their own separate ways. Frontman Susumu Hirasawa built the "Defrosted" (解凍) lineup out of his solo backing band. Hikaru Kotobuki, the group's last keyboardist before its "freezing", kept working with Hirasawa as his touring keyboardist. He also introduced Hirasawa to the Amiga sequencing program "Bars & Pipes".[1]

Founding member Katsuhiko Akiyama reconnected in 1987, playing bass in 2 shows that year as part of the "One Pattern Band", a special lineup of the band were the still active founding members plus Keralino Sandorovich and former P-Model keyboardist Shunichi Miura (both from Uchoten) performed songs from the group's first 3 albums, which mostly disappeared from their setlists. Akiyama later founded the band Here is Eden, whose debut album was set to be produced by Hirasawa, who in the end only worked on 2 songs;[2] Akiyama went on to appear on Hirasawa's album The Ghost in Science and to be the live bassist for the album's accompanying tour. A 1990 show on the "Error Force" event was billed to "P-Model", but was essentially a "One Pattern Band" show, with Miura replaced by Kotobuki and with both former P-Model drummers.

In 1989, Hirasawa produced the album Maximum Kiss by alternative rock band The Groovers; Shigeki Nishimura, the group's lead singer, had some releases by his previous group, the punk band The Loods, produced by Hirasawa. Nishimura left the band afterwards, but Hirasawa kept collaborating with them, hiring bassist Toshihiko "BOB" Takahashi for his backing band and using the whole group on his Virtual Rabbit album. In the last show of the Virtual Rabbit Tour, which featured BOB on bass & Kotobuki and Yoshinori Sunahara on keyboards as part of the backing band, a group of backing vocalists was brought out, including Akiyama and Groovers Kazuhiko & Yasuchika Fujii.

P-Model officially came back in September 23, 1991 with the "Error of Universe" show on Hibiya Park's Open-Air Concert Hall, which opened with the Amiga program "Say" announcing the names of the lineup's members: Kotobuki, Groovers drummer Yasuchika Fujii, Akiyama and Hirasawa (Sunahara received an offer to join, but refused, as he was already in talks to join Denki Groove), immediately segueing into "Zebra",[3][4] followed by a setlist consisting entirely of old songs rearranged into a new style. Although they did not play any of the songs from this album on "Error of Universe", they did a second performance in 1991 at the "I3 Days" event on the Shibuya On Air live house, where they played the album's first two tracks.[5]

Composition

On this album, P-Model introduced a direct sci-fi sound to its style, heavily influenced by and heavily featuring use of Amiga computers, with digital machine-like textures instead of the organic sounds of previous albums, with the only non-electronic instrument being the guitar, and occasional voice filtering. This extended to the lyrical themes of the album, focused on science, technology, and computers. Unlike previous albums, the use of sequencer is predominant in P-Model, such that Yasuchika Fujii had a MIDI trigger on his bass drum. Two of the album's song mark a return to the technopop style of In a Model Room and Landsale, and similarly to them, P-Model is part of a stylistic duo with the group's following album, big body. The sound of the album was heavily shaped by Hirasawa and Kotobuki, both of whom deepened the use of the Bars & Pipes sequencing software, leading to denser arrangements than those heard in previous P-Model albums. In this album, Hirasawa retired the impromptu choral sections of his solo albums and introduced the "Stupid Choir" (バカコーラス Baka Kōrasu), a production technique were a single person's vocals are relayered multiple times to produce the effect of having the line sung by a large choral ensemble.

Artwork

The album's liner notes feature a futuristic design, with photos of the band wearing black rubber outfits with straps, also used on their 1992 shows ("P-Model Tour '92", "Tour On Grid" and non-tour live performances), which limited movement of the members' upper bodies.[6] The group appears on a yellow backdrop, surrounded by frames that hold machine-like and ancient-looking shapes. The inside of the rear inlay features an open circle, with stick figures interpreting the song titles. A parody of the album's cover was used as the "returning" eyecatch of "The War of the Undies and Vests, Baby", episode 6 of the anime series Space Dandy.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Susumu Hirasawa, except where noted. 

No. TitleLyricsMusic Length
1. "Speed Tube"     4:00
2. "2D or Not 2D"  Hirasawa, Hikaru KotobukiHirasawa, Kotobuki 3:17
3. "Stone Age!"     3:47
4. "Wire Self"     4:03
5. "Clear"  Katsuhiko AkiyamaAkiyama 4:32
6. "Vista"     2:41
7. "Grid"     2:53
8. "Lab=01"  Hirasawa, KotobukiHirasawa, Kotobuki 2:36
9. "Error of Universe"  P-Model  1:24
10. "Go Amigo"  Hirasawa, AkiyamaAkiyama 2:49
11. "Psychoid"     3:20
12. "No Room" (hidden track)   2:44

All tracks arranged by Hirasawa, except 2 & 8 by Kotobuki and 5 & 10 by Akiyama. All track titles are stylized in all caps. The total running time of the last track (the last two songs with 3 minutes of silence separating them) is 8:48.

Track information

Live performances of the album's tracks appear on the live video Bitmap 1979-1992 & album Pause, each having 6 songs from this album.

Speed Tube

Developed from a Detonator Orgun outtake, the title came from a comment made by Orgun producer Kaito Kichijōji.[7] Uses vocals from "Stone Age!" played backwards in its bridge.

2D or Not 2D

A Promotional Video was filmed for it, with CG models made on an Amiga by Hirasawa, the band appears through the video by chroma key, dressed with the costumes used on the album's liner notes. Its included on the Bitmap 1979-1992 video (which also has a live performance of the song). The title is a play on "To be, or not to be". Has a big body counterpart in "Neoteny Box".

Stone Age!

Has its vocals played backwards in the bridge of "Speed Tube".

Wire Self

Has a big body counterpart in "Homo Gestalt". Hirasawa named his home studio after the song.

Clear

Akiyama singing lead vocals. Uses composition similar to that of songs from In a Model Room and Landsale.

Grid

Has a PV, with Hirasawa singing while green-screened on top of his Amiga generated footage, most of it under heavy visual filtering. Images of the other P-Model members appear occasionally through the video. It's included on the Bitmap 1979-1992 video.

Lab=01

Both Hirasawa and Kotobuki sing lead vocals. The song has two sets of lyrics: "Lab-0" and "Lab=1", Hirasawa sings 0, while Kotobuki sings 1. 0 and 1 are panned, respectively, to the left and to the right channels. Kotobuki named his home studio after the song.

Error of Universe

The Amiga program "Say" sings lead, mixing English and Japanese together (delivered as monologue), with the main vocal being low-pitch, and a high-pitch secondary vocal, delivered as if it was sung by a broken machine. Has a big body counterpart in "Binary Ghost".

Psychoid

The song features rougher vocalization by Hirasawa, similarly to some older P-Model songs, and ends abruptly.

No Room

A bonus/secret track, starting 3 minutes after the end of "Psychoid". It is a self-tribute of "Art Mania", the opening song of In a Model Room, P-Model's first single and their biggest hit, with its intro and bridge being re-recorded for this song. Hirasawa renamed his website after the song. Its lyrics are on the inside of the rear inlay of the CD case, which led to their omission from the Golden Best compilation, due to its differing art design.

Personnel

Release history

Date Label(s) Format Catalog Notes
February 26, 1992 Polydor K.K. CD POCH-1128
May 10, 2002
July 4, 2014		 Chaos Union, Teslakite CHTE-0011 Remastered by Hirasawa. Part of Disc 7 of the Ashu-on [Sound Subspecies] in the solar system box set, alongside big body. Re-released with new packaging by Kiyoshi Inagaki.
September 8, 2004
December 5, 2012		 UM³, USM Japan UPCY-6022
UPCY-9273		 Part of the "GOLDEN☆BEST" budget bundle brand, packaged with big body. Reissue available for sale for a limited time.
May 2, 2012 Universal Music Japan, Tower Records PROT-1022 Limited reissue, sold only through Tower Records.

References

  1. ↑ "HIRASAWA SUSUMU 激烈インタビュー 「DAWの変遷」そしてライブでの表現について". TALBO Secret FACTORY (in Japanese). Ikebe Gakki. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  2. ↑ Akiyama, Katsuhiko. "プロデューサー平沢進氏について　又は、１度目の恩". 秋山勝彦の宅録日記 (in Japanese).
  3. ↑ キミの地層は重たかったか?. The Aggregated Past KANGENSHUGI 8760 HOURS (in Japanese). Chaos Union. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  4. ↑ Opening SE/Zebra live
  5. ↑ "P-MODEL Live Data 1990-1993". MODEROOM. Fascination, inc.
  6. 1 2 SPEED TUBE performance and Interview
  7. ↑ https://twitter.com/kissyouji_kaito/status/262884872962596865 & https://twitter.com/kissyouji_kaito/status/262888299700555778
  8. ↑ "the scene in Perfect Blue where CHAM’s new single makes the charts". Hirasawa Lyrics.
  9. ↑ Hirasawa, Susumu. "WIRE SELF　スケッチ１". The Aggregated Past KANGENSHUGI 8760 HOURS. Chaos Union.
  10. ↑ Hirasawa, Susumu. "WIRE SELF スケッチ２". The Aggregated Past KANGENSHUGI 8760 HOURS. Chaos Union.
  11. ↑ Hirasawa, Susumu. "WIRE SELF　スケッチ１". The Aggregated Past KANGENSHUGI 8760 HOURS. Chaos Union.
  12. ↑ Hirasawa, Susumu. "WIRE SELFスケッチ３". The Aggregated Past KANGENSHUGI 8760 HOURS. Chaos Union.
  13. ↑ Hirasawa, Susumu. "WIRE SELFスケッチ4 ギター間奏". The Aggregated Past KANGENSHUGI 8760 HOURS. Chaos Union.

External links

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