NAKATOMI PLAZA "Private Property" (Immigrant Sun) Review by Jordan A. Baker
A good chunk of this band used to belong to an excellent group called DE LA HOYA. Although I haven't seen NAKATOMI PLAZA, I get a similar impression that like DE LA HOYA, both band's write terrifc punk/hardcore songs that destroy in a live setting, but fail to "capture the moment," on the recorded medium. The recording quality on "Private Property," isn't actually all that bad, but it fails to flaunt any truly great aspects of this band's ability to write cohesive songs. At their best, NAKATOMI PLAZA sear of the same burn and sing-along fire that STRIKE ANYWHERE possess, but just as every song tends to build up and stock with momentum, the song deflates itself and snatches away any quality tension. Or more directly stated, these guys just aren't all that good in closing out their songs while in the studio. I have no idea why this is, but I'm sure that if these guys keep working at it, their songs will get tighter. Stepping away from that, the unbridled spirit and lyrical magic is turned up to eleven. A mixture of personal and sociopolitical leave their mark on all ten tracks, the best of which comes from "Bike Rock Revolution," where these guys sound a bit like ON THE MIGHT OF PRINCES. Overall, this is a pretty cool disc - probably not something I'll turn to very often, but it shows a work in progress that's fighting hard to punch through the box.
