Tokyo has a “newcomer” with a heavyweight portfolio. Rozenbo (浪蟬坊), a reggae and dub project formed by Noriyoshi Sasanuma of Sly Mongoose and Mitsuhiro Toike, formerly of V.I.P. Band and Dry & Heavy, makes its first move with the 7-inch single “Tell You Lover” Feat. Sticko / “方今”. Meg (formerly of Super Butter Dog) and Tom Takahashi have now joined as official members.

Side A, “Tell You Lover”, grows out of the big idea behind a song by Barbados calypso group The Merrymen. Rozenbo tears it far from the original structure and adds a crucial ornament: an 80s-style digital dancehall riddim, programmed on Toike‘s vintage Oberheim DXM, echoing the spirit of “Telephone Love”. Sticko‘s (Fire Ball) bluesy vocal and Tom Takahashi‘s melancholic, western-tinged guitar turn the song into an interpretation that stands entirely on its own.

On the flip side, “方今” (Houkon) carries the grandeur of roots style. Written and composed by Sasanuma, this Japanese-language one-drop leans on Takahashi‘s fragile, urban-blues guitar and the shadow of Hugh Mundell from the days when Roots Radics stood behind him. “New Roots Kayō” is how Rozenbo describes the track: a killer tune with roots reggae DNA that feels right at home in this era.

(sam)