Birth of the Neo Trip

AMG Review of Birth of the Neo Trip

Stephen Cramer
All Music Guide

On Birth of the Neo Trip, Japan's Green Milk From the Planet Orange returns with their blissful style of experimental, jazz-infused indie rock. With clear similarities to 2001's Shape of Rock to Come, the trio of Dead K, Benjian, and A continues to favor extended audio experiments to the traditional brief pop song. The three-song disc begins with "When Every Colour Turns Black," a 16-minute epic which features numerous stops and starts and Dead K's intricate guitar work and occasional vocals. The music is largely improvisational, yet startlingly cohesive. "Sweet 5 A.M." is brief when compared to the other tracks on the disc. Clocking in at over six minutes, its plaintive drones are accompanied by Dead K's most startling vocals to date. The disc ends with the subdued, 26-minute "Ground Lyrics." Using minimal instrumentation throughout, the band is able to stand out in the world of improvised art rock. The album was recorded in June and July 2002 at two studios in Japan. Japan's Ancient Records released the disc in the fall of 2002.