Tokyo Jukebox

Tokyo Jukebox is a strongly concept-driven cover album on which Marty Friedman vividly translates classics of Japanese pop, anime and game music into his own guitar sound. A memorable first installment realized precisely because he moved his base to Japan and became deeply familiar with its culture. A record where his outstanding skill of playing the songs’ familiar vocal melodies richly and emotively with guitar, as if singing them himself, shines. Rather than viewing it as a mere selection of songs, it is truly intriguing to listen to how Marty Friedman replaces external songs with his own spacing, tone and guitar resonance. Rather than relying on the songs’ fame, his own character vividly emerges through the powerful push of the rhythm, the rich thickness of the arrangement and the delicate air around the solos. A deep affection for Japanese melody can be felt. There are not many guitarists who can make vocal melody sing with guitar this emotively. A record on which his exotic sensibility and the encounter with Japanese kayōkyoku come to fruition in a truly happy form. Though a concept work a little apart from the flow of his major works, his sure aesthetic strongly appears precisely in the way he interprets. An engaging record showing Marty Friedman’s deep love for Japan — a record where a new appeal of the guitarist shines.