& Others
--One-shot CD reviews (#s-E)--
| THE 5,6,7,8’S | |||
| Yoshiko “Ronnie” Fujiyama--vocal & guitar Omo “Screaming Chellio Panther”--bass & bg vocal Sachiko “Geisha Girl” Fujii--drums & bg vocal Rico--guitar(‘89) Mikako--bass(‘89) “Spacy Fuzz” Eddie--guitar(‘90) |
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Bomb The Rocks--Early Days Singles -- (73:55) -- (2003) -- Time Bomb Records -- BOMBCD 69 | ||
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| You can’t argue with this kind of overkill! Right, you loved them in Kill Bill Vol. 1, and you must own some of the fabulous 5,6,7,8’S sounds. This will light your fuse. Straight out of a Tokyo garage comes well over an hour of ‘50s influenced rock that’s gonna put a smile on your face, make your feet move, and might even teach ya some cool. If these tunes don’t get ya boppin’, check your pulse. True, ‘I Walk Like Jayne Mansfield’ is missing, but closing out is ‘Blue Radio’, which sent a friend hunting for his CRAMPS’ version, till halfway through, in awe, he realized they’d been topped. | |||
| THEE 50’S HIGH TEENS | |
| Tomo--bass & vocal Honey--guitar & bg vocal Kei--organ & bg vocal Ricca--drums & bg vocal |
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Thee 50’s High Teens -- (21:57) -- (2003) -- P-Vine Records -- PCD-22059
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| There’s a slow, blues ballad, but this a good try at the garage-shakin’ mojo LULU’S MARBLE used to lay down. Yep, THEE 50’S HIGHTEENS got the organ, the screams, a ballsy lead singer, and an obvious commitment to the garage. They don’t quite stomp it like LULU’S MARBLE, but they come close enough to make for a damn good party. Give ‘em time. They’ve got the smarts. I’m bettin’ they’ll come up with somethin’ special. I hear they never smile at live shows, or for band photos. They’re serious about their music. I respect that, and as long as they keep rockin’ like this, we can do the smiling! | |
| 54 NUDE HONEYS | ||
| Yuri--vocal Vivi--bass Kotome--guitar |
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54 Nude Honeys -- (48:45) -- (2005) -- Skydog International -- SK 2005-2 | |
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| This is neither the new material we’ve been waiting for, nor the collection this band deserves about now. What it is is most of Drop The Gun, and all of their last release, also called 54 Nude Honeys. It’s also nineteen hot cuts of rocking, guitar-oriented, slap-ya-face, garage rock, with Yuri yelling at ya to make sure you dance. I’m dancin’! Plus, I hear when this gets a major European release it will include a DVD of a live show with some vids! A U.S. release is also planned. So, everybody get ready to rock! No one’s goin’ home tonight! Where’s ‘I’m Rubber Man’? Shut up and dance! | ||
| AFRIRAMPO | |
| Oni--guitar & vocal Pikacyu--drums & vocal |
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Kore Ga Mayaku Da (This Is The Drug) -- (50:12) -- (2005) -- Tzadik -- TZ 7258
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| Trust Tzadik to encourage the freaky side of AFRIRAMPO. It’s a joyous thing to hear Oni and Pikacyu intercreating, bouncing things back and forth between them. No creative expression is shunned. All is accepted and fuels further inspiration and forays into fun and freeform freakouts. There is passion and humanity expressed, often in a childish glee. How much structure does an AFRIRAMPO song begin with? Sometimes it’s delightfully playful. At other times their noise excursions incorporate apocalyptic visions. Feel free to join in. They can’t hear you, but I’m sure they’d be delighted. | |
| THE AMPPEZ | |
| Marie--guitar & vocal Shinobu--bass & bg vocal Noriko--drums & bg vocal |
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The Irony Of A Sweet Fruit -- (23:04) -- (2005) -- Benten Tokyo -- BT 003 (U.S. release)
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| Shinobu and Noriko support Marie’s vocals well. The lyrics, translated here, deal with the beauty and evil that oppose each other in life. The music is varied, the songs are well constructed, and the adequate musicianship sneaks up, and proves itself more than equal to the task of giving these songs the primal beauty the lyrics obsess over. This band has a grace and wholeness that will serve it well in its future endeavors. A more varied production would better show off the richness of the arrangements, but sometimes beauty is hiding in the shadows and needs only a closer inspection. | |
| ASAKUSA JINTA | |
| Oshow--vocal & stand-up bass Gome--drums & percussion Shinya--guitar Mie Kachint--soprano & alto saxophone B-Ken--euphonium & tuba Seasir--trumpet |
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Asakusa Jinta -- (40:09) -- (2008) -- Rollergate, Inc. -- AJNT-0007
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| ASAKUSA JINTA are unique. They have drums, bass, and guitar, like a rock band, but the bass is a stand-up bass, and the other three instruments come from the horn section. Most importantly, they’re out to party. What they seem to do is to take older Japanese styles of music, many seemingly reflections of older western music, and then rock the hell out of them. It’s an intoxicating brew! Sometimes it rocks, sometimes it’s jazzy, often it sounds like something you’ve heard before, and often it doesn’t. Their range of sounds is wide. Their enthusiasm and potential seem boundless. Let’s party! | |
| BLANKEY JET CITY | ||
| Kenichi Asai--vocal & guitar Toshiyuki Terui--bass Tatsuya Nakamura--drums |
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Last Dance -- (112:37) -- (2000) -- Polydor -- UPCH-1005/6 | |
| Disc One: 1. Omae Ga Hoshii (I Want You) 2. лллллллл 3. Salinger 4. Pineapple Sand (Pineapple Sandwich) 5. Gasoline No Yurekata (Shimmering Gasoline) 6. Sea Side Jet City 7. Skunk 8. Saturday Night 9. Zetsubou To Iu Na No Chikatetsu (The Subway Known As Despair) 10. Shiawase Na Hito (Lucky Person) 11. Derringer |
12. Sweet Days 13. Camaro Disc Two: 1. Soon Crazy 2. 3104 Choume No Dance Hall Ni Ashi O Mukero (Move Your Legs To The Dance Hall At 3104th Street) 3. Romeo 4. Punky Bad Hip 5. Boku Wa Yankii (I’m A Thug) 6. D.I.J. No Pistol (D.I.J.’s Pistol) 7. Furyoo No Mori (A Crowd Of Bad Boys) 8. Kirei Na Kubikazari (Beautiful Necklace) 9. Akai Tambourine (Red Tambourine) 10. Baby Baby |
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| It’s a BLANKEY JET CITY show from their final tour. They’re a trio of savvy, technically gifted rockers. The vocals, by guitarist Kenichi Asai, are from the Bowie/Bolan camp, with a bit of THE CURE’s Robert Smith thrown in. Add to this mix a portion of THE STRAY CATS’ rockabilly, including the exceedingly clean playing of Brian Setzer, whom Asai equals, and adds a jazzy flair to. It’s got to be one of their best. The material is reasonably varied; the consistency is high; and the arena full of adoring fans makes the excitement tangible. Why’d they quit? | ||
BLOW ONE’S COOL |
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Hiroyuki Inoue--bass |
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Evil Nipple Session -- (58:35) -- (1998) -- Time Bomb -- BOMB CD-56 | ||
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| Yep, lots of songs, but it’s not hardcore. A friend compared them to THE REPLACEMENTS, which for him was a compliment. On posters (shown in the booklet) they claim they’re “Punk Roq”. There remain some classic rock riffs they hadn’t weeded out, and some nice harmonies, but I’ll go along with that. The impressive thing, besides the constant adrenaline rush, is these guys can play, especially the hot-shot guitarist. The songs, sung in incomprehensible English, though limited in range are well constructed, and all rock hard and fast. | |||
| BOOM BOOM SATELLITES | |
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Masayuki Nakano--(not listed) Naoki Hirai--drums |
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Exposed -- (41:48) -- (2007) -- Sony Music Records Inc. -- SRCP 411
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| Sci-Fi music for a future generation we’re now a part of. Synthesizers often overrule the guitars in this world. They even squeeze the vocals, molding them into a mechanized emoting. Yet the songs have a traditional pop/rock orientation, which is seductive, while the very refined, synthesized production mesmerizes. It’s impressively well done technically and artistically. The rock orientation has a metal influence, but with an alienated edginess that gives it a punk feel, too. Fact is, though, it’s too refined for either metal or punk. It’s a new, hard, synthesized pop with a vital dance beat. | |
| BO-PEEP | |
| Mika Yoshimura--guitar & vocal Junko Himei--Bass Ryoko Nakano--Drums |
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“0 x 3” -- 31:40 -- (2003) -- Mother Records -- MTRCD-002
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| “0 x 3” is a surprisingly strong first release. Technically they are already a very strong band here. Ryoko, on drums, is always right there. Junko’s bass makes the songs move with a virile slinkiness. Mika uses her vocals as innovatively as she uses her guitar, and when she finally straight-out sings they serve her well. Mika’s guitar is probably their most powerful instrument, though. It builds each song artfully, but is always ready to expand things with a wailing lead or some screeching feedback. With this much maturity and power, BO-PEEP will be an interesting nursery rhyme to follow. | |
| THE BRILLIANT GREEN | |
| Tomoko “Tommy” Kawase--vocal Ryo Matsui--guitar Shunsaku Okuda--bass |
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Terra 2001 -- (46:30) -- (1999) -- Sony Records -- SMD 8326
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| This band’s at the top of the J-Pop charts these days. I like ‘em anyway! Their open sound is self-produced, and the songs are their own. There’s a drummer in the mix, and often keyboards. This is good pop music, and Tomoko has a distinctive voice that sounds half whisper. It’s typical J-Pop sweetness, but there’s a touch of gutsiness. The lyrics, mostly in English, are more intelligent than many of our pop lyrics. They don’t quite make it to rocking-out, but they occasionally get close, and the variety has increased since their worthy first outing. | |
| THE CAPTAINS | |
| Kizuhiko--guitar & vocal Hizashi--guitar Ted--bass Yosuke--drums |
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Last Group Sounds -- (31:01) -- (2007) -- Tokyo No Records -- TNR001 (U.S. release)
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| Group Sounds was the label for Japanese pop/beat bands in the ‘60s. THE CAPTAINS have taken that sound and revived it again, just a bit more than forty years later. Hey, they do a good job. In their military uniforms they look the part. Their songs are catchy and bite-sized. The band can play like the dickens, and when Hizashi steps out on lead guitar, it’s always delightful. Kizuhiko handles the lead vocals, but they all sing well, giving them a true group sound. Every song is uptempo, but their variety of sounds is rich and wonderful, even as they maintain an innocence and joyfulness. | |
| CRAWL | |
| Atsuko Hakamada--guitar & vocal Kosei Hashimoto--bass & vocal Koji Masuda--drums |
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Milkicking -- (30:13) -- (1995) -- K.O.G.A Records -- K.O.G.A-009 1. Slow Burn |
| This is the most wonderful example of Japanese alterna-pop I’ve discovered yet. There is a sweet pop feel to this CD, and yet the vocals (all in English) are tempered by a sadness of experience, and never come off as overly-cute. The strengths are in the song-writing and arrangements, which are innovative without ever seeming over-produced or experimental. As musicians and vocalists they are not outstanding, but they’re fine. They rock with an overall gentleness and constraint, which I find quite refreshing, but they do rock. | |
| DIRTRUCKS | |
| Dee--vocal & bass Sae--drums Rui--guitar |
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Yellow Rose -- (51:29) -- (2006) -- Love Shit Music -- LSDD-007
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| DIRTRUCKS is ‘70s pub rock sung by three Japanese gals. Yellow Rose rerecords the six songs from their Ordinary Bad Girl EP, adds three covers, one each from THIN LIZZY and DEFF LEPPARD, and three new original tunes. The recording and playing are no better, but they’re honest, and the material and performances are heartwarming. It’s the inherent soulfulness that is the real winning ingredient. Technically they’re still primitive, but their songwriting and delivery are richer than they have any rights to be. DIRTRUCKS believe in straightforward, honest rocking, and that’s what they’re offering! | |
| ELLEGARDEN | |
| Takeshi Hosomi--vocal & guitar Shinichi Ubukata--guitar Yuichi Takada--bass Hirotaka Takahashi--drums |
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Eleven Fire Crackers -- (32:37) -- (2007) -- Nettwerk Records LLC -- NETWERK 0 6700 30730 2 8 (U.S. release)
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| ELLEGARDEN is back, with their second U.S. release, on their second U.S. label. Hosomi’s English is just as good, and his lyrics remain clever, honest, and surprisingly insightful. The band sound even more proficient than they were last time. The guitars churn up a storm that acts as a raging motor for these alterna/power pop songs. The tunes are impressively varied, more powerful, and even more beautiful than the last batch. ELLEGARDEN is more than just a good copy of current U.S. alterna rock. This band could easily make an audience for itself on U.S. radio. They should have already! | |
| THE EMERALDS | |
| Kazuya--vocal & guitar Osuke--bass & bg vocal Akio--drums & bg vocal |
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Love Is Rolling -- (38:08) -- (2008) -- Australian Cattle God Records -- ACG 21
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| THE EMERALDS’ first full-length is everything it should be! They are a classy rock band that knows how to do the pop. They’re a tight rock trio, yet every song has the kind of pop hooks most bands only dream of, or might luck into once in a lifetime. Kazuya could sing more from his lungs, their lyrics could unearth deeper philosophical and poetical truths, but, hey, this is a rock ‘n’ roll party, and a song like ‘Talk About Love’ or ‘Never Change’ is really all we need. The Elvis Presley/CLASH cover design is a bit much, but Love Is Rolling is probably a better party record than either of those! | |
| THE ENDS | |
| Ryoichi Endo--vocal Ai Ishigaki--guitar Wataru Kamiryo--drums Kei Kusama--keyboards & manipulation |
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Ends -- (47:12) -- (1996) -- Victor Entertainment -- VICL-810
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| Ryoichi Endo, ex-SOFT BALLET, cowrote the material with guitarist Ai Ishigaki, ex-MAD CAPSULE MARKETS. There’s a macho/prog rock thing going on that would usually spook me instantly, but the music here is powerful. A healthy variety of rock stylings are mixed to present a hypnotic background for Endo’s authoritative vocals, which recall a Jim Morrison/shamen vibe, but possess a strength of their own. I was won over by performances on the Factory site, but the richness of these songs means this, my first ENDS CD, will not be my last. | |
| ESREVNOC | |
| Mittco Sky--vocal, guitar & bg vocal Tomomi Ocean--bass & bg vocal Tsukada Sun--keyboards & bg vocal |
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EB - Esrevnoc Better -- (27:06) -- (1999) -- Epic Records --
ESCB 1977
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| This band, and its music, are as cute as a shiny button. Supposedly they came up through the indie scene, but this is great pop music. The hooks, mostly ‘60s pop and R&B, bounce out of these songs, one after the other, as if the school bell just rang. When there’s a punk edge, Mittco’s overly sugary vocals keep things sweet. In the studio they’re aided by a drummer and a computer manipulator. ESREVNOC writes all the songs, though--each a happy, well-crafted gem! Each has a separate cover, so... Hey, they all sound like A-sides to me! | |
& OTHERS (F-L)
