Kicking off Nippon Psychedelic Soul 1970-1979, the latest from London-based reissue outfit Time Capsule and the follow-up to their Nippon Acid Folk compilation, is Hiroshi Kamayatsu’s “Have you smoked Gauloise?,” a masterstroke of orchestral, mutant-pop. Kamayatsu, who originally sang for the 60s garage band The Spiders and was known professionally as Monsieur Kamayatsu, enlisted Oakland’s Tower of Power for the B-side to his 1975 hit single, “My Good Friend,” and they delivered in a big way—bringing the full gamut of horns, synth, and rhythm for a sleek and sly cut of feverish funk. As the Monsieur ambles along existentially, a drab smoke break turned technicolor daydream, ToP emits a warm ray of soul, horns soaring over quickly cascading keys, harmonized chanting, and hard charging guitar. Kamayatsu coos with a sullen smirk, moving like a personal raincloud of nonchalant cool across the glistening track. | c depasquale
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