Polysics – Hey! Bob! My Friend!
(Asian Man)

This “Tokyo new wave mutant” band will both blow your mind and kick your ass. (Simultaneously, I mean.)From the second you throw on this cd, the synth-punk madness kicks in like a slap in the face, and continues to pulsate forth from your stereo, refusing to ease up for the next 30 minutes.

Their name would seem to be an allusion to the analog Korg Poly 6 synthesizer, as a big part of their crazy sound is based in synthesizers and other electronic musical gadgetry. It is the electronic elements of the music that really stands out, but let me make one thing clear: this is NOT cheesy 80’s synth pop fluff. The music is very loud, and very noisy, but yet it all has a quirky rhythm and melody behind it. The manic synthesizers, distorted guitars, pounding beats, and frenzied Japanese vocals mix together to create an atomic sound that is unlike anything I’ve ever heard before.

Well, perhaps I shouldn’t say that. The Polysics make it abundantly clear that they are huge fans of Devo, and they certainly do not try to hide the fact that they draw both musical and aesthetic influences from Mothersbaugh & Co. For the record, however, it should be noted that the Polysics sound more rambunctious and more wacked out than Devo ever did.

Hey Bob! My Friend is a compilation that features selected material from the Polysics back catalogue and makes the songs available for the first time in North America. It is a rather unorthodox release for Asian Man Records, but it’s great to see them expanding their repertoire… especially when they introduce us to something as refreshing and exciting as this.

The only problem with an album like Hey! Bob! My Friend!, is that extended listening to such an abrasive assault of in-your-face electronic bleeping and chirping can inevitably leave you with a bit of a headache. This problem might have been remedied by adding a couple of laidback songs on the album, but yet somehow, that just wouldn’t seem right. The Polysics are all about sonic overload, and it is their energy and vigor that makes them so infectious. Yet that is also what paradoxically keeps the cd from being implanted in my cd player on permanent repeat. — Sean

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