Love Psychedelico ‎- Love Psychedelic Orchestra (2002)

In Japan, pop duo Love Psychedelico are famed for the native-like sound of vocalist Sato Kumi's English vocals, with some songs sung entirely in English and others in a mix of English and Japanese. The exotic imagery is compounded by sleeve photographs that are all shot around the U.K., and by an overall sound that is curiously reminiscent of Rumours-era Fleetwood Mac, although with far starker, more modern production. Lyrically, Love Psychedelic Orchestra doesn't bear close scrutiny, with the English seemingly written entirely for domestic consumption. It usually consists of little more than vague sounding and meaningless non-sequiturs at best, as when Kumi proclaims "somewhat of ride and roll" in "Standing Bird," and at worst it can damagingly undermine the song, as when she wistfully sings of "breaking wind" elsewhere in the same song. Despite this, the melodies have a sophistication that the lyrics lack, with the pop psychedelia of "Dry Town," the Beatles influenced "Days of Days Over You," and "Life Goes On" managing to be catchy and melodically affecting despite their lyrical shortcomings.