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Blotto
Singles Collection 2004-2007 |
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Tracklist |
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1. 序章 (Joushou)
2. B2
3. サンザン (SANZAN)
4. ゴキゲンイカガ (GOKIGEN IKAGA)
5. This is music
6. YAMAHA-1
7. maruzen house
8. プラス/マイナス (PLUS/MINUS)
9. No.6
10. banging the drum |
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Review |
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Still going strong after more than 15 years, bloodthirsty butchers has had a prolific musical career, with humble beginnings as a punk band delving into a free spirited rock form that has few peers. Though always experimenting with soothing and catchy tunes since day one, that type of sound wouldn't come to the forefront until yamane, an album that strayed quite far from the noisy, dirty, and often jarring songs of the past. Since then the band has been putting on a precarious balancing act with the discordant butchers versus the kinder, gentler butchers. With banging the drum the band puts both feet firmly on the ground, successfully melding two sides of the band that always seemed at odds.
Besides the obvious allusions to drums in the album's title, the theme of past meeting present seems evident throughout its entirety. The opening "Joushou" combines traditional taiko drums with the modern band drum kit. "This is music" employs the meandering avoidance of chorus/verse form reminiscent of early Bebop, but using modern instrumentation such as electric guitars. The nearly instrumental "maruzen house" matches the old punky butchers with current vocal harmonies unheard of in the band's early 90s era. In fact many of the songs in the album employ this ingenious tactic; just keep the rawness of the band's old sound and add some vocal harmonies to smooth things out, or even a piano in the case of the album's title track. Yoshimura Hideki doesn't hold back on the trademark yells and screams that he's known for, but he does throw in quite a few "oohs," "aaahs," and "laaas" backed up by fellow bandmates. Though there may be one or two too many "aaahs" for the album's own good—they're unecessary for nearly every song—Yoshimura and company harmonize fairly well throughout. Quite surprising since the front man is known more by his distinct voice rather than singing ability. drum also likes to switch the positions a little in slower tracks like "gokigen ikaga," using calmer instrumentation while Yoshimura belts out forceful lyrics.
The band's songwriting is making better use of two guitarists, something that they didn't have to consider until the last album, birdy, when Tabuchi Hisako joined as an official member. While bloodthirsty butchers' past songs always had all sorts of guitar sounds thrashing about with each other to create heavy layers, one particular guitar never outshone the others. Since birdy the band has put new focus on guitar melodies, heard in tracks like "Jack Nicholson" and "Sunn." However, that was just dabbling. banging the drum brings the guitar more in focus than it has in the past, and brings Tabuchi more to the forefront to much greater effect. Interchanges, solos, and bridges all show use of two distinct guitars working together. This focus on dual guitar work may seem more like the now defunct band Cowpers, Sapporo contemporaries who relished in intermingled guitars. But the similarities end there; the sound is all butchers.
Speaking of sound, the engineering and mastering should be commended. Each track shines with clarity and fullness while still retaining rough edges, and each instrument can be spotted in the mix without seeming distant. bloodthirsty butchers have never sounded better, though depending on one's point of view that can be considered a bad thing. Part of the band's charm is its rough and gritty sound, especially in live situations. There will always be proponents of not sounding "overproduced," but the the term is highly subjective. Sure, the production is better than in the past and won't be an accurate depiction of the band's live sound. Whether it is believed that this helps or hinders the album is entirely up to the listener.
banging the brum is a culmination of butchers past past and butchers present, an almost perfect balance of dissonance and consonance, offering plain ol' fashioned solid songwriting. The album runs a little over 45 minutes, long for most but short for a butchers album. However, it's a tightly packed 45 minutes that easily encourages listen after listen. |
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