Mad Capsule Market's crazy live offering proves worthy.
With a name so easily forgettable as "020120" I was easily surprised by the memorable nature of this recording by the ever manic Mad Capsule Markets. This is an album that does not maintain a constant quality in terms of the music played but cannot be called forgettable or unoriginal. This recording and accompanying DVD is taken from the live show played on the twentieth of January 2002 at the Zepp in Tokyo, Japan and can hold appeal for anyone. Tracks spanning the breadth of the bands career will appeal to older fans of the band whilst the songs contain enough hooks and energy to draw in new fans to their bizarre form of poppy metal-punk (for lack of a better description).
Songs such as "Gaga Life" and "Come." are played to near-studio quality and I had trouble believing this was a live recording barring the occasional noises of the crowd and of course the stark evidence of the DVD. All of the songs have an infectious energy to them which is sustained during the entire hour and a quarter long show. Rather than most live albums put out by bands this is one I can see myself listening to in the future rather than just revisiting the highlights from time to time which is an impressive sign of the impression it left on me considering this is my first real experience of the Mad Capsule Markets.
The DVD accompanying the CD also holds a lot of entertainment value beyond merely seeing the band play live. The performance by the band is energetic and enthusiastic enough to enthral the viewer's interest whilst the responsive and clearly devoted crowd also add to this energy. The mesmerizing lightshow that accompanies the bands performance is interspersed with bizarre visuals added for the DVD that are reminiscent of watching 2001 after sleep deprivation. Whilst with most bands this would be pushing things too far and make the whole thing surreal and un-enjoyable except perhaps in an ironic fashion, it perfectly suits the bands madcap sense of music.
There are some downsides to this recording though, interesting and fun as it is frankly listening to the whole thing in one sitting gave me a headache. In some of the songs their is already too much going on and mixed with the bizarre lights and colours on the DVD you are left with vague impressions of there being too much going on. However this is not too much of a fault to become something that can be held against the album. Overall this is an album that will appeal to long time fans of the band and is worthy or a place in their collection and could even draw in new blood to the Japanese trio's devoted fan base.