Legendary indie travellers, Half Japanese release their new album ‘Adventure’ on 11th July on Fire Records. The prolific outsider combo, helmed by unswerving optimist Jad Fair deliver a heart-warming set of upbeat sonnets celebrating the power of love, affection and maturity.
Jad: “All of our albums are meant to be joyful. I have a good life and I’m thankful for it.”
It arrives two years after the acclaimed opus ‘Jump Into Love’… More than 50 years since Jad and his brother David emerged from their lo-fi bedroom in Uniontown, Maryland, USA, ‘Adventure’ takes the latest incarnation of the band on a trip down new and more refined avenues.
Recorded in London at Vacant TV and produced by Jason Willett and Jad, with four days more than the band would usually take to deliver their intimate brand of left field pop; ‘Adventure’ presents a more pristine and polished canvas for Jad to expand on. The services of Euan Hinshelwood added to the sonic palette with saxophone, harmonica and piano adding a smoother backdrop for the band’s less lubricated sound.
‘Lemonade Sunset’ is an ode to the world of wonder, a spacious overture built with melancholy in mind but relishing the positivity of life, it sounds like it’s straight from an 80s rom com when the characters realise that everything’s going to be just fine.
Jad: “When I wrote the lyrics to Lemonade Sunset two songs came to mind, the Louis Armstrong’s song ‘It’s A Wonderful World’ and Syd Barrett’s ‘Baby Lemonade’, it’s a bit of a nod to those songs.”
By contrast, ‘Step On Up’ rotates on a glorious rising piano motif that hints of Steely Dan if they were high on energy drinks and spinach rather than their specified tipple; it’s a light-hearted evocation of the good times.
Jad: “I read an interview where George Burns was talking about Jack Benny. He said that Jack Benny was always positive about everything he did. If he had a cup of coffee it was always the best cup of coffee he ever had. It can be difficult to stay positive in troubling times, but I think it is something to aim for. Step on up, you can do it.”
And, ‘Magnificent’ is a homage to living in the present tense that’s powered by the bittersweet saxophone with a glorious piano-led sub-melody offsetting Jad’s positivity; “magnificently magnificent”, no less.
Jad: “When I first heard the music I thought I might not add a vocal. It works so well as an instrumental. I was talked into singing on it and this is one of my favourite songs on the album.”
Elsewhere, ringing percussion and sharp arrangements give Jad a sturdy and far-reaching soundtrack to lament over; ‘Adventure’ sees Half Japanese covering new ground with Jad’s considered soliloquys set into a sumptuous setting.
“Half Japanese continue a run of fine late career albums.” The Quietus
Half Japanese for ‘Adventure’ were Jason Willett (bass, keyboards), Gilles-Vincent Rieder (drums, percussion), John Sluggett (guitar, piano, bass), Mick Hobbs (guitar), Euan Hinshelwood (guitar, saxophone, piano, harmonica) and Jad Fair (vocals, percussion). Sadly, longstanding member, Mick Hobbs passed away last year.
Jad: “Mick was in ill health at the time of the recording session and wasn’t feeling well enough to play on some of the songs, he was in Half Japanese for over 30 years. He was a close friend.”
“A cavalcade of curiosities, a den of delight, a whole other world where grunge stayed open-hearted and open to misinterpretation” Classic Rock
“Half Japanese continue a run of fine late career albums.” The Quietus
‘Adventure’ is out 11th July. Available in Limited Edition Cream Vinyl and CD.
