THE BACK HORN

(1998-)
My definitive lineup:
菅波栄純 (Suganami Eijun) - guitars
岡峰光舟 (Okamine Koushu) - bass
山田将司 (Yamada Masashi) - vocals
松田晋二 (Matsuda Shinji) - drums

Slowly but steadily have THE BACK HORN become one of my biggest favorites from Japanese bands. Having discovered them through Project J back in late 2003, I've followed their evolution with some interest for almost a decade now. Originally they were a pretty regular punk band, somehow distinguished by their outstanding, passionate lead singer, 山田将司 (Yamada Masashi).

During their early days Masashi's vocals were not that special, but they quickly evolved to become perhaps the most defining aspect of the band's music - his emotional singing carries out all the pain, anguish and sorrow he has written in his lyrics, ranging from soulful, passionate singing to a hoarse, raspy holler, to an excruciating scream. Many times I've just listened to their songs, wondering how he can reach that level of fierce emotion, oft times sliding smoothly from a soft singing to an agonized scream with ease.

The songs themselves are stylistically mainly punk, punk rock or alternative rock (especially punk during the early days), often also verging on the early 90's grunge music, but frequently they also incorporate jazzy elements to their music, such as extended seventh chords in a place where one would expect nothing more than a regular triad, and many times the songs have sudden shifts in mood or style in the middle of a song, creating sudden moments of surprise to a song that would seem quite regular beforehand. This also makes their songs very distinct from each other yet remaining stylistically similar. However it seems that as of late, they have started to downplay their more fiercer side in favor of more lighter and accessible sound.

Their instrumental side is mainly based on a power-trio lineup - consisting of a bass, drums and a guitar - but occasionally Masashi joins the rest of the guys with a secondary guitar, accordion or a harmonica. Though these guys responsible of the instruments form pretty impressive a trio, and I respect their often quite minimal yet always skillful and effective output, I need to bring special attention to 岡峰光舟 (Okamine Koushu); their bassist that was for a long time just a guest musician, before being promoted to a full-fledged band member. His incredible, fluctuating bass lines, that ofttimes borrow from different styles of jazz music, are pure balm to my ears whenever they can be heard. He has also that incredible sense of style that not every song is full of blistering bass work, but instead he throws in a neat bass fill here and there, otherwise just doing his job as a regular bassist. This makes it feel that he is not all over my face, but he has the uncanny ability to remind me now and then how great bassist he really is.

Though they might be too raw and punk to people who are used to lighter styles of music, whereas they might be also too raw and punk to people who are used to heavier brands of metal, I strongly encourage anyone who has a place in their heart for music that is strongly emotional and passionate, disregarding other aspects of musical styles. It might not be your stuff, but the chances are that with a little effort you will find a new, amazing band. You don't need to worry if you don't understand a word from Japanese lyrics - the vocals tell it all.

***

My top-10 list of songs that are worth checking out:
雨 (Ame)
何処へ行く (Doko e Iku)
ヘッドフォンチルドレン (Headphone Children)
未来 (Mirai)
涙がこぼれたら (Namida ga Koboretara)
生命線 (Seimeisen)
サニー (Sunny)
惑星メランコリー (Wakusei Melancholy)
野生の太陽 (Yasei no Taiyou)
夢の花 (Yume no Hana)

***

Reviewed albums:
太陽の中の生活 (Taiyou no Naka no Seikatsu, 2006) - 65/100

THE BACK HORN // 太陽の中の生活

Album: The Back Horn - 太陽の中の生活 (Taiyou no Naka no Seikatsu, 2006)
11 tracks / 52:11
Acquired: August 2011

Vocals, trumpets, accordion: 山田将司 (Yamada Masashi)
Guitars, background vocals: 菅波栄純 (Suganami Eijun)
Bass, background vocals: 岡峰光舟 (Okamine Koushu)
Drums, background vocals: 松田晋二 (Matsuda Shinji)

Suddenly the random number generator picked my newest acquisition - the 6th album of one of my favorite Japanese bands, which I obtained like two days ago! I really haven't listened to this album much beforehand, and I really wanted only because it had some fairly ok songs I knew. Otherwise I have had an impression that it isn't as good as the earlier albums are. Well, we'll see about that in a short time.

At this point I really have nothing to say about that album, except that its cover art is pretty, um, striking. Let's just say that I've seen album covers that have been a bit more impressive.

1. カオスダイバー (Chaos Diver, 4:50)

The album begins with a song that sounds quite massive compared to regular The Back Horn (from now on abbreviated as TBH) standards. The guitar melodies are nice, simple yet memorable, and once again Masashi manages to take unsuspected corners in his vocal melodies, but somehow this song doesn't quite cut the mustard. It feels as if the band are holding themselves back.

TBH is especially a band that can express raw, unrestrained emotions with impressive energy, and though I am aware that not every song of theirs is flooding with anger and sorrow, this track could have used some.
7/10

2. アポトーシス (Apoptosis, 4:51)

The calm, drowsy introduction suddenly explodes into a regular rocker. However, also this song feels that they are lacking in the feeling department. Especially Masashi's vocals don't feel as amazing as they have used to. The screams in the bridge and coda sections come quite close, but still no cigar.

A quite energetic rock song that fails to stir up any big emotions for me.
5/10

3. 証明, (Shoumei, 4:38)

A slower, groovier song, that actually has a really nice beat. Also Masashi's vocals seem to have put on a spurt and have reached the level of emotion their music deserves. Especially the raw energy of his voice in the chorus really hits the spot. Once again he sounds like the singer whose fierce voice got me hooked on their music some eight years ago.

Also worth pointing out is that in this song Koushu, the bassist, seems to play as much stuff as the rest of the band combined. Impressive bass licks all over the place.
8/10

4. ホワイトノイズ (White Noise, 5:08)

A lighter, more upbeat song. The raw anger from Masashi's voice is gone, but the emotion remains. The vocals range from light whispers to stirring falsettos, and the song rolls on easily, showcasing the more beautiful, gentler side of TBH.

Though the song does not reach the pure awesomeness of their best upbeat songs, such as "夢の花" ("Yume no Hana"), it is a quite strong performance nonetheless.
8/10

5. 世界の果てで (Sekai no Hate de, 4:38)

Another upbeat, fresh song (of which vocal melody reminds me of a song by Finnish band Eleanoora Rosenholm, "Suljetun osaston astronautti"), but somehow lacks once again in the awesome department.

It's a nice song, with pretty, hum-along vocal melodies, but once again it fails to make me feel anything more than a mild interest. It's not a bad song, but I know this band can do a lot better.
6/10

6. 天気予報 (Tenki Yohou, 3:11)

Suddenly the band kicked in the weird gear. The main motif is a weird, clean guitar melody, which is played over spoken word sections by Shinji their drummer. Chorus section is a short, distant and echoed section sung by Masashi. The song closes with a chorus part accompanied with an accordion.

I really don't know what to think after this. I guess the band wanted to have fun, or something. Still, not my cup of tea.
4/10

7. ファイティングマンブルース (Fighting Man Blues, 4:15)

Opening with heavy, crashing introduction, which progresses with a fuzzy, groovy, Them Crooked Vultures -like stomping verse.

It's a groovy track, as if like being very heavy blues, having its fair share of raw anger, but also showing some more melodic and catchier sides. Not really their best work, but shows that there was music not unlike the stuff Them Crooked Vultures played many years before that band was formed.
7/10

8. ブラックホールバースデイ (Black Hole Birthday, 5:35)

One of their hit singles opens with a melodic bass line before the other instruments kick in, and the song grows into a rumbling, dissonant monster.

The song is unfortunately rather repetitive, with its quite dull, discordant verse and adrenaline-heavy punk-chorus. In my opinion the song lacks many of the melodic aspects
that make the band amazing, and only part that I really enjoy in this song is the rumbling half-tempo section in the end, otherwise this is pretty "meh" to be released as a hit single. This album really has better songs than this.
6/10

9. 浮世の波 (Ukiyo no Nami, 4:25)

This song seems to borrow a lot from the American punk-rock contemporaries. The chord progressions are definitely regular TBH, but the chorus section and some riffs bring a legion of American punk rock bands into my mind. However, this is really not a bad thing at all. The song manages to be rather ok and catchy throughout, and though is nothing that special, it still is quite interesting and pleasant a track.
8/10

10. ゆりかご (Yurikago, 5:19)

Ok, this song begins with one of the most retarded drum figures ever, and the drums stay prettu much unchanged throughout the song.

Despite that, the song rolls nicely on its own, being mostly a lightweight, pop rock song, before moving on to the heavier, fuzzier mid section and solo, that make the song suddenly a much more impressive and more massive track.

Nevertheless, the song doesn't remain that splendid, though the mid section does a lot. In the end it is one of those songs that don't move me one way or the other.
5/10

11. 初めての呼吸で (Hajimete no Kokyuu de, 5:15)

Beginning with heavily distorted bass line, and ultimately evolving into a regular TBH song, "Hajimete no Kokyuu de" is an ok way to close the album. Though at first Masashi's vocals seem to be jaded and bored, they garner suddenly much energy when the chorus section comes.

I'm just not sure if they should have moved this song closer to the beginning - now the album's stronger moments are interspersed all over the album, but they are cut off with weaker tracks. Should it have been better if all the great tracks were in the beginning, or is it good this way when they are evenly spread?
8/10

***

Final verdict
My hunch was right - this album was not up to par with the older albums by The Back Horn. In many songs it seemed that the band was lacking in ideas or direction, and though some songs had potential, they didn't manage to grasp it, making this sound mainly like watered down shadow of the older TBH.

Though some of the songs are also pretty boring as compositions, the major foible is the voice of Yamada Masashi. Up until their previous album, ヘッドフォンチルドレン(Headphone Children), his voice has been the driving force behind the whole band, capable of ranging from soft whispers to painful screams, really capable of delivering intense emotions with them. In this album, it seemed that either his voice has weakened, or he was keeping it back for some stylistic reasons or something. Whatever the case may be, the result was that the album was far less impressive than the others have been, unfortunately.

太陽の中の生活 (Taiyou no Naka no Seikatsu) is not outright bad album; just rather dull and very plain one. It may have its place in the CD shelf, but it is not in the top of the "must-buy albums" list.

Score: 65/100

The Offspring

(1986-)
My definitive lineup:
Ron Welty - Drums
Gregory "Greg K." Kriesel - Bass
Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman - Guitars, background vocals
Bryan "Dexter" Holland - Vocals, guitars

I'm not sure, but it might be that there is no other foreign (=non-Finnish) band that I have listened to for this long.

I discovered The Offspring back in '98, when I saw their music video of "All I Want" in the TV. During the next year and a half, I saved money and bought three of their albums (Ignition, Smash and Ixnay on the Hombre). During that time they released Americana too - one of their most successful albums to date - which I wanted to buy too, of course, but my sister had bought it first, and I thought there was no need to buy two identical CDs for one household (a philosophy I have discarded years ago).

However, it's a little bit odd how I got hooked on The Offspring so much. After all, punk has never been - not before nor after I discovered the band - to my liking. I guess it might've something to do with the melodic songwriting of the band, and the fact that even if Dexter Holland tends to favor more aggressive output in punk vein over regular singing, it never hasn't been really atonal screaming, but more like a holler with a melodic aspect. I admit that not everyone finds Dexter's vocals that tolerable, but they are fine by me, and actually one of the biggest elements that have made their music so enjoyable to me. After all, his vocal melodies are also one of the major elements of their music in general - though the chord progressions in their songs might have more than three power chords, they're still pretty punk, which means the progressions can end up being pretty dull over a course of a single song. That's where Dexter's vocal melodies kick in - they are not that original, but they are more or less catchy, easy to sing along, and they really can create depth to a song that could have been pretty simple and repetitive otherwise.

Another defining aspect of The Offspring's music is the use of Noodles's background vocals - most of the time only as simple whoah-whoah hollers - which may look simple on the paper, but in reality they add more to the song one could think of. Many times Dexter and Noodles harmonize their vocals cleverly, creating melodic harmonies not unlike the one's in the music of eg. The Beatles - only in a lot more punk fashion.

Originally The Offspring were pretty punk. In a really punk way. However, their music has had a melodic side from the beginning, and they began to emphasize it early on. In time their albums got more and more melodic - and that way, more accessible and radio-friendly - up until their fourth album, Ixnay on the Hombre, in which they began to incorporate more punk-pop songs (as opposed to pop-punk, which is just catchy, radio-friendly punk) to their albums. In these songs the punk had been almost completely stripped off, and what was left was this punk band playing annoying pop tunes.

However, the band did not turn into a pop band, their albums just began to have more and more pop songs. In turn, the rest of the songs started to make more metallic edge - Smash and Ixnay were pretty heavy punk albums, but punk nevertheless, but their 5th album, Americana, began to incorporate a sound that borrowed some heavy metal aesthetics.

Their subsequent albums continued to spawn more punk pop hits and songs that were more metal and less punk. Once their 6th album, Conspiracy of One, was released, it dawned to me that Americana was probably their last album that would interest me. Occasionally I have heard some their newer songs, but not a single one of them has managed to stir up any more interest in me. They have lost the thing that appealed to me in the first place, and though I may pay some interest in the new albums they release, one of them has been really my thing. I prefer to keep my metal as metal and my punk as catchy, melodic punk.

***

My top-10 list of songs that are worth checking out:
All I Want
Amazed
Dirty Magic
Gone Away
It'll Be a Long Time
Kick Him When He's Down
Pay the Man
Self Esteem
The Kids Aren't Alright
The Meaning of Life

***

Reviewed albums:
Ignition (1992) - 77/100

The Offspring // Ignition

Album: The Offspring - Ignition (1992)
12 tracks / 37:23
Acquired: September 1998

Vocals and guitars: Dexter Holland
Guitars and backing vocals: Noodles
Bass: Greg K.
Drums: Ron Welty

All music by The Offspring unless noted otherwise.

As a kid, back in the late 90's, I saw the music video of "All I Want" by The Offspring on the television. I had never heard of them, nor had I listened to any punk music before, but that song made me pay some attention to it. After I saw it again once or twice, I decided that I really wanted to buy their album.

Unfortunately our local record shop had no copies of the album that had that specific song (Ixnay on the Hombre), so instead I had to buy an album I had no idea of. (You know how it is? As a kid you just had to buy something when you decided to do so - even if it wasn't something you originally wanted!) From the three albums the record shop had (the eponymous debut album; Ignition; Smash), I randomly picked the second one.

At first I was disappointed, for the album had no songs as catchy as the aforementioned "All I Want"; instead the songs were more raw and unpolished. However, after giving it a bunch of more listens (I really didn't have a choice - this was one of my, like, 5 CDs!) I gradually grew to like it, and find out that some of the songs were actually catchy as hell. Although the album never made a great big impact on me, it gave rise to the urge to buy me some more Offspring albums - some of which then did.

1. Session (2:32)
(The Offspring, Kristine Luna, Jill Eckhaus)

The album opens with an unforgettable way: a series of "fuck"-exclamations are shouted after which a bass-drum heavy drumming kicks in.

Buzzsawing guitars, frantic drumming and catchy chorus - this song has it all that made The Offspring famous some years later. The song might not be as polished or mature as their later works, but it does its job as a kick-ass intro track very well.
9/10

2. We Are One (3:59)

The song progresses into a bit slower track that seems to be more rock than punk. It is another regular Offspring track, with a chorus that relies as much on background vocal harmony hollers as on lead vocals.

I've listened to only two tracks and I'm starting to feel like a 12-year old again. Oh the nostalgia.
8/10

3. Kick Him When He's Down (3:16)

When I was kid, this song became quickly my favorite song from this album. The band does seem to have a knack with catchy punk-choruses, but this song has also that one aspect that really defines The Offspring so well represented: simple, yet interesting vocal melodies over a quite-simple-but-still-more-than-just-three-power-chords-chord progression. These melodies might not be that ground-breaking, but they are perfect for singing along and making the songs so damn catchy.

Though "Kick Him When He's Down" might not survive against the later Offspring hits, I still think that it is one of their greatest tracks - it wasn't even a surprise to me when I learned that back in '95 this song was released as the only single off the album.
10/10

4. Take It Like a Man (2:55)

This song is a tad heavier than the three previous tracks. The vocal melodies spiced with background hollers compete with catchy guitar riffing, supported with energetic drums and numerous snare fills.

Though not that memorable a song, still a strong performance.
8/10

5. Get It Right (3:06)

Musically this song is clearly more punk than rock, which is not that much my thing, but once again the chorus with background hollers along with a short bridge section save much.

Though not my favorite track, it's still to find any weak spots from these songs. Be it nostalgia, be it skillful work of composition, but after almost 15 years I still find this album enjoyable.
7/10

6. Dirty Magic (3:48)

A song that is as much 70's heavy metal that it is punk - with its ominous, clean guitar chord progression it sounds like Black Sabbath have composed a song in a faster tempo. And put a punk singer in the place of Ozzy.

And all this is complimentary. A well-balanced blend of classic metal and punk rock works really well for me. Noodles really shows how he is capable of noodling with his guitar - there are no blistering guitar shreds or incredible jazz chord inversions, only simple chords and melodies, and it all works like a charm. I wish they composed more songs like this.
10/10

7. Hypodermic (3:21)

Back again into those punk standards. Composition-wise this song is as punk as it gets, but Dexter Holland's vocals come into rescue once again.

Although this song would've been a lot more boring without those easy and catchy vocals, still they can't save everything, and this song doesn't quite cut the mustard. Oh well, we're already half-way through the album, I guess a weaker song at this point of album is acceptable.
6/10

8. Burn It Up (2:42)

In my opinion "Burn It Up" is another weaker performance. It sounds as if the band used up their energy during the first half of the album and now they're getting tired. The song is a bit too-straightforward (yes, I know I'm listening to punk rock here) to my taste, and though catchy, the chorus is a bit too asinine.

The song might be a classic to the 12-year old me, but not all classic are good.
5/10

9. No Hero (3:22)

Well, back again to those regular Offspring chord progressions. The band seems to be at its best either when they experiment with surprising song elements or when they don't emphasize their punk side that much.

"No Hero" is quite punk, but it has also many other elements that balance it out to be an entertaining track - surprising guitar fills and a drum breakdown, to name the most obvious ones. Not the best track of the album, but definitely on the better side.
8/10

10. L.A.P.D. (2:45)

Back to the no-brainer department. The menacing riffs are too repetitive and the vocal melodies as are absent. The biggest emphasis on the song seems to be on the lyrics lashing out the L.A. police department, but unfortunately the musical side has been left rather disregarded.

Maybe the band might have thought that these lyrics need a song simple enough to make them cut through, but unfortunately I'm not a fan of songs this punk.
5/10

11. Nothing from Something (3:00)
(The Offspring and Marvin Fergusen)

Once again a not-that-special Offspring standard. Both the chorus and the verses have semi-catchy choruses, and there are enough different parts to keep me interested, but on a whole, the song doesn't quite make it with the best songs. In a nutshell; an ok song.
7/10

12. Forever and a Day (2:37)

The album closes with an energetic tune that is surprisingly very reminiscent of their later works (and by that I mean their late 90's stuff). Catchy hollers, engaging riffing and simple-yet-working chord progression - this song is a great way to end an album, leaving a good aftertaste.
9/10

***

Final verdict
Well, I'm probably a little bit biased with this album - I'm not really a big fan of punk music. I prefer musical aesthetics over the political and ideological ones - the elements that most of punk music is all about. That said, it's even a little bit odd how The Offspring hit me even in the first place. However, it did, and especially with this album. Currently it is one of my oldest albums (in terms of owning it, not by release date), and probebly the oldest one I have bought with my own money.

Their trademark gimmicks are well represented already here in Ignition, their sophomore album - Dexter Holland's clever vocal melodies, strong output from background vocals, and chord progressions that don't always rely on a regular three-power chords -progression, but include also chords and more varied chord progressions (although this doesn't make them a prog rock band either!)

The majority of the songs are not that deep and mature, but the direction they are taking is becoming more and more evident during the course of the album; some songs clearly showcasing the elements that would end up well-represented in the following albums, Smash and Ixnay on the Hombre. Though there are some simple punk tunes in the album, there are also some clever and catchy tracks that combine the tempo and raw power of punk with the more varied sound and aesthetics with rock music. Songs like these are the ones that hooked me to their music big time.

Well, punk might not be everyone's cup of tea - and especially this form of "punk rock" that The Offspring well represents, combining raw punk music with more melodic songwriting, resulting in a more accessible, radio-friendly music. However, this album retains its roots deep in the punk aesthetic, and despite the catchy pop appeal found in some songs, there are no real punk-pop songs in this album. The album is just full of well-written, accessible punk rock, that really hits the spot if it just finds one.

Score: 77/100