Quiet Life

Japan: David Sylvian (vocals, guitar); Rob Dean (guitar); Richard Barbieri (keyboards, synthesizer); Mick Karn (bass, saxophone, background vocals); Steve Jansen (drums, percussion).
Recorded at Air Studios, London, England.
Over their relatively brief recorded career--five studio albums--Japan made a huge about-face. From a glam-rock band with arty pretenses they became the epitome of the "New Romantics," wearing their classical and world-beat influences on their ruffled sleeves. QUIET LIFE, the third of their five albums, is the first fully removed from traditional rock.
The title track opens the album with hectic drums and percolating synthesizers offsetting the tremendously controlled guitar and rubbery bass. This song, and indeed album, also introduce the style of vocals that David Sylvian would use for the rest of the band's career--a cross between David Bowie and Bryan Ferry that is much more pleasant to listen to than descriptions would indicate. "Despair," with its piano, saxophone, and swelling synthesizer, is clearly modeled after the second half of Bowie's LOW, as well as being the second of Sylvian's compositions paying overt homage to composer Erik Satie. A cover of the Velvet Underground classic "All Tomorrow's Parties" is completely dominated by Mick Karn's bass playing, though the rest of the band does their best to keep up. QUIET LIFE is an essential road sign in the career of a fascinating band.