Best: Rock Series # 1

I'm going to do a series of posts about what I think of as some of the greatest Jrock bands out there. I've listened to a lot of Jrock and Jpop, mostly through the radio, so I've heard a lot of what's out there. I've been over my head with things lately, so I can't say these will come in a prompt fashion, but if you're reading, then keep looking for them, because I'll find time to get one on here when I can.

 Starting right off in alphabetical order, I want to give the place of honor to a new band that I think deserves a lot of press: abingdon boys school (typeset in lower case).

  abingdon boys school [アビングドン　ボイズ　スクール」was founded only a few years back, in 2005, signed by Japan's Epic Records Japan (which also signed T. M. as a solist). Fronted by popular soloist, T. M. Revolution on vocals, the band was pretty successful, and I think they got pretty high on the ORICON* charts, within the top 10 definitely, but I think it was somewhere between 5-2. Their first single, Innocent Sorrow was released in 2006, and sold a whopping 75,533 copies, with an ORICON weekly peak at #5. Not bad for a debut. The single was also used as the OP theme for the popular anime name D Gray Man. Also not bad for a debut. Watch the official music video here.

  ABS, as they are commonly abbreviated, originally caught my eye because of their unique and interesting style, both in image and music. They took their name from the British all-male school, Abingdon School, where apparently the renowned British group Radiohead was formed. In synch with their name, ABS founded their image on the same school-grounds. Their typical uniform in PVs and concerts are private-school uniforms, usually black pin-stripe suits with the ABS emblem on the chest, or a blazer and kilt. While he can be found solo in tight white suits like you'd see in Mobile Suit Gundam or something similar, with gelled white hair etc, fronting ABS he sports a pair of large, thick-rimmed eye-glasses that make him look about ten years younger and ten times dorkier. The look works, and they stay consistent with their image.
 
  I have to say, even as an elitist Jrock-listener and fan, after a while many Japanese bands start to sound the same. Which is to be expected, I suppose, considering how thickly populated the rock scene is, and how the genres still seem pretty narrow, as far as it goes. American rock music has been booming for quite a few decades now, but you have to remember that Japanese rock didn't have its fireworks until the mid 80s, with names like Ozaki Yutaka, Buck-Tick, and X Japan. As far as the world is concerned, the Jrock scene is still quite young.
  With this in mind, I find the ABS sound immediately striking, and they stand out to me as one of the most unique bands in the genre. With a steady hard-rock sound, they mix it up (quite literally) with strong keyboarding and, did you guess?, a pair of turn-tables. It works, they've written some incredible music, and the sound is really different and unique. Then layer over that with TM's voice-- it's whiny and reedy, but really powerful. His vibrato? Are you kidding me? That guy can wail!
 
  If you've listened to a good share of Jrock, then you're probably familiar with the use of English lyrics. Gackt wrote an extremely beautiful and opinionated piece (but that just about sums him up anyway) about the use of English lyrics in Japanese music, which will always stand out quite clearly in my mind, for as long as I study the Japanese language. Gackt..... T__T Moving on. While it's in demand (I guess?), I still find that few bands can actually pull it off. Mostly people don't notice because they're a few strange and random English words thrown into a Japanese verse, and it just doesn't compute to us. One of the big faces in the use of English lyrics would be big-name L'Arc~En~Ciel (which I've mentioned briefly, but won't elaborate on since most Jrock fans know them). Laruku frontman Hyde is fairly confident in English, and sings it well, in large and small quantities, varying on song and style. His all-English piece, Cape of Storms, is quite as enjoyable to listen to as any all-Japanese piece.
  Another prominent facade in English lyrics would be ABS. Although not nearly as proficient as Hyde, TM proceeds undaunted in his singing and writing in English. With quite a collection of English pieces, you may even wonder if the barbarian-lyricist deigns to sing in Japanese. Well, he does, and quite amazingly. I think the fact that he writes ALL-English songs sets he and Hyde apart in a little niche. I'm a little torn about the English pieces by ABS. I like some of them, and don't like some of them. That's kinda the end of it.

  Yeah...here we go. Me and Buck-Tick again. ABS made some great cover-numbers for different band-memorium albums. They did a cover of Luna: Sea's Sweet Coma Again for the L:S cover compilation, Luna: Sea Memorial Cover Album. The one that gets my blood flowing, though, is Doresu by Buck-Tick on the compilation, Parade~ Respective Tracks of Buck-Tick.
  A world-renowned Buck-Tick enthusiast, I got totally excited about this. One of my favorite bands doing an extremely good cover of one of my favorite bands. Here are links to both Buck-Tick's and ABS' versions. I listen to BT when I want to be melancholy, and to ABS when I want to get pumped. ^__^
  On the topic of songs and albums, ABS has only one full-length album to date, which was released in 2007, under the title abingdon boys school. The album featured three of their four singles (Innocent Sorrow, Nephilim, and Howling,  excluding Blade Chord.) as well as the Dress cover mentioned above. The album comes heartily reccomended, and if by now I haven't convinced you to order it, then...at least you know about them, I guess.

For more info on abingdon boys school, visit their official website. And look forward to their 2009 single: JAP!

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1- ORICON Charts, a music rating system with a weekly number. To make it on the ORICON charts (especially in the upper numbers) is a huge honor, and you'll find most excellent bands and solists on there, such as Utada Hikaru, Hamasaki Ayumi, Gackt, etc etc. All the popular names you'd like to see on there.  ORICON is "Original Confidence" contracted.