DOPING PANDA - anthem

Having only released a full length album in June 2009, it makes sense that a mere five months later DOPING PANDA made their follow up a mini one. Consisting of only five tracks, anthem serves as an interlude to meet fans' cravings for the band's eccentric electro-rock.

The title track of the mini-album instantly grabs your full attention with its upbeat opening guitar riff from vocalist and programmer Yutaka Furukawa. He layers on pentatonic keyboard sound to give it a flavour of the Orient as bassist Taro Honjou and drummer Hayato work a funk bass line underneath. Little flourishes from Yutaka and Taro and their interweaving play add magic to what might have been something ordinary. This is topped off with an understated dance synth that blends into the chorus and some worthy falsetto from Yutaka. A combination of skillful guitar playing, flowing rhythmic bass, balanced programming and note-perfect harmonies make this a masterpiece in its own right.

the mugendai dance time couldn't be more different. It is almost a stand-alone track as it is an almost purely electronic dance track, lacking instrumental input from the band aside from some guitar. With its computerized voice chanting "mugendai dance time" and 'Mockney' rap, it is a world apart from the other tracks. It featured as a 30-minute epic on the majestic trancer single, but here it has been abridged to a more digestible two minutes.

The remaining three tracks are more rock oriented. I said enough for one night features a Caribbean vibe with some ska influences thrown into the mix. Again, there is some keyboard playing in pentatonic scales which the band seems fond of. lady is an uncomplicated three-piece-band rock with carefree vocals and sounds typically J-rock. Yutaka doesn't even appear overly mournful that the lady "is gone, and I'm alone," as the overriding happiness of the tune disguises any underlying sorrow. Finally, music you like is a vibrant, lively and slightly egotistical celebration of "the music you like," which makes the assumption based on the fact that you are listening to it. Picture a montage of a coastal drive in a convertible with the top down, frolicking on a sandy beach and chilling by a fire under the stars, and this would be the music accompanying it.

Although lacking in length, anthem is a good sampler for the uninitiated. No real in-depth analysis or concentration is required to appreciate the 16 minutes of fun this album provides. It is a cocktail of dance, funk and good, plain old acoustic rock that lifts the spirits.