Grade: 73/100
There is only one requirement to listening to Half Japanese’s newest release “Overjoyed.” Have an open mind. Maryland’s Jad Fair, also known as Half Japanese, has returned to the scene with more indie punk madness.
The album marks the return of Half Japanese after a 13-year absence following 2001’s “Hello.” The long pause was clearly unusual since Fair had made a reputation of releasing new work roughly every three years. Fair’s eccentric procedure and versatility result in music that is nearly Frankenstein in nature, formed by combining other styles and influences.
Several elements of Half Japanese’s distinct flavor of punk can be brought back to more well-known and accessible art rock and alternative bastions. Ties can made between Half Japanese and Cake, both singers sharing a stream-of-consciousness speaking style of singing.
Fair’s wild solos and deconstructed chords are clearly resonant of those of Dinosaur, Jr.’s J Mascis. The third track, “Do It Nation,” is essentially four minutes of Fair breathing heavily into an affected microphone while power chords thud persistently like Kings of Leon’s “Molly’s Chambers.”
If you’re looking for a fair band-to-band comparison, Half Japanese comes off as a one-man Talking Heads without all the charisma and showmanship of David Byrne.
There are tracks that do manage to break away from the obscure songwriting. There is more orthodox song structure in “Each Other’s Arms” and the final track, “Tiger Eyes,” presents a slow march to the album’s end with the alt-rock lyricism of Marcy Playground.
As a whole, “Overjoyed” is a menagerie of Jad Fair’s interests and influences. The album spans a large sect of popular punk artists while retaining Half Japanese’s characteristic hysteria.