ALBUM REVIEW: Macdonald Duck Eclair // Kono Tokimeki Imasugu

Combining their love of french pops, kiddie music, fuzzy guitar pop, punk and Atari Teenage Riot, Tokyo based Macdonald Duck Eclair have delivered an amazing album start to finish.  Kono Tokimeki Imasugu, released in May 2011, is their third full length since the band formed in 1998.  While Short Short (2004) and The Genesis Songbook (2005) were both strong records, the thirteen tracks on Kono... are without a doubt their most consistent and original work to date.

Unlike their previous releases, on Kono... MDDE has finally managed to fuse their many disparate influences into a cohesive whole.  Previous records were an experimentally driven bumpy ride that moved from song to song and style to style.  Kono..., however, utilizes an intense focus on stronger song craft and album cohesion to create a much more accessible record that still doesn't lose it's aggressive edge.  This time each style is tempered with pieces of other styles.  If a song is soft, you can bet there is a background layer of noise sitting just below the surface; if a song is really cute, it will burst out into a manic drum machine break; if a song is all punk energy, it will be backed by an accessible melody.

This is a great album start to finish and posting individual tracks just wouldn't do it justice.  If you are a fan of new wave/electronic punk bands like Floppy, Polysics, Does It Offend You Yeah, or even noisy dance outfits like Crystal Castles and Kap Bambino, you will definitely want to give this a listen.

Here's an album sampler from YouTube:

 

Check out some other tracks (including an alternate version of "Clarion") on Myspace
Follow Macdonald Duck Eclair on twitter
Purchase Kono Tokimeki Imasugu at JapanFiles

From the MDDE myspace page:

In 1998, macdonald duck eclair was formed.
We are active at home recording and live using Macintosh computers & synthesizers.
Our characteristics

many musical elements from digital-punk, bossa nova, french pop, guitar pop etc....
Contrasts between cuteness & hardness,simpleness & complication,freshness & machines beautiful melody like a French pop.
Our keyword is "lolli,pico'tte,macin'rock".