I'm a few tracks in to my first listen. I'm guessing given the run time it will only be one listen, but I'll see what happens.
I didn't know what I was in for, so now reading people calling it 'dream pop' makes sense. It was not at all what I expected from mp.
So - seven tracks in, and it's an enjoyable enough experience. The first track I didn't enjoy at all - too bizarre, and while the guitar riff felt like something that would be fun to play for the first minute or so, it never went anywhere. The whole thing felt bizarre to me, and perhaps the exact thing that others describe about the drawback of live albums. It feels like 'you have to be there'.
But then, something happens. It hits a funk vibe - almost brassless ska - and seems to stay right in that pocket. It feels like an outdoor concert on a summers Saturday afternoon - something to take a picnic to and allow it to wash over you. In fact, I might say it almost feels like a Japanese sound with New Zealand sensibilities - something like fat freddys drop. Actually it feels a lot like home in that sense. It fits like a glove. This even holds when it hits a more reggae vibe in track 6. (Would love to know what dp makes of freddys. Mp too now, for that matter.) The more the tracks passed, the more the comparison felt apt.
What does this mean? Well, it's still not for me, even though it's probably a close relative of things I would really adore. For me, up to track seven, there's a few things which hold it back from me being able to adore it. There's not really enough going on for me to get a huge amount out of it as a pure auditory experience (which, in a way, makes the fact it's a 'live album' feel oddly appropriate, since that's the setting I think I'd find myself enjoying it in most.) I'd be far more likely to listen to it while doing other things, rather than treat it as the thing that I am doing. Also, the vocalist doesn't really do it much for me. The last thing is that, for music like this, I find lyrics can really push it over the edge. Unfortunately, I don't speak Japanese. This has the advantage that no lyrical choices can be annoying (as I found last week with 'Love Don't Go') but also the disadvantage that it could just as well work as an instrumental for me.