In The Decadent Times

This album was released abroad earlier than in Japan by Garando Records. It was highly regarded abroad, especially in Europe and US as an alternative rock music. in Japanese and English - pop/rock/psychedelic in the style of the classical pop bands (Beatles), the artistic bands (Velvet Underground) of the 60's and the psychedelic bands of the 70's (Pink Floyd). But this cd has a quality of its own. Some songs on this CD were picked for compilation CDs by some USA labels.

L'Entrepot

An advance tape for the up coming CD release of this record. Zettaimu is from Japan, and the translation means something as "absolute nothing". Some of the songs are done in English and some are brought in Japanese. Zettaine made traditional pop/rock music, which refer very strong to the classical pop bands of the 60' (Beatles) and the psychedelic bands of the 70' (Pink Floyd).
Especially the two long tracks on the B-side (Sunday rainy Morning and stream of nihil) sounds very psychedelic. The best tracks for me are the beautiful "In the decadent times (prologue)" and "looking for myself", also the complex song "Time Perplexes time oneself" which is done in Japanese is very tasteful. But some of the other songs are a little bit to bombastic ("Blue Fog", "Threat") and over produced for my taste.
So there are highs and depths on this album, but the good one take certainly the upper hand. They also search for people who put out compilations and distributors, so check them out ( elsewhere in this issue you find the URL for their website )

VoxPop Music Ltd

Japanese alternative rock band "Zettaimu" that emphasises the more solemn and contemplative aspects of life.

Henk Postma

As a first reaction I can say that you've made a very interesting cd. One can hear you've worked very hard to give the sound a great impact. I understand your linking to The Beatles, Velvet Underground and Pink Floyd. But your cd has a quality of its own. Maybe it's better not to refer to the Beatles, VU and PF, because you have your own authenticity and originality.

SILTOWN RECORDS

Japanese alternative rock band Zettaimu's newest release "In The Decadent Times" has received strong airplay & reviews in Europe as well as Asia. Their newest album offers a song selection with a more ethereal & reflective sound that is prevalent throughout their album.

TWIN BHUDDA RECORDS

I think I can get you a review for your cd if we say that we are working with your band and company. People seem to say that your bands sounds like a "Japanese Cure".

Kevin Mathews

IN THE DECADENT TIMES of POP GOES THE WORLD(compilation cd)
A standout track in both atmosphere and tone, there is much to admire in the way Zettaimu approach their song presentation.

Goran Obradovic

Japanese "POP GOES THE WORLD" where I heard your song "In The Decadent Times" which I absolutely ADORE!!!!!.
I've got a pop-show on a local radio station and I think that Zettaimu is definitely THE band which deserves a special treatment.

Gerard Girard

I've really appreciated Zettaimu song "in the decadent times".

Colliss Coll

Zettaimu are Japans answer to Mercury Rev. Based in Yokohama, Japan. These two highly talented musicians mix together many styles of music, from the psychedelic sounds of the 60's and 70's, to more modern gothic styles of bands like The Cure and The Damned, while at the same time they still manage to sound unique and true to their Japanese roots.The songs from the album are also written in English and Japanese, and has a very tongue'n'cheek quality.

The title track from the album, In the decadent times, is a very beautiful accoustic guitar based song which sounds reminisent of the song, Year of the cat, by Al Stewart. It mixes classical accoustic guitar and piano with a warm simple drum groove and layered vocals, which adds up to giving a dreamy quality and a well produced sound.
Song 2, Looking for myself, is also written in English, and is a short song about the search for self discovery and a direction in which to travel in life.
Blue Fog is one of my favourite songs from the album, only because it has a strange eerieness to it. It should be retitled "A song for the end of time". After an accoustic guitar intro, the song moves into a mood that I can only describe as a feeling of sitting in a club at 4am, feeling drunk, its raining outside and cold and it is time to go home. The band are live on stage playing their last song of the evening. A slow melodic wind down track. Blue fog has a hypnotic quality about it.
Threat is a more modern sounding track, it is like a modern goth track with an old style of Japanese shouting over the top.
Time perplexes time oneself, is like a cross between ex siouxie and the banshees, The Creatures. Strongly featuring more Japanese style this song again has a Japanese gothic sound to it,and a slightly more digitised drum sound, unlike the earlier songs. This song also features beautiful asian sounding strings playing haunting melodies.
Do as you like is a very tongue'n'cheek song about young people in Japanese society today, called new humans,to the wiser Japanese people.Young people in Japan today are thought of as thoughtless by the elder generations. This song is about this subject, but it is not to be taken too seriously.
The same can be said of the 7th song June rain. This song features more of a comical sound introducing such instruments as a Kazoo and harmonica.
A complete change for I wish to bear you a child. this song is a short latin-american bossanova ballad, with floating layered vocals and a good conga drum groove and other more south american instruments.
Sunday rainy morning Is one of the more adventurous songs on the album,and one of the longest. This song is about waking up to a rainy day after a sleep of strange, disturbing, confused dreams.The music and vocals are hypnotic all the way through,as the song goes through a journey of many different styles, with beautiful quiet sectionss with flute and high soft strings. The middle has an instrumental mid section, like something from an early Pink Floyd album, or like the fantastic German psychedelic band, Amon Duul. After going on its musical journey the song slowly winds it's way back to the start with more layered backing vocals and guitar solo's to fade to the finish. This song is very dramatic and powerful in its moods, and mood changes.
Namu-amidabutsu is a one minute interlude and part two of a piece of music, the first movement being on the previous album by Zettaimu. It features heavy guitar and vocal loop and leads on to the last song of the album.
Stream of Nihil, Like Sunday rainy morning, is a song that starts in a gentle mood. The footnote within the cd cover to the album says "drifting on the stream of nihil all day", and the music reflects this mood. With beautiful vocals and gothic style vocals this song then floats into deeper waters, untill,just when you thought you had returned back safely,the song then changes one more time into a more keyboard drum and bass led jam to the fade of the CD. Leaving you feeling pretty breathless.

The music of Zettaimu is the work of just two men. featuring the drums ,percussion and backing vocals of the excellent "Yoshihiro Orii" and the lead vocals, guitars and keyboard skills of "Hisashi Furue", these are definately a band to watch out for in the future.