ARTIST: Henrytennis
TITLE: Eight Rare Cases
LABEL: Cinra Records
GENRE: Indie
BITRATE: 195kbps avg
PLAYTIME: 0h 42m total
RELEASE DATE: 2006-05-03
RIP DATE: 2006-10-19
Track List
----------
1. The Electronic Flute 6:51
2. Natural Law 3:02
3. Luster Brain 6:06
4. Disappointed Eggs 5:56
5. Neon Lights 1:02
6. Hydration 4:45
7. Bakuretsu Ginga 8:42
8. Landmachine 4:33
9. Aftermath 1:21
Release Notes:
http://henrytennis.com/
http://www.myspace.com/henrytennis
http://www.cinra.net/records/
The first time I heard the name Henry Tennis I thought to myself, ôWhat kind of
a last name is Tennis?ö Then I found out that Henrytennis is the name of a
progressive rock band from Japan and it all made sense. Their album, Eight Rare
Cases, which curiously enough has nine tracks, delves into a vast range of moods
and sounds. An initial reaction to their music is that they are a Japanese
version of Tortoise or at least highly influenced by the North American group.
The most obvious reason for this comparison is that the first track on Eight
Rare Cases, ôThe Electronic Flute,ö to me at least, initially recalls ôTen-Day
Intervalö off TNT. But after a more in-depth study of HenrytennisÆs music it is
easy to realize that they are so much more than simply a Tortoise rip off. Their
music has a clear sense of structure and is texturally lush. There is never a
dull moment on Eight Rare Cases, unlike some Tortoise albums.
The members of Henrytennis obviously know their stuff when it comes to the
fundamentals of music. Their use of altered and mixed meters, for instance, is
quite genius. There are times on the album, like this brilliant moment near the
end of ôNatural Law,ö where several of the band members are playing in different
time signatures from one another, yet somehow the parts have the illusion of
synchronization. At other points on the album, Henrytennis manages to make what
I could only describe as elevator music that sounds nothing like annoying
background noise. If anything, working in a building that had HenrytennisÆs
version of elevator music on might cause one to skip out on work and simply ride
the elevators all day. Also, Eight Rare Cases has a considerable range of
dynamic contrast, from the sheer intensity of pieces like ôThe Electronic Fluteö
and ôHydrationö to the airy gurgle of ôNeon Lightsö and ôAftermath.ö
Henrytennis achieves their thick attention-grabbing texture by using a variety
of instruments. Among them are guitars, keyboards, organ, synthesizer,
glockenspiel, saxophone, voice, and, of course, drums. Their vocals come in at
sporadic and strategic moments. And donÆt try to understand what theyÆre saying.
A good guess is that they could be singing English, but thatÆs up for debate.
Japanese? German?!?
If there is one moment on Eight Rare Cases that stands out above the rest, it is
the track ôBakuretsu Ginga.ö In particular, towards the end of the piece, when
the music dies down to one lonely guitar playing staccato chords, the mood
becomes eerily anguished. Eventually, the piano and drums return to the piece,
reemphasizing the downbeat and adding a hopeless longing quality to the piece.
If there were a time on the album that had the potential of bringing tears, this
is it. The music here is absolutely beautiful.
Yes, they do make music in Japan and Henrytennis is an excellent example of it.