Effortlessly moving from electro-disco, to folky rock, to 8-bit chiptunes (with the help of YMCK,) The Aprils are a factory of cute, catchy and creative music. Switching between equally light male and female vocals, The Aprils conjure up electric Takashi Murakami landscapes full of gummy bears and happy anime aliens.
Formed in 1999, the trio quickly established their own unique sound. While they have elements of Shibuya-kei, namely the jazzy, upbeat bossa rhythms and crazy sampling a la Pizzicato Five, they mainly focus on electronic sounds. Classic 8-bit bleeps and buzzes from Nintendo's NES era are the most prominent element, along with other retro influenced sounds making up the bulk of their sonic pallet. Perhaps it's not surprising the they've worked along side other like mined artists like YMCK, Strawberry Machine and Plus-Tech Squeeze Box in the past. Still, they are far from your standard synth-pop band. They do incorporate actual guitars and drums, as well as well polished duel lead vocals, giving them a much more personal and “human” feel.
The tone of most of their songs is upbeat and bright, full of rainbows and Technicolor pandas, a toy box of musical ear candy. They temper the unabashed positiveness with a slightly melancholy mood from time to time, but it's a rarely used tactic. More a preciousness than a sadness. Their spaced-out tracks are more about a blissed-out quietness than an inward self-examination. Even their more obviously poppy tracks like "Cosmo '80s" seem to have a slightly darker edge. Their videos show that same art-school pop mentality with pandas and other cute, childlike animals playing a major role. (They do have both a song and an album titled “Panda” after all.)
After releasing three albums in three years, not to mention their various collaborations and touring, The Aprils have taken a much need break. They are currently working on their fourth album.
Kirameki Moon Diver
Official Site
Members:
Kentaro Imai - Vocal, Guitar
Miho Iguchi - Vocal, Synthesizer
Yuhki Shotokuji - Drums
Releases:
Astro - 2003
Pan-da - 2004
Space Dream Bathroom - 2005
Time After Time
Panda
Aprils In Stereo
Live
Live
Live
Kentaro singing live with Marino
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