Yellow Bucket

If Yellow Machinegun were well known, they'd be regarded, like the Ramones or Motörhead, as either reliable stalwarts or tired and predictable. Of course, they aren't innovators like those bands—the trails of thrash had been blazed long before they got there—but there's undeniable similarity in the devotion to their chosen style. Likewise careful listeners can observe differences throughout the bands' many albums. Yellow Bucket, the final album of Yellow Machinegun's original run, is their most manic, veering between tempos, often multiple times in the same song, with a mix of vocal styles more varied than any previous album.

Tempo shifts and dynamic vocals are standard elements of most music, but are significant here because of the band's punk origins. Rest assured they have not abandoned their roots. A majority of songs still come in below two minutes (even being their longest record, it clocks in at a breezy 34 minutes). “Turn Around the Corner” has stomping hardcore in the middle, which guitarist Kyoko Moriya book-ends with tidy solos. “Loop” ends with an extended breakdown which is something of a respite following some of the band's thrashiest riffage and a relatively long solo.

Speed and intensity aren't the only focus. Short, choppy riffs comprise “Floatin' Weed” giving the song a nervous energy that's a perfect suit for the lyrics expressing anxiety about the chaos of modern life. “Another Land” has a unique riff that sounds like the beginning of a soaring solo that never materializes which recalls a moment from their debut, Father's Golden Fish, that sounds like the lead-up to a breakdown just to psyche out the listener when it instead kicks right back into gear. One instance where the band's quirkiness misfires is “Toy Boy”, a cover of a minor hit from the singer Sinitta. I'm unsure if this is supposed to be ironic or a tribute, but regardless, like all metal covers of pop songs that aren't Dead Horse's “Rock Lobster”, this falls on its face. Despite coming from the 80s, the syrupy melody when played with distorted guitars sounds like it hails from the dregs of 90s pop punk.

One aspect of the song that doesn't stand out like it would on previous albums is the clean singing. While screaming remains the default, the clean approach is utilized more than ever like the nasally and vigorous refrain of the final track or the gentle “la la la” over the bridge of “Hide and Seek”. Kaori Okumura isn't a technically good singer—she's not Bruce Dickinson or even Joey Belladonna for that matter—but her voice is a nice fit for the style. Not to mention, her harsh vocals are as fierce as ever. She barks rapidfire on “Change Your Channel” and even deploys a death growl in the chorus of “Days Like Building Blocks”. Adding a little extra spice, a few lines throughout are simply spoken in heavily-accented English.

Drumming has never been a strength of Yellow Machinegun. Tamami Okado isn't bad, just less remarkable than the other two members. Here she sneaks in a few impressive moments such as the supersonic bursts heard on “Tool Box” and in shorter but more pummeling sections of “Loop”, or the less flashy but equally cool way she complements the rolling riff of “Underground”, increasing the hi-hat hits as it builds up. The kick drum sounds a bit muffled at times which is one of two quibbles I have with the production. The other is the less pronounced bass presence, though it at least rears its head on “Loop” and “Spicy Spiky”, as well as in breaks of “Lazybone Syndrome”.

Starting this review, I said Yellow Machinegun is not well known and that's a shame. Over thirteen years the band consistently put out quality music that manages to be engaging without venturing far outside the perimeters of their corner of thrash. Now Yellow Machinegun are active once again. The same lineup they've always had are back together playing live shows, having reformed sometime since they put things on hold in 2006. I would be excited if new music was announced, but if they're content to stick to the live setting, that's okay by me. They can be proud of the five LPs they made and Yellow Bucket is a strong finish.