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Tracklist | |
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01 - Rockimpo Goroshi 02 - Houchou Hasami Cutter Knife Dosu Kiri 03 - Nitori BB Sensou 04 - Falling Jimmy 05 - Kawakita Saruin 06 - Anaru Whiskey Ponce (Re-Rec) 07 - Rock Bankurawase 08 - Haiyani Spain 09 - Uwabaru ~Futoshi~ 10 - Rei Rei Rei Rei Rei Rei Rei Rei Ma Ma Ma Ma Ma Ma Ma Ma 11 - ROLLING1000tOON 12 - Rock'N'Roll Chainsaw 13 - Koi No Kinako Watashi Ni Kudasai |
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Review | |
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Maximum the Hormone are definitely becoming poppier. That said, in this case that is no bad thing; the sound of earlier albums such as Mimi Jiru was much closer to straight thrash than their current output. As a straight thrash band they were pretty average with not a lot to make them stand out from the crowd. However, since somebody came up with the bright idea of giving their drummer Nao a go at singing they have become something more than just average. The three way vocal attack really adds punch to the songs (a good example of this would be on the bruising title track). The transition started with the last album (Kusoban) and this album further builds on the sound they started to explore with Nao being given bigger parts in the songs ("Nitori BB Sensou" for example) and even a short song all to herself right at the end ("Koi no Kinako Watashi ni Kudasai"). That isn't the only improvement; they have also learned how to write much catchier songs with plenty of hooks and are much more proficient musically; the bassist especially has learned to play a hell of a lot better; his timing and sheer technical ability seem to have come on in leaps and bounds. These funky bass lines have now become an integral part of their sound. These improvements have led to a sharp rise in the bands popularity during the past year and a half, so much so that they were invited to play at Rock In Japan Festival for the first time this year. They are finally starting to make their mark. This album reads almost like a greatest hits album; it has the previous singles "Rock Bankurawase", "ROLLING1000tOON" and "Houchou Hasami Cutter Knife Dosu Kiri" on it. It's obvious that this was their first real stab at gaining mainstream acceptance and it makes an excellent introduction for people new to the band. They never take themselves too seriously and are known for their wacky sense of humour, weird song titles and their rather crude album covers. Rokkinpo Koroshi is no exception to this trend with the cover featuring an elderly, naked cartoon woman clutching a guitar. These songs at their heart are punk songs and as such are rather short, even with 13 songs; the album only runs to 34 minutes. I mentioned earlier that this album is consciously poppier than earlier efforts but it's still far from pop punk and it makes a nice change from all the poppier acts that seem to dominate the indie scene these days. They made something of a trade off, but they got the combination about right; they succeeded in making their music more accessible but without losing too much potency. The songs are played fast and have a very energetic feeling to them. Musically it combines the punk stylings of The Stalin and the Garlic Boys with the hardcore sensibilities of Bat Cave and a touch of 10-Feet style silliness thrown in for good measure. I haven't heard many punk albums that impressed me so far this year. Everything seemed rather stale, so this came as something of a shot of adrenalin; the sheer energy of it and the catchiness of the new songs made me sit up and take notice. The added female vocals really help to round off some of the rough edges and give them a much more distinctive sound. For all their improvements, it's not a perfect album; some of the songs work better than others and towards the end it sometimes feels like the pace is flagging a bit as the majority of the killer songs are towards the beginning. This was their first full-length album so they had a lot to prove, and in spite of a few mediocre songs overall they didn't disappoint. Listening to this for too long can give you a headache but you will have a smile on your face all the same. |
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