The band has a long history, releasing their first album in 1979, and at this juncture, the P4 indicates the 4th iteration of the band. I’ve heard their early albums, but honestly did not know this band all that well, and seeing a 2024 release, I had to give it a spin.
There are times when perceived flaws can be overlooked, and in the case of Casiopea-P4’s latest release Right Now that is exactly what I am doing. The musicianship is stellar, and guitarist Issei Noro is too good to ignore. Have you ever had cake where the frosting is amazing, but the cake itself is a bit bland and dry? That is my analogy of “Right Now”, great playing, a few excellent tracks, but the overall album is far from the heights the band could reach. One of the first things that stands out are the keyboard sounds, a lot of cheesy synth sounds, horn emulations, and even the organ at times sounds a bit thin. The first two tracks are strong, but those keyboard sounds can be hard to forgive. But then, Noro kicks in and my perception begins to change, even if it’s just during the solos. “No Place Like Here” and “Admiration” are good examples of where the band’s sound gets too smooth. Then you get a track like “Challengers” which is on fire, and shows you what this band is capable of accomplishing musically. On the other hand, the keyboard sounds are just not good, and can be difficult to look past, but this song kicks too much to ignore. I wish the songs had more punch and attack rather than that smooth easy feel, but, listen close; you can hear they have the fire, if only they would use it.
Track List:
1. The Time Has Come
2. The Hopeful World
3. Which Way?
4. No Place Like Here
5. Challengers
6. Admiration
7. Hour of the Rainbow
8. 90’s A Go Go
9. Look Up The Stars
10. Happiness
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