After long years of independence, which included running their own label, Tricot recently signed to Cutting Edge, the sub-label of record company giant Avex that was always known to house some more unusual acts. And even there they got their very own sub-label, so they can probably maintain the same level of independence as before. They already released two albums there (Black and 10) last year and while they were fine, they definitely were not amongst their best works to date. The new one, Jōdeki (or Joudeki, depending on which transcription you prefer) however hit the spot and is their strongest one yet with some truly exceptional songwriting skills on display.

The first two songs have an unusually strong pop influence, but they are superbly written, still maintain the typical Tricot sound and you do not at all get the “let’s make poppy stuff and get popular” vibe while listening them. Inai is a lot more edgy and kind of recalls the sound the great GO!GO!7188 was known for, while the following Tishū (and Yo no mamono later on) is a ballad and while it isn’t a bad one, still it is one of the few weaker tunes of the album. For the most part, the rest of Jōdeki also tends to stay on the light-hearted side and it seems that the band took one more step back from the very complex math-rock sound that (besides the always present poppy side) was a lot more prominent on their early releases. It is not at all a problem though, as they do a truly excellent job exploring the realms of pop-rock. But their love for irregular rhythms still shine in a couple of songs, especially in Dogs and Ducks and they also take some unexpected turns, like the deliciously wild and crazy sound of Super Summer and the uncharacteristically funky jazzy touch of the closing title track, which is a fun little tune about the little dog from the cover.

While the band already developed the typical Tricot sound very early, they were refining it on their albums ever since, always trying new things (some of which worked, while others did not that well), but this one finally feels like the finished product, where all the elements fit together perfectly and while there might be a song or two, that are not as strong as the rest, even those have their own role in making the album feel whole.

Joudeki
2021.12.15 / cd, digital
01.Iitsukusu tōku shimasu ma mo naku (言い尽くすトークします間も無く)
02.Bakuro (暴露)
03.Inai (いない)
04.Tishū (ティシュー)
05.Kayoko (カヨコ)
06.Esa ni mo narenai (餌にもなれない)
07.Dogs ando Ducks
08.Super Summer (スーパーサマー)
09.Itsumo (いつも)
10.Yo no mamono (夜の魔物)
11.Hito yasumi (ひとやすみ)
12.Jōdeki (上出来)

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A year in reviews: in 2021 I was somewhat neglecting the site due to the lack of free time, but now I try to make up for it as much as possible, reviewing several important / good / interesting albums that were released this year. One for each day throughout December, from a very wide spectrum of genres. #2021reviews