Until now.
And here I am, back with an album review. This time, it's about the long-time awaited full album release by the Japanese 4-men powerhouse (technically, 3-men-1-woman powerhouse), Maximum the Hormone: "Yoshu Fukushu".
They released the music video of the song of the same name on their official YouTube channel a few days ago, and in case you haven't heard it yet, give it a listen. It's kick-ass.
It might also help if you know some songs from them, as I'm going to use some as reference.
For those unfamiliar with this band, here's a short introduction
(Yes, that's them. Daisuke-han on bike, Ue-chan eating on the ground, the red-headed chick Nawo, and Maximum the Ryo-kun, the pants-less wonder.)
Maximum the Hormone is a 4-piece band from Japan. Their members are Daisuke Tsuda on harsh vocals, Nao Kawakita on drums and vocals, Ryo Kawakita (Nao's little younger brother) on guitar and vocals, and Uehara Futoshi on bass and back-up vocals. They are known for their punk and nu-metal sound and possesses the ability to switch their sound from the heavy and dark atmosphere of metal to the upbeat and fun atmosphere of pop, or vice-versa, in a second and back. Their live performances are bursting with explosive energy and are really something to watch, even if you don't understand Japanese. They can be the band that can get you to start bopping your head unconsciously.
Now on to the album.
The album is composed of 15-tracks. A little bit above an hour of playtime. 5 of the tracks have been released in past singles, like "Tsume Tsume Tsume" and "F", released on their single titled, well, "Tsume Tsume Tsume/F". Who would've thought, right? The other three were released on their previous single titled, "Greatest the Hits 2011-2011", namely "maximum the hormone" Yes, a self-titled song, "Utsukushiki Hitobito no Uta" and "My Girl".
If you've heard these past songs already, I think that gives you a pretty good idea of how this album goes. Or how the whole band goes, for that matter. MTH fans listen to this stuff all the time. Hell, if you're a fan, you're probably more interested in what new craziness in terms of music these guys are playing now. So I guess that's the metric we're measuring it with. Craziness.
Tracklist:
| 1. Yoshu Fukushu [Our Merciless Home'war'k] 2. Bluetiful Intro: Tsukino Bakugeki-ki 3. Utsukushiki Hitobito no Uta [Ode to Bluetiful People] 4. Benjo Sandal Dance [Toilet Sandal Dance] 5. Chu2 The Beam [8th Grader Beam] 6. "F" 7. Tsume Tsume Tsume 8. Rock Oreimairi～3 Chords de Omae Fullbocco～[Rocking Retaliation: Beat the Hell out of You with 3 Chords] 9. Unbelievable!: Swomints Hockeleiro Mifeho 10. A-L-I-E-N 11. my girl 12. Mesubuta no Ketsu ni Binta(Kick mo) [Bitch Ass Slapping: and Kicking] 13. Beauty Killosseum 14. maximum the hormone 15. Koino Sperm [Amorous Sperm] (Taken from the band's official website) |
Technique-wise, there's some things new in the album, but doesn't really show up much in the album often. They have songs where they sing in complete unison. Ryo's been incorporating some fast licks with his guitar in some songs. Uehara seems to use a bit of effects on his bass again, like in "Benjo Sandal Dance". You can also hear him sing solo again in a certain song. Daisuke is using a low, guttural growl on some songs, so I guess he's been practicing. And Nao's doing double-bass techniques. Like I said, these things I mentioned don't get used often in the album. You can hear it, like, in every 2 other songs.
In general, the album still has Maximum the Kick-Assery written all over it. It's like a travel through a nu-metal highway at fast speeds with sudden stoplights. Most songs are start fast-paced, which is something I personally enjoy. Even though "Yoshu Fukushu" is the first track, the mood setter for the album is pretty much "Utsukushiki Hitobito no Uta". A solid track that can hype you up for what you are about to hear. You'll only get a short break from the rapidness in "Unbelievable!: Swomints Hockeleiro Mifeho". A short, refreshing, jazzy break. At least, for the verse part. If you are looking for the pop sound, it's there, but it's more prevalent in the last tracks. Ending with the party song of the album (the "Koi no Mega Lover" of the album, you might say), "Koino Sperm", it ends on a festive note, albeit a bit electronic.
Being a guy who doesn't know Japanese enough to make cohesive sense of something written/spoken/sung in Japanese, I can say limited things about the writing. The writing in this album seems to be a lot more than their previous. I mean, a lot of the songs are fast-paced. Meaning, they would have to write a lot more for the lyrics to fit in. Another thing is this seems to be, as their website says, "a look into Ryo-kun's mind". I don't need to be Japanese to know that Ryo has an interesting track of mind.
In terms of production, it's really good. Generally, they have clearer, distinctive sounds. Like in "F", the double-pedals are heard more clearly. Some songs were also tweaked a bit, like in "Tsume Tsume Tsume", the second verse is extended and includes crowd noise, almost like taken from a live. In "my girl", unlike the version in the previous single, they removed the crowd cheering at the end. They added in these sounds to really get you in the atmosphere like school bells and even a synth part. They even added that quacking sound at the end of the most songs in their "Rokkinpo Goroshi" album in one of the songs.
The feel of the album is something that can power you up. It's the kind of album you wanna listen to if you want to finish your jogging route faster or the kind you listen to on the way home if you want to finish all the work you are taking home before bedtime. Or the kind you listen to where you just wanna go "DESTROY-EVERYTHING-but-not-really" mode.
If you were all MTH fans, I can probably just say "It's a new MTH album and it's awesome!" and that would end this album review right there with everyone satisfied, no questions asked.
Favorites:
Seeing that I've already written down this much, I'll be stating a few favorites. I've excluded "F" and "Tsume Tsume Tsume" from this list just because they are probably the oldest songs in the album, in terms of release. But that doesn't mean they aren't any good, though. They are still awesome.
"Yoshu Fukushu"
It's a musical beatdown by itself. Starting with Nao singing softly behind a simple guitar and bass melody and instantly breaks the tranquility in true MTH trademark. The song ends with Nao's sweet voice, just like how it started.
Probably the most memorable parts here are the choruses, where they all sing together, in a school-hymn kind of fashion. I can actually imagine them playing this song live, with the audience singing along with them.
"Utsukushiki Hitobito no Uta"
A fun, fast track for those who love MTH's progressive approach on songs. The verse is a rap-duet between Daisuke and Ryo. What's cool is that this song's arrangement is so simple (for a Maximum the Hormone song) yet impressive, it doesn't really need much else. It's so simple, I can't really say much else.
"Chu2 The Beam"
It's another punk-speed verse but the very part that got my attention was somewhere in the verse is that part, where Daisuke shouts along with Nao's double bass. That part just sounded so heavy and badass, I instant-favorited it.
And from there, it becomes an upbeat chorus and ends in a headbanger's fancy.
"Rock Oreimairi～3 Chords de Omae Fullbocco～"
Despite being the shortest song in the album (the second track aside), this is probably the most punk song on the album. It's strikingly reminiscent to "Rock Bankurawase". It also gives off an anime song feel. If it ever does become another opening/ending song for an anime, I won't be surprised.
"A-L-I-E-N"
If I can give this song awards, it would be for the following: the fastest tempo in the album, the slowest tempo in the album, the most chaotic arrangement, and the WTF song of the album. All at the same time. That's all I'm gonna say.
"Beauty Killosseum"
I'll admit that the title got my attention. There's a word play on "Killosseum". It supposed to be coliseum, that when written in Japanese Kana, would be "Koroshiamu". "Koro", by itself, can be written with the kanji meaning "kill". So maybe it's a coliseum where beauty is killed. Yay, I understood a Kanji wordplay! Anyway, this song is heavy as nu-metal. Also one of the few songs with Nao as central vocals in the chorus. ALSO, one of the songs where Daisuke uses his guttural growl. Reminded me of Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas for a moment there.
"maximum the hormone"
Last one for the favorites: The self-titled song. Well, a band can be a bit vain, right? The verse here is pretty cool with Uehara's bass finger-tapping and chanting-style group vocals, then they suddenly shout, which is a delightful punch to the ears. Still hoping for that full version of "Chiisana Kimi no Te", though.
Summary:
To wrap it all up, the 6-year wait for "Yoshu Fukushu" may be a long one, but worthwhile. The band, while staying true to the sound that defined them, have gone experimenting their writing process and are growing little by little. I would like it if they made another "Rock 'n' Roll Chainsaw", to be honest, but this is really an album that is both something you would expect from them but at the same time refreshing. "Yoshu Fukushu" is a roller-coaster of punk, metal, pop, and every other sound you're expecting from these dynamos. If you're looking for something fast and exciting and wouldn't mind it written in Japanese, give this one a try. With the metric that we have set, I can give this album a 4.5 out of 5 stars of craziness. For the fans, never fear. Some artists change in the span of 6 years or less, but they have stayed as they are. The Maximum the Hormone you know is still as you know them. Fun, crazy, and dynamic.
Shake it up, baby!
Looking forward to hearing this album. ordered it the other day. Good to hear they've still kept with their crazy sound.
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