alice sailor - subhuman [1990]

This is one of those albums you believe to be ghastly upon your first listen, and, after listening to it several more times, you maintain that opinion. However, there is one significant difference between these two states of mind: you've been lulled by Alice Sailor's charm and can finally appreciate (or tolerate) her unrivaled enthusiasm at singing rather awful songs. This is certainly the least experimental album produced by Kaoru Satou that I have listened to, most of its abrasiveness is created by disjointed transitions and constant switching of musical genre between each track. The first song is a cover of 'Love To Love You Baby' by Donna Summer --the 17 minute version-- and consumes almost half of the album's total playtime. If you can ignore the bass guitar and never-ending African percussion --a staple of Amaryllis--, the last two minutes are actually quite enjoyable because Alice's singing has been replaced by a synthesised chant. I am also aware that Kaoru Satou has a strong interest in the country Morocco, which he must've indulged Alice Sailor in since this song has an obvious Islamic influence: clearly disgusted by the haram eroticism found in the original, Alice has taken it upon herself to create a puritanical version in which even Christian Chandler's moans are more likely to get you excited than her own. Alice deserves a spot on this list for her endearing cuteness. There is little that exists which is cuter than persistance, and Alice wins a gold medal in trying to do one's best. Besides, how many musicians do you know have tried to arrange an electropop cover of a Throbbing Gristle song? Fans of experimental rock and improvisation may be intrigued to know that Seiichi Yamamoto and Yoshimi are both involved with the making of this album, but such enthusiasm would be immediately lost be if you heard the music. This is my favourite song from the album: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEvpyqHPbvQ Alice Sailor seems to have found a new, comfortable life in various cosplay, touhou and anime themed bands. Although she still seems somewhat involved with punk music, as evidenced by this performance with Hide from Ultra Bide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_KBIfHWJb0