After
Dinner’s
Paradise
of
Replica
is
a
concise
nugget
of
tomfoolery
that
occupies
a
whimsical
no
man’s
land
between
art
pop,
Japanese
folk
music
and
full-assed
Art
Zoydian
avant
proggery.
Gentle,
arcane
and
covertly
sweeping,
it
typifies
that
friendly
strain
of
experimentalism
that
Eastern
music
seems
so
predisposed
towards
and
which
curious
minds
find
such
great
delight
in.
Assembled
by
the
enigmatic
chanteuse
and
composer
known
simply
as
Haco,
After
Dinner
was
less
a
band
and
more
of
a
loose
art
collective
that
utilized
a
plurality
of
different
musical
disciplines
stapled
together
through
free
improvisation
sessions.
And
some
of
this
does
come
through
on
Paradise
of
Replica—the
record
is
a
scrapbook
of
bells,
strings
and
koto
humming
under
Haco’s
ethereal
vocals,
and
the
effect,
while
perfectly
tuneful,
does
come
off
more
as
a
musical
project
than
a
conventional
album.
But
Paradise
of
Replica
is
far
from
an
impenetrable
scholastic
endeavour—in
fact,
there’s
something
of
an
Elephant
6-like
quality
in
its
ability
to
warp
conventions
while
still
coming
off
more
or
less
like
pop
music.
Counter
to
the
ramshackle
hostility
of
much
improvised
music,
After
Dinner’s
choices
are
melodious
and
feel
deliberately
sequenced.
Even
crescendos
don’t
tend
to
rise
above
a
murmur,
and
there
are
even
apparent
hooks
on
tracks
like
“A
Walnut”
and
“Ironclad
Mermaid.”
Ultimately,
there’s
not
much
to
be
said
about
Paradise
of
Replica
that
can
elucidate
more
than
actually
hearing
it
will
be
able
to.
Proggy,
playful
and
lush,
it’s
a
brief
glimpse
into
something
in
the
vicinity
of
genius,
and
just
outside
the
realm
of
commercial
music.
It’s
a
quietly
bold
project
that
shows
a
softer
side
of
the
avant-garde,
and
makes
a
perfect
companion
to
Stereolab
and
Magma
at
once.
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