Pochakaite Malko - Pochakaite Malko (2001)

The debut album from this Japanese band.

Pochakaite Malko was a quartet on this album with a lineup of keyboards, percussions, drums and bass. Two keyboards players, no less. Two guest musicians provided voices and guitars.

The band was formed by members of Koenjihyakkei and others zeuhl bands. There is also a member of Ghost here. That is a space/psychedelic band from Japan. I guess that band too is extreme. I need to check them out. 

I have had the two Pochakaite Malko albums in my collection for many years. I feel like a crow deciding to touch the tail of a sleeping tiger or not. Danger, danger..... I had to show my masculine, brave persona before I went ahead and put this album in my CD player. Bravery, indeed.

These two albums has a reputation of being extreme and dark. We are here talking a mix of Japanese zeuhl and RIO. It is not for the faint hearted.

The opening track really drives this point home. A wildly galloping bass, drums together with two mistreated keyboards is what this is about. And this is zeuhl.

The album takes a turn for the dark after a while. A band like Univers Zero springs to mind. So does Present too. The regular, but short outbreaks of very melodic keyboards and piano gives this band a very strange sound. Strange, but also wonderful in a pervert sense of the word.

This almost one hour long album feels like a journey into the realms of the doomsday. It is dark, brooding but also a bit light and..... full of hope ?

My only gripe is the lack of any great piece of music here. But this is still one heck of a zeuhl and RIO album. Don't be afraid. Come over and lift the tail of the sleeping tiger. Your wings flies faster than the annoyed tiger. Check out this album.

3.5 points