4 out of 5

Label: Skin Graft Records

Produced by: Tatsuya Yoshida (mixed and mastered by)

Hi again – it’s me: the guy who doesn’t think much of live albums.

Except when I do! …But that “when I do” exemplifies some of my criteria: of offering me something different than I can find on the studio recordings. This 100+ minute live set (runtime depending on format – CD and digital have two extra tracks over the vinyl) does offer something different, but I’m subjectively iffy on how valuable that is here. To be fair, though, I’ve tried to reflect that in my rating, as I’m sure 高円寺百景 main man Tatsuya Yoshida is familiar with my reviews, and my scrupulous judgement of live recordings, and tried to do his part, so for me to tack on extra “…and I have to like it!” requirements is unfair.

Rewinding: I do like Live At Club Goodman, a set from a COVID-era show, rather expertly mastered by Yoshida and released by Skin Graft on a multi-vinyl / CD album. It’s just that it recasts tracks from every era of the group into the buoyant style of Angherr Shisspa and the later Dhorimviskha, two albums I also like but have offered a criticism I’ll level here as well – that the music, ever-changing and almost giddy, lacks the bite to make it memorable. Bite that existed in a Ruins-adjacent vibe on the earliest 高円寺百景 releases. I appreciate growing out of that sound, or making a distinctive sound for a separate recording entity, but as the band went further down a kind of klezmer hole of horns and prancey beats, while that combines with Yoshida’s stop/start drumming for something absolutely tell-tale – no other band is 高円寺百景 – individual songs have lost their definition.

On the plus side, it’s resulted in a brew that is totally odd but totally accessible. While the lack of quiet moments may grate for some, the blend of vocals and instrumentation exist in what I find to be a very inoffensive layer – no-wave elevator music. It’s fascinating.

Where “Live” doesn’t meet me criteria is that all of the later-era stuff already in this more accessible style sounds pretty much spot-on with the albums. (Excepting variations I admittedly may not be catching due to the ‘lack of definition’ I’ve called out.) So while it’s, as always, impressive that the band can do this live – which is why the DVD rocked; seeing that happen – the audio itself doesn’t offer an edge beyond the curated studio sets.

However, if you consider this like a best of of sorts, then we come back around to a positive take: so we have the old music redone anew, and then a compilation that may as well be singles grabbed from albums, covering the group’s career to date.

If you’re iffy on 高円寺百景, this won’t convince you; if you’re already gung-ho, having some altered takes on the old tracks are probably worth it. If you want just one 高円寺百景 album… hm, this isn’t my favorite set overall, but I’m bias towards the heavier stuff. As a representation of their later (and by now longer-lasting) sound, Live at Club Goodman is a ton of bang for your buck.