Quick skim through the press release - Miyagi are a five piece band from Edinburgh and “Electrosaurus” is the follow up to their well received “Lucky Face” album. A quick skip through the tracks suggest that this is another band from the east coast of Scotland that has a fixation with the west coast of America.
Only it’s not that easy to dismiss this album with such simplistic generalisations. Sure enough, ““Be Cool, Stay Cool” jangles enough to be seen as the Byrds meeting late period Monkees but elsewhere there is plenty of evidence of a cleverly thought out plan to capture your ears with something a bit different. Those prevalent vocal harmonies might well cause your thoughts to be cast back to the summer of love but listen carefully to what is happening underneath the words. “Sheep” throws in all sorts of discordant influences to compensate for the hippy trip and “Alaska” cleverly stirs some ska into the laidback but near hypnotic groove as Miyagi aim themselves squarely at the dance floor. Further evidence of Miyagi mind control comes with the wondrously rambling (seven minute plus!) “Faithful Retainer” that just wraps round you like a woolly scarf and keeps you cosy (and simultaneously allows me to avoid the use of a drugs reference too).
It is to the band’s credit that they have also provided yet more evidence of the higher quality of musicianship on the east coast of Scotland than you would normally get in soap dodging Glasgow and the recording is likewise free of serious flaws. On the downside, the performances are perhaps a touch over polished removing any real sense of fire or passion. “Electrosaurus” is, however, an album that grows on you and you’ll probably end up wondering how you ever lived without it. Sum the album up in one word? Sophisticated.