THE MONSIEURS - 'At The Hop'

GARAGE PUNK ROCK

This d҉i҉s҉t҉o҉r҉t҉i҉o҉n҉   gives me energy. The music style translates well with it. 😌 

It's a fun track to hop around to. 

"Burning Flame" is another bop.

Heck yeah.

from THE MONSIEURS "Deux" LP. 2017.

Official HIGE DANdism - 'SWEET TWEET'

POP ROCK

Nicknamed "Higedan" which translates to "bearded man" this band has a fun obsession with mustaches. The band members where cute mustache bow ties. 

This 2015 song hooked me because of Satoshi Fushiwara's vocals. They are bright and energetic. 

The track includes thick and heavy piano chords. But it's balanced with the light melodies and solo tones from Daisuke Kosasa's guitars.

Masaki Matsuura's drums are solid. His kick and snare tones actually sounds perfect for this style. I particularly like the auxiliary percussion of triangle in the chorus. It reminds me of Two Door Cinema's implementation of their triangle to add energy.  

After checking out some live performances, I noticed and admire bassist Makoto Narasaki's dance moves. Clearly his enthusiasm is translated onto the track adding funky tones to this dance-able song. 

2019 Higedan is also "amazing". I'll later talk about their wonderfully produced album Traveler. Then you'll get the pun. (Hint: track 3)

From  ラブとピースは君の中. LASTRUM Music Entertainment Inc. 2015.

From Love To Peace Are In You.  Official髭男dism. 

Coaster - 'Paralyzed'

GRUNGE ALT ROCK

Oh, the angst in those vocals! You can hear the emotion push through Matt Kissinger's strained vocals. 

"When you cry 

Don't set aside 

What is life 

Lonely nights 

Paralyzed 

Shaken"

I'm a huge fan of these guitar tones. The bass pops out nicely. And the drums add more energy behind those guitar hits. Or vice versa.

The point! Right... The guitar tones are heavy with distortion in a Jaguar sounding way. Not so much heavy metal distortion.

"Red Charlie" has a pretty awesome beginning that stumbles into the song.

from Slow Jams. by Community Records. 2016.

kutsushita - 'Mushroom Dream'

POP ROCK

It's Japanese for socks. You don't need synths to sound this pop-y. The album is playful, sweet, and full of intention.

The lo-fi quality gives the song a laid back vibe. Combined with the deliberate and sweet vocals, kutsushita sounds like a band that just wants to jam out and say a couple of things on stage.

Turns out they made a music video involving races in a pink world.

Twitter

from きのうみたゆめ (Mushroom Dream). by DIW by diskunion. 2016.

Hot Snakes - 'Six Wave Hold-Down'

ALTERNATIVE ROCK

Drive me. The song title and album art supports the surfing imagery felt by the guitars and non-stop music drive.

But this isn't surf rock. It's darker. The toms are full and rhythmic. The vocalist's strained yells remind me of Dave Grohl's raspy energy. 

I have this song on a running playlist because of it's constant energy. There is some space in the pre-chorus that leaves room to breathe. 

from Jericho Sirens. By Sub Pop Records. 2018.