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Blotto
Singles Collection 2004-2007 |
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Tracklist |
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01 - 扉 (tobira)
02 - 運命複雑骨折 (unmei fukuzatsu kossetsu)
03 - コバルトブルー (cobalt blue)
04 - 墓石フィーバー (hakaishi fever)
05 - 夢の花 (yume no hana)
06 - 旅人 (tabibito)
07 - パッパラ (pappara)
08 - 上海狂騒曲（ラプソディー） (shanghai kyousou kyoku [rhapsody])
09 - ヘッドフォンチルドレン (headphone children)
10 - キズナソング (kizuna song)
11 - 奇跡 (kiseki) |
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Review |
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I've always been a bit skeptical about The Back Horn. I enjoy many of their songs immensely and yet, I always approach their music with trepidation, wondering when they will inevitably fall into the trap of radio-ready hard rock. Last year's soundtrack single, "Requiem," did nothing to quiet these worries; the first five seconds of the song alone pushed me into almost giving them up entirely. Furthermore, I wasn't much of a fan of the changes made on their last full-length effort, 2003's Ikiru Sainou. Though that album had brought a lot of new sounds into their repertoire, it failed to solidify the ideas into quality songs.
It is with great relief that I found Headphone Children to be just the trick needed to restore my faith. The Back Horn have returned confident and stronger, releasing a thoroughly skillful rock album that manages to tiptoe around many of the usual modern rock traps. Headphone Children, like its predecessor, finds the band avoiding pigeonholing but there is a lot more consistency to be found on this disc. Indeed, the only missteps on this album occur when The Back Horn fall back into familiar territory with uncreative guitar-work and power balladry.
There are still plenty of rocking songs throughout the album; "Cobalt Blue" might be the most purely thrilling song they've ever written, and "unmei fukuzatsu kossetsu" and "Hakaishi Fever" keep up the familiar Back Horn sound with their classic, if a little boring by now, crunch techniques. The band hasn't gone soft quite yet, despite what singles like "Kizuna Song" and "Yume no Hana" might have you think. The most exciting songs are found in the second third; songs like "Tabibito," and "Headphone Children," demonstrate that the band is finally capable enough to successfully tackle a wide range of tempos and vocal styles.
I do have one complaint however, the first half gets dragged down with unoriginal hard rockers and the final two songs get overly sentimental, leaving the whole affair slightly off-balance. Despite some flaws, it seems unfair to fault the entire album for a few low points when it has so many great highs. The Back Horn continues to remind me that there is still some slight goodness to be found in radio rock, even if it is a rarity. |
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