Pictured Resort - Once Upon A Season

Once Upon A Season is officially the third Pictured Resort full album, but this is the first with founder and guitarist Koji Takagi running the show solo. If you look at the classic cover art by the god of city pop aesthetic Hisashi Eguchi, which depicts a cute girl checking into a motel, you might think this record is a continuation of the Pictured Resort brand of dreamy chilled out summer music. While this album certainly has that vibe in spades - the “Intro” itself features the sounds of waves lapping the shore, there are a few subtle differences when you dig beneath the surface.

And as the album starts proper with “Never Be Slowed”, the first thing that stands out is that this record has more than a bit of groove to it. It’s actually pretty danceable, and if you were DJing at a beach house, some of these tracks would work really well in a party set. One of the key influences for this album is Chic-era Nile Rodgers, and you hear it not only in the lively bass lines, but also the cutting/chunking on the guitar. It even seems like a “Good Times” reference, with Takagi singing “Everybody has the right to a good time”, and the hypnotic rhythm and hand claps will make you nod your head along naturally. This continues into the lead single “Oceanizing” which also has a very funky bass riff, but at the same time the synths and Takagi’s reverbed voice keep it from being too disco (if ever there were such a thing). It’s almost like an alternative form of disco, and it comes from Takagi taking notes from 80’s stars like MJ and Prince but also modern interpretations like Poolside.

Along with Takagi’s guitar cutting, the synths really keep things moving, either as riffs, highlights or synthbass. The arpeggiated hook on “Stepped Into” feels really fresh and progressive as it systematically pans around your head, and the bass line on “Day In Day Out” really slaps the floor. But you also get Rhodes style chords (“Safari Night”) or spacy stabs (“Love Inside”) for atmosphere. This is something that Takagi has carried over from previous Pictured Resort works, and it feels integral to the sound still for that 80’s club/lounge feeling. But there’s also lots of little extras in the arrangement, like steel pan and woodblock sounds that add more depth, texture and interest. There’s some interludes and even a very John Mayer-esque sound on the final track to show that Pictured Resort has more than one gear. It’s actually a really well paced album, it’s not too short nor drawn out, it takes you high and pulls back to release the tension appropriately, increasing the replayability of the record as a whole and not just representing a collection of singles or songs.

As a writer, Takagi comes up a little light on the lyrics, electing to do everything in English. This comes from him being primarily influenced by Western music, and he focuses more on the rhyming and sound rather than the meaning of anything. Now you don’t require perfect English to do this kind of music (just ask the French), but it’s neither profound nor abstract enough to be passed off as auteur. He gets away with it because he’s not an archetypical rock singer, but it would be nice if the hooks made more sense than “take it higher than this refrain” or “love inside never ever dried”. Still, it’s better than repeating empty phrases over and over that you can get with less inspired dance music.

Of course, you’re not here for a message, you’re here because you want the Pictured Resort experience, the exotic, postcard-perfect summer fantasy by the pool or ocean. You don’t want to think, you want to feel. On Once Upon A Season, you get that and more, as Takagi has successfully taken Pictured Resort and given it a shot in the arm to provide a hip soundtrack to your parties as well. But if you can play guitar like Nile Rodgers, compose interesting sounds with synthesizers and drum loops, and don’t rely on your natural singing voice to drive the music, why not go all the way? With Takagi free to decide whatever he wants (anyone for house?), anything’s possible for Pictured Resort now.

Tokyo ON also recommends: Natsu Summer - Hayama Nights, 1983 - Passes On the Other Ocean