St Paul, Minnesota, is a city Im familiar with having been there in 1995, and so from that very city comes Akai, with their new album The Coldest Hour (Is Just Before Dawn).
Im not sure when this album was recorded, but with a title like this, its pre-empted one of the coldest winters in decades. Temperature in the city can plummet to an incredible minus 50.yes minus 50 fact.
Anyway, geography lesson over, theres nothing icy cold about this album, because its both warm and engaging, full of melodic and accessible songs with great hooks, but theyre definitely not pop songs per say, more like indie-pop.
Co-fronted by vocalist cum accordionist Hiromi Matsumoto and multi-instrumentalist cum-singer Robbie Matsumoto, man and wife, this talented nine-piece band show all the qualities of a fearless and freewheeling mindset.
The smart use of glockenspiel on opener When The Sun Goes Down gives it an immediate hook, replicating the jangly guitars of say The Byrds, but no further comparisons, because Akai are definitely a band doing their own thing, and well too.
Bonus points also go for the array of instrumentation, including banjo, accordion, cello, trumpet, drums, keyboards, percussion / electric percussion, and the usual two guitar set up that collectively create a whopping sound when needed especially found on rough-hewed rocker Drifter.
Its the fine detail that makes their songs fascinating, with instruments used subtlety like the off-kiltred drumming by Reed Sutter on Morning Follows Night and trumpet drop-ins by Kyle Skogen, and then again on the hippy-happy delights of the shuffling One More Candle when the glock hops around like a fairy on hot timbers. Theres a similar effect carried out on plodding Paper
Despite the modern feel, there are harmonic nods to the collective vocals of The Beach Boys, tough the pairing of Hiromi and Robbie still have a lot to learn in terms of making it happen, because they havent nailed the art and craft of making it sound beautiful. That will only come with time and practice, and the diminishing youth that prevails throughout their efforts, especially Hiromi.
There also some samey tracks which could have been spread out like One More Candle, further away from Not In My Mind.
The stand out track by far, is the fluid ballad Like You, no tricks, just down the middle, but again they cant resist the predicable glock splashes.
The verdict More variety please.