(September 2026) Episode 744 is MELT-BANANA. Call it avant-punk. This Japanese group (later a duo) start with a punk foundation of minute and half songs with fast-paced guitar/bass/drums and shouted vocals. The distinctiveness is Yosuka Onuki’s piercing, unequivocal delivery, done in English (although hard to tell) narrating absurdist song titles. Several albums in, they lengthen the songs, add electronics and elevate Ichiro Agata’s guitar wizadry, creating a hyper-energized blast of frenetic noise. I love music where I cannot imagine how anyone could come up with this stuff, and Melt-Banana is all that.
Favorite album: 3+5
Favorite song: Shield for Your Eyes, A Beast in the Well on Your Hand
Compared to expectations: ↑
Recommendation: It won’t be to everyone’s taste. Try “Cactuses Come in Flocks” for the earlier simpler material, Teeny-Shiny for a turn to the more complex, or 3+5 for a peak return after a decade off.
Opus Project 