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Blotto
Singles Collection 2004-2007 |
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Tracklist |
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01 - CHAOS
02 - メロディー (Melody)
03 - パーカーギャング (Baka Gang)
04 - 朝鴉 (Asagarasu)
05 - 春を待つ人 (Haru wo Matsu Hito)
06 - 約束 (Yakusoku)
07 - 流木の彼方へ... (Ryuboku no Kanata e)
08 - POSTMAN
09 - 世界 (Sekai) |
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Review |
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I'd always thought that Japanese bands were lagging behind bands from the United States and United Kingdom in terms of musical quality. In a way, From Youth's CHAOS proves me both right and wrong.
Why I'm Right: CHAOS is a trite and boring pop-punk album.
Why I'm Wrong: It sounds no different than the tripe being produced by the most popular of western bands, from Yellowcard to Story of the Year.
With smooth vocals that almost approach passionate at times, tight harmonies, arpeggiated guitar melodies, and crispy clean production, CHAOS is easy on the ears. It's a perfectly harmless album for those looking to rebel in the safest way possible. The guitar's just heavy enough to scare your grandma into thinking it's the devil's music, but tame enough to be played at your school dance. With that mature acoustic guitar, "Asagarasu" and "Sekai" could be the music playing as you awkwardly dance with your first crush. Forget about "I Miss You" and "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," From Youth's on the scene expanding punk rock's boundaries in new exciting ways!
In all seriousness, From Youth is among the most unoriginal bands I've ever heard. "Haru wo Matsu Hito" sounds like a third-rate Going Steady song, even going as far as to cop the melody from Going Steady's "Seishun Jidai." Is it lazy of me to keep comparing From Youth to other bands? Turn on the radio and you'll hear a dozen bands that sound just like them. Go to a local rock show and you'll catch some other bands trying to sound like those bands on the radio.
I see no difference between From Youth and a band like Good Charlotte's brand of disingenuous pop-punk. However, I'm sure that Good Charlotte's overexposure has driven away plenty of fans, while From Youth suffers from none of the trendy stigma overseas that might drive away potential listeners. All too often we western fans will let a mediocre band into our hearts because of the simple fact that they're Japanese. From Youth proves that Japan has evened the playing field with the USA and UK, not by raising the bar, but by matching the lowest common denominator. |
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