Pizzicato Five were one of those groups that consistently put out solid albums, yet never went out of their way to create a record of pure ecstasy. In a sense, you could say they managed their creative pizza well, dividing pieces equally across the table - years and years of decent albums, rather than making one or two amazing albums and foddering the rest.
There is a sense of exuberance that has been touched upon by several Japanese music artists from the '90s onward, but none do it quite as cool as Pizzicato Five, and Made in USA is a decent form of proof. It is Matador Records' first compilation of singles and other outstanding tracks pulled from the group's mass career in order for them to properly become acquainted with the U.S. The group's jet-setting '60s image and sound-collage-meets-drum n' bass-bossa-nova style are so effortlessly presented on Made in USA, that even the most heart-hardened listeners would have trouble not cracking a smile at the charm and glitz of it all.
The compilation opens with a breezy jazz shuffle, "I", that instantly transports you to a high-fashion club in swinging '60s Tokyo. Amidst a playful flute and snare swishes, singer Maki Nomiya provides anxious vocal melodies. You can tell she's ready to kick this groovy little set list off with a bang. As the album shimmies forward, the club shifts rapidly into the future and back to it's respective present, snatching up technology and music trends all over the place. "Magic Carpet Ride" introduces a cheerful middle-eastern flavor - synth flute wrapping itself around an electronic drum beat as Nomiya expresses some sweet idealism, "everyday we'll love together/we can make it last forever/ magic carpet ride/magic carpet ride".
"Readymade FM" offers a brief collage of radio jargon and background music, fading quickly into the saccharine chimes of "Baby Love Child". I would argue that "Baby Love Child" is one of Pizzicato Five's best songs, if not THE best. Woven into a measured acoustic guitar, an endless drum loop and punctuating xylophone, the song is a surprising evocation of affection. Nomiya's gentle delivery, which shifts between English and Japanese, is the icing on the sentiment cake, with lines such as "When we kiss, I see what's in your heart/you love me, yes you do/you don't need to tell me", outlining the one-two gooey punch, "we are in love, baby love child/I take you so high, baby love child/give me a kiss, baby love child". It's a song that makes you misty and nostalgic in the best way possible - hell, they even used it at the bittersweet ending of the Futurama episode where Leela first finds out about her true origins.
Made in USA is about possibility and positivity - ideologies that Pizzicato Five championed throughout their entire career. For them, music was both a cure for the soul that ails and a statement of nostalgic fashion as new-found empowerment. Made in USA exemplifies these ideas. It's a radio dial of effervescence - whether you find comfort in the intimate Japanese dialogue of "This Year's Girl #2", chill out to the cool blue groove of "I Wanna' Be Like You" or flail around to the celebratory bombast of the popular single, "Twiggy Twiggy-Twiggy vs. James Bond" - it's a ready-made sound collage of the most adorable proportions.
To some ears, Pizzicato Five may seem ham-fisted and corny. Made in USA is not going to completely convince them otherwise, but it may just give them pause. Being a compilation, the record does suffer from a lack of continuity, even within the typically disparate aesthetics of the group. "Sweet Soul Revue" and "Go Go Dancer" tread a little to close to the chin with their overblown horn sections and flat song structures. However, it's not enough to sink the ship. The brightest moments of Made in USA send the compilation to the stars, encouraging anyone who is curious about Pizzicato Five to gleefully peruse their back-catalog.
