You know what I’m talking about. There’s a certain quality that’s shared in the sound of bands like Sparta Locals, Vola and the Oriental Machine, and to a much lesser extent 9mm Parabellum Bullet. None of these bands are too similar to each other, but there’s certain aspects inherited from bands like Television and Gang of Four that they share, be it driving octave fueled bass lines and really tight, yet danceable rhythm.

So now we have… Chatmonchy, an all girl group that has a few of these qualities, but in a much more derivative manner. It seems like they were more influenced by bands like Sparta Locals rather than directly by Television, but the influence is there. It’s cool that there’s a girl group going for that type of sound. However, I’d say they’re 85% ZONE, 10% Television, and 5% GO!GO!7188. I guess being a cute girl band that plays cute songs with a cute singer that sings off key is what makes them popular. It’s also because they’re much more willing to go into a pop ballad than any of the other Televisoneers. I definitely see them getting more popular as time goes by. I bet they’re slated to be the next ZONE. Is this a good thing?

I listened to their debut E.P. awhile ago and really liked some of their songs. Up-beat, catchy, all that good stuff. I listened to another older E.P. of theirs and i just had to shut it off. It was so boring, the song had no depth at all, the instruments were all played below average.
I would definitely like to give them another chance, possibly with their new works. Maybe if Shangrila comes out on an album I would get that and see if their sound has improved.
~Hideki~

YES! They sound pretty good to my ears.

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