100s - Momotose

100s (pronounced as Hyaku Shiki) is still a relatively young rock band, formed in 2004. Momotose is their fourth single and if one is not familiar with the band, it’s hard to tell from the cover what to expect. Tiny metal parts are shaped together in the forms of sakura blossoms, with a magnet pulling on the loose pieces, surrounding the band name.

The title-track, Momotose, is a moderately paced rock song with a 6/8 time signature, which gives it a ‘sway-along’ feeling. The vocalist, Kazuyoshi Nakamura, sings with a strong, confident voice, though his vigor doesn'’t change anything about the fact that his voice is rather high-pitched. Though, the combination of the lower, heavy instrumentals works very well with his timbre, giving the song a wide spectrum like a multitude of colors on a painter’s palette. Unlike other rock bands only consisting of guitar, bass and drums, 100s’ line-up also consists of a keyboard player, which has the same effect on the overall sound of the songs, making it much more lively.

The second track, Aa, Mirai (Ah, Future) is a live recording of the song and is a lot faster and energetic than the first track, which may be due to the fact it’s a live recording. It’s incredibly catchy, especially the bridge in which Kazuyoshi’s voice takes on an even higher pitch, almost even cartoon-like as he sings “"Ah, yurayura, mirai, mirai"”. The song is a catchy, fun rock tune, nice to jump or head bang to, and for this reason it would have probably been a better idea to feature this song as the title track instead of Momotose.

If 100s’ sound appeals to you, don't forget to check out not only this single but also their album, ALL!!!!!, which came out in May. For more info on 100s, see their official site.