The three members of
the heiz (pronounced “haze”) are no strangers to the music scene. Drummer
Kimura Takashi, bassist
Watanabe Asako and guitarist
Shaku Keiji have all toured Japan before with their former bands. Though they met in 2005, it wasn’t until three years later that they formed a band, and now they all lend their talents and voices to create natural, old school rock’n’roll. Their self-titled debut album will be released in just over a week, and it gives a pretty good idea of what
the heiz is all about.
The band states that the musicians that inspire them are
The Beatles, The Ramones and
Chuck Berry, and this is clearly evident from the first wild guitar chords of
Don’t Let Me Down and
Hurry Up Baby. Anyone who listens to American oldies rock will instantly fall in love, and even those less familiar with the oldies will draw parallels to
Chuck Berry’s
Johnny B. Goode. The second track,
Tokyo’s Burning, has the
Jimi Hendrix drawl nearly down pat.
All of the songs on the album are sung mostly in English, which is a definite bonus for those who like to enjoy the lyrics. However, it’s not completely clear the lyrics are in English until the third track,
Black Pepper Girl. The clarity of enunciation far surpasses what we hear on the first two tracks, and
the heiz maintain it for the rest of the album.
Monday Morning Blues is something you wouldn’t mind waking up to. With the lines “I don’t wanna go to work/I don’t wanna go to school” growled out in a rebellious, petulant fashion and hard guitar riffs, it makes for a fun start to the day – even if it is a Monday morning. Another fun song is
Macaroni Surf, which sounds like a mix between
The Beach Boys and
Elvis Presley. It’s got a super vibe that will keep you jamming until the end and leave you all ‘noodled’ out.
One of the softer songs on the album is
Please Don’t Cry. Although the vocals during the chorus detract a bit from the sad, sympathetic mood, the melody is pretty enough to overlook it.
Tomorrow Nite is also slower in pace, but it’s no ballad. With plaintive vocals and layered chords, it’s a song for summer night beach parties.
Something
the heiz excels in is mixing English with Japanese, and
Ta-Me-Shi-Te-Mi-Ta-I is a great example. It blends both languages so seamlessly that you don't notice part of the lyrics are in another language until you check the title.
Keihin No. 3 "Koi-No-Daisan-Keihin" and
Menthol Blues are two more standout tracks that show the band’s skill.
For anyone who likes oldies rock and Japanese music,
the heiz gives you the best of both worlds. The only downside to the band so far is that all of their music reminds a bit of songs you’ve heard before. However, it’s clear they are developing their own style, so keep an eye out for what’s to come. In the meantime, their debut album is a good time waiting to happen!
Find out more about the band at their
official MySpace or
Tokyo No Records, where the album is available for pre-order! The band is currently touring through the US.
