Recently, I have decided to listen again to one of my all time favorite albums by one of my all time favorite artists, AA= (All Animals Are Equal) aka Takeshi Ueda. His first album under the moniker of AA= is the appropriately tited #1. The name AA= is a direct reference to George Orwell’s Animal Farm and even the mascot for AA= is a pig. The pig motif is present in all of AA=’s artwork and music videos. I ordered #1 when it was initially released in 2009. It is a masterpiece of fast-paced hard electronic rock music.
The tone of the album is pessimistic, but ends with a feeling of hope. The intro track titled “4Legs Good, 2Legs Bad” is pretty down on the human race, outlining the seven deadly sins before going right into the second track named “I hate human.” The third track is the lead single, “Peace!!!” It has a message about taking action if change is going to occur. Each track keeps with the theme of all animals being equal and eventually the human animal is added into the mix. The final track “R.I.P.” is all about saying goodbye to each of the deadly sins after equality has (hopefully) been achieved.
Overall I would give #1 a rating of AA+. The hard and fast electronic sound is not for everyone, but I absolutely love it. Standout tracks include: “Peace!!!,” “Loser,” “Roots,” “All Animals Are Equal,” and “Starry Night.” Give this one a listen.