I recognize that most people reading this have never heard of this record or band, but Quiet Life is one of my favorite albums of all time. I'll have difficulty articulating exactly why, but I think I can start with its tonal integrity. Everything about the album contributes to a vaguely sinister, nocturnal atmosphere. The clean, white background of the album cover is evoked in the futuristic coldness of the synths that drive every song. David Sylvian's baritone vocals are somehow sexy, tortured & sneering at the same time, seducing you into his world while disdaining you for wanting to come--Bowie in Labyrinth vibes. There's even a song called "Halloween"! This all combines to create my nominee for spookiest album ever that's not really trying to be spooky.
It's also the most cyberpunk album ever that's not trying to be cyberpunk, & with good reason: the term hadn't been codified yet. It was just a style & philosophy that naturally evolved in any kind of forward-thinking art being made in the late '70s/early '80s. I discovered this album in high school around the time I was diving deep into cyberpunk, & the interests dovetailed perfectly. Of course there are the synths themselves: flashy futuristic textures that conceal an underlying grimness. Of course there's the fusion of human & machine implied by the combination of natural & synthetic sounds. Of course, The Velvet Underground was a major influence on the cyberpunk movement, with William Gibson even titling a novel after "All Tomorrow's Parties," the Velvets song that Japan cover here. (We'll ignore that the cover is probably my least favorite song on the record.) Specifically, the layered keys, pads & choirs in "Despair" reminded me of some of the music from the video game Deus Ex. There are other cyberpunk elements too, like the Cold War anxieties in the lyrics of "Halloween," "Despair"'s references to "the artists of tomorrow" who live "in pleasant despair," the curious Orientalism present in "A Foreign Place," "Life in Tokyo," & the band name itself--not to mention more subtly in the compositions, like the pentatonic guitar & piano figures of "The Other Side of Life."
Speaking of film comparisons, every song here is palpably cinematic & conjures rich visuals for me. Close your eyes when "Despair" is playing & the muted drum machine, funereal piano & saxophone flourishes will show you a scene of someone driving at night through a rainy city, unsure of where they're going except that it's better than going home. The well-orchestrated strings of "In Vogue" have a similar effect. I've listened to this album in all weather conditions & I can verify that it's perfect for rain, perfect for snow, perfect for fog, & best after dark.
Musically, the album's star is bassist Mick Karn, whose instrument is mixed right up front & who is always doing something interesting, from the funky slaps of the title track to the atonal stabs of "Fall in Love With Me" to the hollow, spacey loops of "All Tomorrow's Parties." I've always suspected that John Taylor's flashy funk bass playing in Duran Duran is directly inspired by Karn's work--he's just as amazing in Japan's previous album Obscure Alternatives & even more quirky in the followup Gentlemen Prefer Polaroids. I like those records, but there's something about Quiet Life that just hits that sweet spot for me. This album lives rent-free in some darkly glamorous corner of my disreputable brain, plugged in & glowing & waiting for night to fall.
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