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Friday, October 2, 2009

Blankey Jet City's "Red Guitar and the Truth"

Artist: Blankey Jet City (Japan)
Album: Red Guitar and the Truth (1991)

You will have to pardon my lack of cursing in this review. I'm afraid I'm at school.
Oh hell with it. My teacher doesn't pay attention much anyway. Let's begin.

I'll admit it, I don't have much faith in this one. Blankey Jet City? They're a Japanese band from the early 90s, right? Retch.

Well, Track one is Cat Was Dead. Oh. Okay. So it sounds interesting? What is this? Huh. Peculiar. It has the same faux-fifties sound that Black Cats were going for, except it isn't... a failure? It sounds modern and interesting?
Oh wait. The vocals. I forgot. They're.... annoying. For most of these Japanese bands the vocals tend to ruin everything. I have no idea why, either. No, I am not biased towards Japanaese music. (cough)
The second he starts singing, it really goes downhill. Which is a shame because the guitars are absolutely fantastic. I mean fantastic. I'm actually angry at the vocalist right now. I could cuss my ass off right now, but--

Boku no Kokoro wo Torimodosu Tame ni... Again, the music itself is just great. I suppose the vocals aren't as obnoxious here. They're tolerable. They sound a little like Ryuichi from Luna Sea. Maybe. I don't know. The chorus just sounds so Luna Sea-esque. Hell, so is the guitar solo.

Track three is Mune ga Koware Sou. Here's hoping for the best.
At this point, the vocalist just needs to redeem himself and I'll be a-okay. But something in me doubts that will happen.
Sigh. What a loss.
Okay. I have something positive to say: this isn't the worst thing to come from this blog. Right? Right. Moving on.

Furyou Shounen no Uta...
At first... I was going to bitch about the vocals again. But you know what? I actually like them in this. Yeah, I said it. I said something positive for once.
I can't turn it up very loud, but from what I hear I rather like it.
I... like... it... ???
Dare I say it, this band has a pretty neat sound.

Track five is Texas. Well, I'm already relieved to hear it has no southern influences.
Either I'm becoming more tolerant or I didn't listen close enough, but the vocals aren't quite as bad as I thought. Either way, I was wrong, so fuck me.
Pretty cool solo, though.
If only it weren't so painfully... 90s Japan.

I must be confusing the poor reader. Oh, who am I kidding, who reads this anyhow?

Track six is Kouen. I really do love their oldies style. Refreshing, that's what it is.
Maybe I'll give this a better listen when I'm at home, because I really do like it despite all my complaints. Right now I just can't hear over some people talking to really listen to it in its entirety.

Now the singing in Gaadoreeru ni Suwari Nagara really sounds like Ryuichi. Take that as a good thing or a bad thing, because I'm undecided.
In fact, the vocals sound a lot like some vocalist in Free-Will at the time... In fact, were Blankey Jet City part of Free-Will?
Nnnnno, they were not. Toshiba and Polydor, apparently. And no, I don't know the vocalist or any of his work. I'm probably just going mad.

I think sometime I'll check out their other work. I just know that the vocals didn't change, but I feel that they have some serious potential. No, no, no, wait. They are good. There are things I would change, though.

I've listened to Ate no Nai Sekai and alas, have no lasting opinions.

Kurutta Asahi... Just... sigh. Oh well. It blends together with the rest of it. Yawn.

The last track is Mother. It better be good. Partly because class is almost over (yay, one period left), and because I feel I wasn't sufficiently wowed by Blankey Jet City.
I've noticed that the rockibilly aspect has been lost completely. The past couple songs have, I mean. And I miss it. This just sounds like a lot of punk bands. In the 90s. In Japan. Killer combination. But not really.
I'm not biased, I swear.

3 out of 5.
Sorry, you guys. You're good, just not good enough.