Purple On Time

2003年、DRAG CITYからリリースされたU.S. MAPLEの5THアルバム。JEREMY LEMOSと共にレコーディングされたもので、グラムロック、パンク、ブルース、メタル、ファンク、ジャズなどの音楽的要素を絞り出した、デビュー以来、最もストレートなロックンロールが詰め込まれています。
古き良きロックンロールの価値観を真摯に追求した結果、目眩がするほどの高みへと到達したラスト作です。

After the somewhat disappointing Acre Thrills, U.S. Maple got a new drummer and, as Purple on Time reveals, a new sound. Coherence isn't necessarily the first word that comes to mind when describing albums like Talker and Long Hair in Three Stages, but it does apply to this collection of songs, particularly the album opener, "My Lil' Shocker." A Sonic Youth-like mix of shimmer and menace, the song is hardly Top 40 material -- it sounds like Al Johnson is saying "Yahweh" instead of "oh yeah" on the choruses -- but it does introduce the order that Purple on Time gives to U.S. Maple's chaos. Several of the songs, such as "Sweet & Center" and "Tan Loves Blue" even flirt with hooks, while "Oh Below" and a hazy, fragmented cover of "Lay Lady Lay" edge into prettiness and suggest an emotional side that the band never had before. This is still U.S. Maple though; the band's music is still viscous and volatile, with melodies and rhythms that take a while to coalesce before changing into something else entirely. "I'm Just a Bag" and "Whoopee Invader" sound the most like the group's old work, albeit slightly tighter. "Dumb in the Wings," one of Purple on Time's best tracks, is both brooding and unpredictable, staggering around like a drunk in the dark. Likewise, "Touch Me Judge" manages to be serene, chaotic, and romantic all at the same time. While very little can compare to U.S. Maple at its peak, Purple on Time is still quite a good album and offers the group some new possibilities; for a band as out there as U.S. Maple is, becoming a little more normal is one of the weirder things that it could do. ~ Heather Phares

ドラッグ・シティーの隠し球、USメイプルの5作目。ジム・オルークやサーストン・ムーアらを魅了した、フリーキーな混沌ロックンロールがさらに狂化。ギター2本とドラムが吐き出す濁流グルーヴが脳ミソを破壊し、ニヒルな詩情を携えたヴォーカルが神経を逆撫でする。しかし、そこには躊躇のカケラもないので逆に晴れ晴れとした気分に。う～ん、爽快!!　ボブ・ディランの名曲“Lay Lady Lay”のカヴァーも妙にハマっている。
bounce (C)狩野 卓永