Yoo Doo Right, Yoo Doo Slide

The Japanese trio All Tomorrow's Party combine roughly equal elements of noisy garage rock and more tuneful post-folk-rock psychedelia on Yoo Doo Right, Yoo Doo Slide. With vocals sung entirely in English, the music's very much in the mold of numerous post-1990 slightly retro-oriented bands that draw from various strands of critically venerated '60s and '70s rock, but have a sort of well-recorded rawness that's of a later vintage. Although they not infrequently sing pretty harmonies, there's also quite a bit of buzzing distortion and feedback, as well a kind of power-punkness in songs like "Bad Bee Says." There's an admirably varied alternation of moods on the disc, though the songs are more adequate than killer. There's also the old bugaboo of establishing a distinct identity when these kinds of influences are worn on the sleeve. The record's more impressive when they opt for the lighter, more tuneful harmonized folk-rock, as they do on "As Tears Go By" (no relation to the Rolling Stones song), which has quite a hooky chorus reminiscent of better '60s garage pop; "Save Love," which has a British folk-psychedelic feel; and the largely acoustic "Juliette." When they go for the extended hard rock-punky instrumental passage drone thing, it's more rote, though one such outing, "Sympathy for the Junkies," at least has a witty title.