先行カット“苺畑でつかまえて”のメロウネスを全編に漲らせた新アルバム。冒頭から飛び出すシティーなギター・カッティングやファンキーなベースが聴き手の身体を心地良く揺さぶり、“冒険”のソフト・ロックなコーラスや“パンチドランク・ラブソング”のネオアコ的アンサンブルといったポップな要素が華やかな色を添える。ミッドテンポを軸にしたグルーヴからはダフト・パンク“Get Lucky”以降のモードを捉えた視点が窺えるし、日本のインディー・バンドのソウル志向に対する完璧なアンサーとしても機能するだろう。総じてどこまでも軽やかなポップソング集なのだが、夏の輝きと鬱屈した心象とを等価に、美しい筆致で描き出したような詞をそこに乗せるところがこのバンドならでは。リズムボックス使いや密室感のある音像が、スライ&ザ・ファミリー・ストーン〈暴動〉のような不穏さを醸し出す瞬間もあり、その歪さも愛おしい。サニーデイにしか作り得ない、しかし過去作とはまったく違う地平に到達した傑作だ。
[English Translation]
Sunny Day Service “DANCE TO YOU”
Sunny Day Service's new album brims with the mellowness presented in the advance-released song "Ichigo Batake de Tsukamaete (meaning The catcher in the strawberry field)" from end to end. The city-ish guitar cutting and funky bass lines at the very beginning pleasantly make your body sway while pop elements such as the soft-rock-ish choruses on "Boken (meaning Adventure)" and the neo-acoustic-tinged ensemble on "Punch Drunk Love Song" add glamorous colors to the sound. The mid-tempo grooves indicate their interpretation of the mode established after Daft Punk's "Get Lucky." This album also may serve as a perfect answer to the soul-oriented Japanese indie bands. As a whole, it is a collection of endlessly light pop songs, but they put on them lyrics that beautifully depict the glows of summer and depressed feelings in equal measures, giving the band their known distinctiveness. In addition, there's a moment when the use of rhythm box and the closed chamber-like sound images convey an ominous atmosphere as in Sly & The Family Stone's "There's a Riot Goin' On," making for adorable lopsidedness. Featuring the sound only they can produce, this wonderful topper has reached a completely different level from their previous releases.
