Moon Riders - Don't Trust Over Thirty
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Music CD Cover
Artist: Moon RidersEdition: Music CD
Format: Import
CD Release Date: 2003-03-17
Music Label: Pony Canyon Japan
Free Music Notes for Don't Trust Over Thirty
Free Music Review: The worst of the 80s albums...not bad, but inessential
Hit: 3 Stars
It's telling that the oddly-named "Don't Trust Over Thirty," which was released in 1986, was the last Moonriders album until 1991's "Christ, Who's Gonna Die First." Whether it was the general, insipid nature of the decade finally catching up with the band, or simply a need to explore solo projects, the general quality of their output had been steadily decreasing since 1984's astounding "Amateur Academy." "Animal Index," released the following year, was still pretty good. This...well, wasn't.
"Don't Trust Over 30" marks the first time that the band really sounds *tired*, as well as pointedly artificial. It isn't pioneering, and while some of the tracks are good, there's just far too much filler for a Moonriders record. Additionally, this is one of the few times the band seems like it's mimicking popular styles of the day--80s synth rock, and (frighteningly) 80s heavy-metal--instead of working on their fringe.
"Clinika," which starts off the record, also manages to typify almost everything that's wrong with the album. It's a synth instrumental, with some incredibly-dated midi patches fighting against Ryomei's guitar for space. The thing is, it isn't a particularly good instrumental; in fact, there's no melody in sight. A vocal version of the song--which, while little better, is at least purposeful--surfaced as a bonus track on a recent Moonriders collection. Why the instrumental version, then?
Thankfully, some of the next few songs pick things up a bit. Ku-gatsu no Umi wa Kurage no Umi is a delightful track, one on which the particularly-insipid eighties production (HUGE! BOOMY! DRUMS!) actually works, for some reason. A keeper. "Cho c Cho" is...um, snippets of a vocal track, electronically manipulated, and sequenced over some guitar/organ/synth stylings. It's what passes for experimentation here, I guess. It seems jarring, and arbitrarily placed, despite being an interesting attempt at electronic assembly. "Darui Hito" returns us to mind-worm category, being every bit as excellent as Ku-Gatsu and about 100-times bouncier.
Things then get silly. "Mania no Junan" features ridiculously sped-up voices, and is a bit too schizoid for its own good, cycling through several different sections within its 4-minute runtime. Ryomei's guitar tone here is set on "GLAM METAL TO THE MAX."
Next up is the title track...sorta. It's the more-grammatical "Don't Trust Anyone Over Thirty." It isn't bad, but it's oh-so-eighties, and at more than 6 minutes seriously overstays its welcome. Moonriders-disciple Masahiro Naoe's cover version on "Moonbossa" is much, much better. Nor do I care for "Bokuwa Naku," which features Ryomei on GLAM METAL GUITAR!, lots of female backing vocals, and 5+ minutes of the same vamp. "A Frozen Girl, A Boy In Love" is far better, featuring some good playing, and an arrangement that largely works for the song.
And then the finale. I like the first part of "Nanda_ Kono Yuutsu wa!!," i.e. the part where it's an interesting, atmospheric piano ballad. That section recalls some of the better experimentation in sound manipulation on "Animal Index," as the synth/noise tracks work to bolster the main piano theme. And then--I kid you not--the GLAM METAL GUITAR! re-enters, the BIG DRUMS start pounding, and suddenly everything sounds like Cindarella (or, actually, the soundtrack to Mega Man X, come to think of it). The "rock" portion isn't bad, but c'mon. CINDARELLA.
If "Don't Trust Over Thirty" weren't a super-expensive import by a Japanese band most people have never heard of--a Japanese band with a penchant for being far, far more creative than these nine tracks would imply--I'd suggest looking for a cheap copy, but hardly making the album a priority. Actually, as "Thirty" has been released several times on CD--this edition, which is a mini-LP, adds some nice visual material and sounds pretty good, but doesn't offer any bonus tracks--one *can* actually track down some of the more "budget" oriented versions.
Verdict? Pass. The band clearly needed its break from action by this album, and both what came before and what would come after are more worthwhile than this. "Amateur Academy," "Animal Index," and their other eighties albums are better bets than this.
(shoutouts to C. Browne)
Don't Trust Over Thirty Poster
Japanese Limited Edition in an LP-STYLE Slipcase.Pop Music CDs
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