Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on October 2010

Anyone who’s seen Andy MacKinlay at one of his band’s numerous gigs around Tokyo knows he’s one of the more entertaining, self-deprecating frontmen around. There’s plenty of humor on his latest album Triple *R*, a good-natured catalog of the sex-addled gaijin male’s befuddlement at the Japanese world around him. Even if he’s getting a bit long in the tooth, this guy just can’t seem to relinquish his rock-god ambitions, as detailed for example on the song “Bok の Jinsei.” Amid slashing guitars and a welter of beats ranging from Red Hot Chili Peppers-inspired punk-funk to thunderous dub courtesy of Buddha-behind-the-drums Hiroki Murakami, Kinlay raps about the indignities and dreams of everyday expat life with a knowing wink and grin we can all relate to. Catch Kinlay Band at one of its “Kickstart Your Heart” events at Club Edge in Roppongi or at Kinlay’s monthly “Tokyo Jam Session” at What The Dickens in Ebisu on the first Tuesday of every month (since 2004).