176BIZ - 「01」-kokoroe-

At the end of February, 176BIZ released a 2 disc maxi-single, and each disc has its own A-side song. The album title 01 announces a new beginning for the band, who has created a new original sound with their new bassist, Kouta, in this album. This is perceived as a truly significant change as former bassist Tara is one of the band's two co-founders. On March 3rd, BIZ promoted 01 and exhibited their new selves with the mindset of continuing to progress and move forward from there.

Scope, the song brought to the table as the A-side track by Toki, is a very BIZ-like, fast-paced rock number. Though Toki cites the drums as the source of movement and driving force, the mood is established primarily through the guitars. They provide the energy and sprinting feeling as their parts intersect and overlap, going at different pitches and different speeds. The urgency in their sound is reflected in Yuu's passionate vocals during the chorus and its beautifully desperate melody.

kokoroe is the song Yuu proposed for the A-side, and for good reason: while Scope demonstrates the typical 176BIZ sound, Kokoroe shows their flexibility. Not only did they venture into new territory, but they did it successfully. Yuu's vocals are completely altered and are more relaxed and soothing, and even Kasumi's drumming gives off an encouraging "you can do anything" feel. During the lead-in to the refrain, Kouta's bass briefly follows Yuu into a higher register, unusual for the bass but very engaging. Despite its lightness, there is a great energy and sense of movement in the piece, even a sprinting feeling similar to Scope but without the dark overtones.

Many young visual kei bands who made their names with dark heavy music don't fare well when they try their hand at a light, comforting track, but 176BIZ was actually successful on their first try. It's hard to believe they've only been around since 2005, but this is probably where each member's previous band experience comes into play. After hearing Kokoroe, listeners will undoubtedly welcome more pop-rock songs from BIZ.

Pinky Drive returns to heavy rock with its menacing and fun feel. For this song, the drums and bass were recorded simultaneously, and though it made for a long and tiring recording session of many re-do's, the result is impressive. The combination of these two instruments drives the song, starting from the intro, which is only a drum and bass duet. As usual, Setsuki and Toki take their guitars in different directions, one providing the backing riff while the other takes off high and wild, and Yuu's voice returns to its aggressive style.

Whichever 01 single you end up with - Scope or kokoroe - you’ll be in for a treat: tracks three and four are the same on each single, and the last song is the most beautiful. Hana no kagen has a completely different sound, opening with an acoustic guitar (which Setsuki was worried about and perceived as the pitfall of the song) that's later joined by a harmonica riff. Strummed out over a light drum beat, Setsuki's acoustic guitar gives the song an unassuming, earnest feel, even while its electric partner wails on.

Yuu's simple melody in the refrain is poignant and anguished though not over the top, perfectly matched with the acoustic. His lyrics in this song are surprisingly romantic and relationship-oriented, also employing more flower and nature imagery. According to Yuu, he wrote those lyrics for his largely female audience, which was difficult to do. So between Setsuki going out on a limb with a guitar he was unfamiliar with and Yuu writing in a different viewpoint, the band embraced some challenges to produce this already adventurous single. And most importantly, everything sounds excellent.

With this double A-side release, 176BIZ has established a new original sound with their current five members, demonstrating the impressive compatibility between them. This single and their lives following it mark a new beginning for the band, and however they progress from here, you can be sure they will take more risks, challenge themselves and continue to show us unexplored facets and new perspectives.