Japanese Import
2003
Penalty Life
About This Album
Penalty Life starts with one of the best alt rock tracks there is -- a simple, clever number with the dynamic James Bond-themed rhythm section and deceptively effective college boy vocals. It's definitely justified to say that this song ("Dead Stock Paradise") sums up all the best there is about the Pillows (no capital in the official spelling) and their Pixies-inspired brand of rock that shows it's possible to stick firmly to the alternative side of music and still be fit for charts, radio, and movie credits. However, it's also a success that's too hard to replicate, at least along the course of one album, and so the expectations set by the first song will probably be brought down a bit by the end of Penalty Life. Which is a shame, really, as there are plenty of other strong tracks on the record -- "Freebee Honey," for one -- that show the Pillows' ability to pack huge amounts of energy and melody into three-minute chunks and deliver them without abusing the distortion pedal. The band has some garage rock vibe, but they sound upbeat, not reckless, and far too professional to really remind one of the Stooges -- "Terminal Heaven's Rock" even has a brass section.
Track List (try tracks 3,5,6 and 8)

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.