Yamatanka // Sonic Titan broke out in 2011 in what was a cool barrage that included a Polaris shortlist nomination, a unique live show, and a positive mention from nearly everyone who’s ‘with it’. Now that the dust has settled, the band aims to release their first proper full length album, UZU, the follow-up to the hyped mini-album that was YT//ST. With the debut amply catalogued, approaching UZU invites speculation as to whether the band’s flamboyant projections of stylistic imagery and worldliness will prove genuinely reflective or offensively gimmicky. Yamatanka // Sonic Titan are an act that are looked upon not as a ‘band’, but as a performing art collective that explore the culture clash of core members’ Asian, Indigenous, and Canadian heritage. Their live performances feature costumes, projections, and a dragon dance that runs through the crowd.
The album begins with bright piano theatrics, opening a sequence of tracks that weave together as you would expect from any album that projects this level of conceptualism. The structure and energy flowing throughout the work is somewhat amusing, though doesn’t do it any favours as foreground music. This is increasingly problematic when combined with instances where heavy instrumentation is rather uninspired next to the unique vocal capabilities of Ruby Kato Attwood and Ange Loft (“Whalesong”, “Seasickness Pt. 2”). However, the album does contain episodes where the host of different styles sum into cohesive moments, most notably on “One”, where indigenous vocals slam into an energetic industrial-punk sequence. Though the collective claims much inspiration from various cultural backgrounds, don’t expect to experience the kind of worldly awareness dished by most contemporary foreign music releases. Moments that sound unfamiliar to the western canon are served more sparingly than promotional materials or the live show would imply, though they are definitely album highlights (“Bring Me The Hand of Bloody Benzaiten”, “One”).
All in, UZU is a blend of cultural influences that will appeal to those that would enjoy some sanctimonious flair with their standard industrial rock fare. However, this does not quite seem to be the intention of the artist, since the self-recorded album sounds quite unprepared for market and promotional exploitation. The mix drowns in effects, and by no means sounds expensive. While giving the sound of the album solidarity, certain standout tracks beg for a mix job that isn’t so cluttered in terms of background detail. One to leave UZU as confused as ever about Yamantaka//Sonic Titan, as the album provides some special ingredients, but not the pragmatism to execute them commercially. It also provides some unique foreign-inspired additions, but not enough to warrant the implications of such devotion to them. UZU is easily digested, but is neither rustic or polished enough to claim banks of long-term memory.