OGRE YOU ASSHOLE – OGRE YOU ASSHOLE

1. また明日
2. ﾕｰﾚｲ
3. ﾀﾆｼ
4. ｶｲｾﾝﾄｳ
5. ｶﾎﾟ
6. どっちかの角
7. ﾛﾎﾞﾄﾐｰ
8. J.n

I first mentioned/noticed OGRE YOU ASSHOLE for their contribution to the compilation freebie Playlist 11 NEXT ROCK ON. Since then, I’ve been familiarizing myself with their discography, hoping to find something which rubs me the right way as “コインランドリー”. So far, no luck — until I came upon their first album and had a good listen.

My initial impression of OGRE YOU ASSHOLE, especially with a name like that, was something of a rebellious and devil-may-care kind of band. But this album really changed my perception of them. Firstly, there is a great deal of diversity and creativity present, making it difficult and unfair to pigeonhole them into a particular genre and/or image. Secondly, with tracks like “また明日” and “ﾕｰﾚｲ”, which feature delicate melodies unprecedented for a band with such a vulgar name, one just has to admire their musical talent. The guitar plucking in particular just kills it.

Along with the two tracks already mentioned, “ﾛﾎﾞﾄﾐｰ” is another favourite. In addition to the reason already given — amazing guitar plucking — the three songs are less frantic, complimenting the singer’s voice. I know I give tsubaki’s lead vocalist hell, but Manabu Deto’s voice is even more of an acquired taste. It can be unnerving at times, especially at high volumes, but at low levels, it serves to add character.

No YouTube videos for the songs off this album, but their MySpace has a handful of songs. The titles have been translated, so I don’t know if any of them happen to be from the album, but it’s worth a listen.

CD Japan
Amazon JP
HMV JP

VA – Playlist 11 NEXT ROCK ON

1. DADAS – 火の鳥
2. FAITH – Lose the fighting spirit
3. BIGMAMA – THE COOKIE CRUMBLES
4. OHASHI TRIO – BAUMKUCHEN
5. UNISON SQUARE GARDEN – 水と雨について
6. Co.In – ラストダンス
7. オトループ – 予感
8. OGRE YOU ASSHOLE – コインランドリー
9. QUBE – BLIND
10. GLORY HILL – EVERYTHING
11. ARU – CALL YOU
12. FROG PILOT – TALK TO ME
13. COWS JACKSON – MIDNIGHT DRIVE w/o ESCAPE
14. HOLIDAYS OF SEVENTEEN – DUM SPIRO
15. LAST ALLIANCE – 蒼い銃創
16. STAN – FIRE
17. かりゆし 58 – 恋唄

I know, I know. After all that bitching about compilation albums, I make yet another post about one? But this one is different…err sort of. Given out as a freebie to anyone who purchased select titles from HMV between 1/19 and 2/18, Playlist 11 NEXT ROCK ON features 17 songs from indie bands — some of which I’ve grown quite fond of.

Let me begin with OGRE YOU ASSHOLE, whose song “コインランドリー” was the first to catch my attention (and not just because their name has a swear word in it, although how awesome is that?). Like previously mentioned, I’m quite musically inept, so I can’t say much of the song except that if I were to ever wreak havoc on the city, it would definitely be my theme song. The band’s got a myspace going and you can sample some of their songs, although “コインランドリー” isn’t on there — a shame, really, because it still remains my favourite song from them.

The second band OHASHI TRIO (大橋トリオ) doesn’t really belong here. Not because they suck — quite the opposite — but because they’re not exactly a rock band. As their myspace puts it, they’re “Japanese classical music.”

Honourable mentions go to BIGMAMA, LAST ALLIANCE, and かりゆし 58. Read on for some youtube goodness.