Dad Mom God – Poems Like the Gun
Sexy Stones – 2010
In 2008, the world was shocked (okay, maybe not the world, but Skapara fans worldwide) to learn that Tatsuyuki Hiyamuta, one of the original members of Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, left the band, due to health reasons. Hiyamuta had been a mainstay with TSPO since the late 80s…shouting random English words that nobody really understood, rocking out on the guitar, or blowing on the alto sax, all while looking bad ass.
Well it looks like Hiyamuta has recovered enough to start recording music again, this time, with his own band consisting of heavyweights from the Japanese rock and jazz scene (ROCK’N'ROLL GYPSIES, Ego’ Wrappin, Soil & “Pimp” Sessions, etc.,). The result is a band called Dad Mom God and they just released their debut album, “Poems Like the Gun,” last month. So how does Hiyamuta’s new project sound?
It’s difficult to describe “Poems Like the Gun” in one word. I bought the album expecting to hear primarily ska-punk, but just like how TSPO draws its influences from a myriad of musical genres, Dad Mom God looks to do the same. A dash of garage rock here, a serving of ska there, a pinch of blues, a touch of jazz, a hint of punk, and even some electronica can be heard in “Poems Like the Gun.” This music formula works…for the most part.
The album starts out with the raw and heavy hitting Kicking for Kicks, a punky, garage rock-y ska song with a blaring sax that’ll bring up memories of Lee Thompson’s sax playing for Madness. Turn the Corner takes a more traditional ska route, with some slick guitar playing providing a blues flavor to the tune, and Lupin the 3rd will sound familar to folks who’ve heard Skapara play it (I don’t think they’ve played it much since Hiyamuta left).
It’s after the first three songs, however that the album starts experimenting with more sounds…鉄の塔 (Tetsu No Tou) is a slow rock tune, with Hiyamuta singing, and while it’s something different, I’m not sure it works (the fact that I don’t understand Japanese probably hampers my enjoyment somewhat). Jazzy Breaks throws in some dope acid jazz, 奴らがやって来た (Yatsuraga Yattekita) is an electronica song, with Hiyamuta once again singing (and once again, I’m unsure if it works), and 闇をいだけ (Yami Wo Idake) is a surf tune that sounds like it would have fit right in with the Pulp Fiction soundtrack.
The album has 14 tracks, 5 of which are covers of Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra songs (Monster Rock, We 
Know It’s All Or Nothing, すべてが狂ってる (Subete Ga Kurutteru), Interceptor, and Lupin the 3rd). While it was interesting to hear Hiyamuta’s reinterpretation of these songs with a new band, truth be told, the songs aren’t radically different from the originals. It sounds more as if a stripped down TSPO re-recorded these songs with a rawer (is this even a word?) and edgier sound, which I guess is what Hiyamuta was aiming for.
My favorite song on the album? Probably a tie between Turn the Corner which has all the ingredients of classic Hiyamuta, and their cover of Monster Rock, which happens to be one of my favorite TSPO tunes.
Final thoughts: It’s a solid debut album for Dad Mom God, though I find myself skipping the more eccentric tunes. It’s good to see Tatsuyuki Hiyamuta recording music again, as I’ve missed his presence on the last two TSPO albums. I’ve said before that I hope this is more of a side project thing and when he’s fully recovered, rejoins Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra. If you’re gonna be covering that many TSPO songs, wouldn’t it be better to playing it with the original?
You can buy this album (in mp3 form) for cheap at JapanFiles.
If you must have a physical copy of the album, you can always buy it at CDJapan or YesAsia.
You can find out more about Dad Mom God at their official website. (Though good luck, if you don’t understand Japanese!)
And if you’re a stalker, here’s Hiyamuta’s Twitter. (Though once again, good luck if you don’t understand Japanese).
Related posts:
- Dad Mom God – new project by former TSPO frontman Tatsuyuki Hiyamuta
- New DAD MOM GOD album…Isn’t it DMG?
- Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra with the World Ska Symphony!
- Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra coming to AMERICA!! (kinda)
- Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra going back to Europe….plus, Tokyo Ska Jamboree vol. 3 & new mini-album (with Angelo Moore!) on the way!