Many of you have probably never heard of P-Model. They were a Japanese electronic rock band formed in Tokyo in 1979. Their debut album "In a Model Room" is often criticized for being the Japanese copycat version of what Western groups did at the time, but I strongly disagree! It's much more than that and I will prove it. And unlike its contemporaries, this record still sounds fresh and modern today.
"In a Model Room" is often compared to XTC and Devo -- both are excellent bands -- one from England, and the other one from Ohio (USA). Let's look at the timeline and follow the correlation. In the year prior to this release, XTC and Devo put out 3 records:
- 1978
- January 20: XTC releases "White Music"
- August 28: Devo releases "Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!"
- October 6: XTC releases "Go 2"
- 1979
- July 1: Devo releases "Duty Now for the Future"
- August 17: XTC releases "Drums and Wires"
- August 25: P-Model releases "In a Model Room"
As you can see, in 1979, Devo and XTC issued 2 more albums, but they are so close to the release date of "In a Model Room", that we can easily discard them as possible influences. So let's then begin comparing the rest.
XTC's "White Music" has a few tracks that do sound quite similar -- namely "Cross Wires", "I'll Set Myself On Fire", "I'm Bugged", and "Neon Shuffle". The songs have synths; they are fast-paced, energetic, and punk-ish. The vocals are sometimes performed in manic staccato hiccups and falsetto pitch slides. There are no odd time signatures in "White Music", though, and the rest of the songs seem more likely to have influenced Duran Duran.
In XTC's next album "Go 2" there are some unusual rhythms, but the tempo isn't fast enough. This record seems to have made a strong impression on Danny Elfman, though, and his 80's band Oingo Boingo -- especially the tracks "Buzzcity Talking", "Red", and "I Am the Audience".
Devo's debut sounds too close to 70's rock to me... a bit dated. There are some catchy classics in there, though, for sure. As far as similarities go, I can understand how some might believe P-Model took the odd time signatures, unpredictable pauses, and tempo switches from Devo. However, P-Model's members used to play in a progressive rock band (Mandrake), where these things were the norm. The hiccup and falsetto vocals are evident, but we already blame XTC for them. Notable similar tracks from "Are We Not Men" are "Uncontrollable Urge" and "Sloppy".
One key difference in style, where P-Model beats the rest, is that they had used a drum machine (Roland CR-68) that did simultaneous beats alongside the acoustic drum kit. Sound aside, P-Model's music is very different, composition wise. "In a Model Room" is full of catchy energetic fast-paced numbers, with a decent chunk of them written in the Lydian mode. Neither XTC nor Devo used the Lydian mode, but guess who did in 1981 -- Oingo Boingo ;)
Track highlights
Most of the tracks in this album can steadily stand on their own, but it would be a waste of time to write separately about each, as I would be repeating myself saying, "This rocks! Digging the synths! Love the vocals!", etc.
"The Great Brain" has to be my favorite pick that everyone should be exposed to at least once! The verses alternate between 5/8 and 6/8 time signature. The vocals slide up and down like a rollercoaster. Then the chorus kicks in, alternating between 13/16 and 11/16. It's fucking insane! Combine that with hysterical falsetto singing and you've got yourself pure madness. "For Kids" is another favorite of mine, mostly because of the catchy hook: "Domo, domo! Domo, domo, kotomotachi! Domo, domo! Kotomotachi!"
Rating: 10/10 white circles and a black one
"In a Model Room" is a lost classic. I love this album from start to finish and it's got so much going on in just 31 minutes of duration. It's fun and jittery, like the 8-bit videogames that came from Japan a decade later. It was way ahead of 1979, and it still holds up in 2022. Come join us in the model room, and let's have a blast!
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