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Tracklist | |
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01 - Bakamono yo Taishi wo Idake (バカ者よ大志を抱け) 02 - Paadara Boogie~Koukai Surunya Wakasugiru~ (パーダラ・ブギ~後悔するにゃ若すぎる~) 03 - Romantic ga Naita (ロマンチックが泣いた) 04 - Konjou Rock Star!! (根性ロックスター!!) 05 - Usotsuki no Ballad (嘘つきのバラード) 06 - Senaka ni Neko wo Kacchimattanda (背中に猫を飼っちまったんだ) 07 - Nonde Goo Goo (飲んでゴーゴー) 08 - Koukai Surunara Hansei wo (後悔するなら反省を) 09 - Koi no Bariki (恋の馬力) 10 - Tsukiakari no Shita (月明かりの下) 11 - Norikuraride 10 Nengo (のらりくらりで10年後) 12 - You ha Mata Noboru!! (陽はまた昇る!!) 13 - Mitsuto Monogatari (三都物語) 14 - Ouenka (応援歌) |
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Review | |
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The Inazuma Sentai play a really messed up version of rock music. I can't get over how weird it all sounds. It sounds like punk at times, and certainly has been influenced by that genre quite a bit (The Blue Hearts specifically). At other times I get to thinking they lean a bit more towards the Sparta Locals style of rhythm-based post-punk, but then I get thrown for another loop. For a while you think you have them pegged down, but then the song changes and they throw in a marching band or a fiddle and then you're back to square one: just what the hell is this band? The vocals take a lot of direction from The Blue Hearts, but this guy will keep you on your feet the way he twists his voice and uncovers every single corner of his range. It's a really interesting vocal style that's hard not to love; you just don't hear stuff this fun and uninhibited in the major part of Japanese music. Certainly, this band is something unique; their music is original and extremely compelling. It's been just a month since The Inazuma Sentai has released their second album, Bakamono yo Taishi wo Idake, so just what have the boys learned in the year since their first album? Well, we see that the songwriting eccentricity present on their first has only increased and their instrumentation is just as crazy and nuanced as ever, if not more so. The first and self-titled track starts off fast and strong. "Bakamono yo Taishi wo Idake" has an extremely catchy chorus and offers the first few of many spicily flavored guitar mini-solos throughout the rest of the record, a kicker of an opening and a real favorite of the album. Next up comes "Paadara Boogie," the preceding single to this album; and boy is this something new, they've brought in horns to make this song even more strangely addicting than it already would've been. This is the perfect single really, I know if I was hearing this on the radio, I'd be hitting up some loan sharks to find some cash to get my hands on this album; it's catchy without wearing out easily and as a plus, it doesn't really sound like any of your favorite bands. This band is like nothing else out there. After a couple more high-energy tracks, we run into "Usotsuki No Ballad," true to its name, this is something of a power ballad, or as close as we're ever going to get with this group. An odd song, but definitely not bad, it actually helps the album stay fresh halfway through. After that there comes a slow track, not a strange thing for this band to do, they had one in their first album and just like that one, this is very nice and refreshing (good use of harmonicas). After that we're back to the bizarre rock and roll attack with the oldies influenced backing vocals of "Nonde Goo Goo" and the... fiddle and banjo (with thick, THICK down south influence) of "Koukai Surunara Hansei wo." Just what the heck is this, "Devil Went Down to Georgia?" Seriously, that's the magic of this band. I love it. Then comes a part that's even stranger than all the randomness they've throw at you during the album. They stop. "Koi No Bariki" and "Tsukiakari No Shita," and "Norarikuraride 10 Nengo" contain actual singing and pop music structure, especially on the latter. It almost works, but it really is a little much, for a band that's been pushing the boundaries since the beginning, it's odd to hear them stay safely within the box. I can see how it could be conceived of as rebellion, and the songs actually are pretty good, but it disrupts the flow of the album in a not-so-great way and the result is worse for it (thank god they didn't release any of them as singles though, that is to Warner's immense credit). Finishing off the album are "You ha Mata Noboru!!" and "Mitsuto Monogatari." The former is a rather plain song. While it's actually pretty good, just after the first half of the album you're still expecting them to do something completely different and it doesn't really come back. The latter is super-fun little number. It won't blow your hair back, but it is terrifficly fun to listen to with a great sing-along chorus and almost gets back the energy lost in the second half of the album. It just needs a little more to really bring back the rock. And surprisingly, there is a little something more, you realize as you hear the quiet opening chords of bonus track "Ouenka," that you, sir or madam, are about to get your ass kicked. The song, their second single, also featured on the first album (and the Soulseek compilation, (JIR) Japan Is Punk As Fuck"), is how I first heard the band on a random purchase from a trusted seller on ebay. It might seem really weird to have the exact same version of the song be on two albums and a single, but it really doesn't matter, this is flat-out the best song they've written, and one of my favorite songs of the last few years of any country, any genre. The ending to the album would be really dissapointing, probably, but with this addition, the perfect opening and closing song to anything, you really can't but go home happy. Despite a somewhat flawed second half, the quirks, instrumentation, singing, and uniqueness of The Inazuma Sentai ensure this to be a strong release. While not as flat-out great as the first, it makes the perfect companion, adding a huge maturation in songwriting. You really won't find much that's as balls to the wall exciting as this group and I recommend strongly that you make an effort to check them out, no matter how you do it. |
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