The Mad Capsule Markets continue their largely unnoticed mission to put Japan on the musical map with this, the second single to be lifted from their recent, 11th studio album.

For a band whose output often seems predicated on madness, Happy Ride is actually rather straightforward - a piece of, dare I say it, pop-punk that is catchy enough to appeal to a Green Day kid were they to have an open mind and no aversion to a bit of overlaid electronic tinkering. Having said that, I'm not sure what said kid would make of the death metal-meets-drum 'n' bass of (Cracker!!!) or the Ministry-gone-pop of Cistm Konfliqt. It'd sure be fun to watch though...

In a musical world of ever-increasing conformity, uniqueness is a rare commodity. The Mad Capsule Markets have it in spades. They should be valued more highly.