Asparagus

Asparagus are an indie rock power trio. They've come a very long way since their debut in 2002. Then again, it would be tough not to, considering their first release was pressed onto a record shaped like Winnie the Pooh. Yes, the Winnie the Pooh. Their first single was released as part of the 100th anniversary of the confused little bear. They quickly followed it up with a much more respectable full length album devoid of and direct Disney tie-ins.

They started life as a rather typical indie-rock band. Their first album Tiger Style is a bit tepid, certainly loud and raw, but a bit unadventurous. They followed that up with not one, but two albums released on the same day, though on different labels. Kappa I kicks the energy up a notch, but sticks closely to the Tiger Style style. Kappa II seems to contain the more highly evolved tracks. It's generally faster, louder and more dissonant than the latter. Both feature the same upbeat vibe, with Shinbou Watanabe's (formerly of Captain Hedge Hog) high pitched, nasal vocals cutting through the tight guitar work, all-over-the-map bass-lines and tightly tuned drums. Mixing up indie-rock, a very slight hint of pop-punk and earnest down-tempo tracks, one can't say they stand still for long.

After a few years they released Mont Blanc, a rather huge leap forward in both production and intensity. It's here that they start to show movement into 9mm Parabellum Bullet's intense, unrelenting rock and Base Ball Bear's more upbeat, danceable style. Overall they're very bright and clean, with positive sounding melodies and feel-good vibes. Yet their music has much more of an edge than, say, Straightener, though they have a very similar sound. Their production is very clear, yet they're not afraid to let things get loud and overdriven from time to time. Thankfully they never stray into pop-emo-punk territory and manage to keep things strong, sharp and positively serious.

Hopefully this still young band will continue to push themselves into new territory. They show signs of become something truly great very soon.

Jerk




Official Site
MySpace

Members:
Naou Hara - Bass
Masakazu Ichise - Drums
Shinbou Watanabe - Vocal & Guitar

Major Releases:
Tiger Style - 2003
KAPPA I - 2004
KAPPA II - 2004
Mont Blanc - 2007

Silly Thing


Falling Down (Live)