Six-piece jazz outfit
SOIL&"PIMP"SESSIONS frequently lend their talents to other artists, and they are no strangers to singer
Sheena Ringo - they featured on her song
Karisome otome (Death Jazz ver.) in 2006 and she in turn sang on their 2009 single
My Foolish Heart (Crazy in Shibuya). They have come together again for new single
Koroshiya kiki ippatsu, released 26th June.
Straight away
Koroshiya kiki ippatsu, official English title
The Assassin's Assassin, screams "
Sheena Ringo!" all over. It's not too surprising as she wrote the music, collaborating with
SOIL trumpeter
Tabu Zombie for the lyrics. Throw in violinist
Neko Saito - collaborator on
Sheena's album
Heisei Fuzoku - as the arranger and the sound is complete.
Neko also conducts the orchestra who help to pad out the instrumentals, mainly with luscious strings. Its loud brass and violin opening, featuring jovial
Soul Bossa Nova-type accents, clear the cobwebs before
Sheena begins her sultry verse against
Akita Goldman's playful doublebass backing. The chorus is a gloriously swinging, bold affair where all involved clearly had a good time, although the
SOIL boys have taken a bit more of a back seat and let
Sheena shine. Only short, modest solos for
Tabu Zombie and saxophonist
Motoharu appear.
Neko's big band-style arrangement has definitely upped the grandeur on this tiny track, which at 2 minutes 40 seconds really needs to grab the listener by the lapels and quickly. The result is a brief yet lively, brassy track with tongue firmly in cheek, which still manages to maintain a touch of sophistication.
The B-sides are purely instrumental jazz tracks, both of which are much longer than the main single song. The first, evidently named in the vein of other such puns that the band are fond of, is the smooth
PIMP PANTHER. It doesn't resemble the tune to which the title alludes, but is rather an original composition featuring deep, slinky bass overlaid with a seductive sax and trumpet duet. It has a sudden increase in tempo mid-song, giving
Tabu Zombie and drummer
Midorin a couple of minutes to show off their flair with their respective instruments. The second B-side is the rapid
Spy High, a challenging piece that adequately shows off all of the members' skills. It's a nice inclusion as the guys weren't really stretched in the title track.
Previous joint ventures between these artists have yielded impressive results, and
Koroshiya kiki ippatsu is a worthy addition to these.
SOIL&"PIMP"SESSIONS are perfectly able to play second fiddle to
Sheena Ringo's imposing presence, and the balance between them has created a piece as vivacious as it is overly dramatic. It's just a shame it's so short.
Check out the music video below, made as a mock film trailer complete with a "Reservoir Dogs"-inspired mass shoot out finale.
