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Tracklist |
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01 - 17sai
02 - 17sai (Byoushitsu ni iru ano musume he) |
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Review |
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Whether it was a song about stalking a crush on her way home from school, feeling alienated from one's family and peers, or how punk rock changed the lives of many a wayward teenager, The Ging Nang Boyz have long mined the confusion and energy of youth in their songs. This could in part explain the schizophrenic nature of their music; half-sweet, half-insane, sometimes awkward and sincere, sometimes painfully, well, awkward and bordering on hackneyed. Whether or not it's strange for four men entering into their 30's to continue exploring the trials and tribulations of growing up is a matter for someone else to discuss. The fact is that more often than not they've managed to strike upon the very essence of what it is to be a young'un trying to find one's way through life and love.
"17sai" (meaning "17 years old" in Japanese), recorded as the theme to the upcoming movie Bokutachi ni Asu ha Naissu, is certainly no departure from this theme. However, while Minami Saori's original 1971 hit was a snuggly valentine from a girl seeking comfort in her lover's arms, it has now been rendered as a desperately infatuated boy's cry for affection. The lyrical pleas of "quickly, sweep me away with all your might" and "don't move, please" are less like bubblegum-scented "I wish this could last forever"-type moments, and more like "give me one last chance"-type begging. It's a brilliantly poignant reinvention of a classic for a new generation of people who were raised on "seishun (youth) dramas," yet are arguably more confused and messed up than those who came before them.
Mineta Kazunobu's impassioned vocals are complemented by Chin Nakamura's jarring and melancholy guitaristry, as well as the relentless and manic drumming of one Murai Mamoru. Abiko Shinya's sludgy bass ushers the 3-minute long song in and out briskly, thankfully eschewing the excess of some of the Boyz' more recent work. If only the recording weren't so darn compressed and blunt, then the explosive dynamics of the performance would shine through all the better. The b-side in particular, an acoustic version of the song performed on the seashore, suffers from a particular loss of intimacy due to the Ging Nang Boyz preferred production aesthetic.
The Ging Nang Boyz didn't merely cover "17sai," but they made it their own, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. As we continue to wait for the Boyz to finally release a new full-length, it's at least comforting to know that they haven't lost their ability to inspire and be inspired. |
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