Straightener (ストレイテナー)

Straightener is an indie rock band, a very influential and powerful one. Originally formed in the late '90s, their core line up of front man Atsushi Horie and drummer Shinpei Nakayama shifted over the years and now includes two ex-members of the similarly themed Art-School.

Unsurprisingly, their sound has evolved a matured a bit over the pest ten or so years, yet they haven't moved too far from their early loud and powerful indie rock. Instead, they've developed their natural resources and pushed their sound into much more lush and expansive territory. This has also rounded the corners to their previously harsh delivery. Much like Mo'some Tonebender, this could either be seen as an improvement or a loss, depending on what you're hoping to get out of the experience.

Overall, they write powerful songs filled with the earnest emotion you might expect from similar bands like Foo Fighters, but present it with a slightly harder edge and without any of the melodrama. There is very little trickery or showmanship in any of their work. They are simply very catchy and well written songs that will rock your teeth out. On the flip side, they are also no strangers to the rock ballad, with their Nexus album being host to a few softer, piano tinged tracks.

As mentioned above, the band is currently one half ex-Art-School members, but the incestuous band affiliations don't end there. Atsushi and bassist Hidekazu Hinata are both in the mostly instrumental side project Fullarmor, along with Jun Izawa of Lite/Seabara and Oniy of The Zoobombs. Hidekazu was also the bassist for Zazen Boys. Drummer Shinpei is also in The Predators, along with The Pillows vocalist Sawao Yamanaka and Jiro from Glay. None of these other project stray far from the any of the other band's general indie-power-rock sound that all of the various members seem to champion. Are you still with me?

Long story short, Straightener is like a hub to a giant indie-rock wheel. While their albums are all solid and top quality, their spokes reach out and form a wheel that's more than the sum of its parts.

BUY STRAIGHTENER RELEASES HERE!

A Song Runs Through World



Official Site
MySpace

Members:
Atsushi Horie - Vocals, Guitar, Keyboard (Also in Fullarmor)
Shinpei Nakayama - Drums (Also in The Predators)
Hidekazu Hinata - Bass (Former Art-School and Zazen Boys, also in Fullarmor)
Jun Oyama - Guitar (Former Art-School)

Releases:
Nexus 2009
Immortal 2007
Linear 2007
Dear Deadman 2006
Title 2005
Rock End Roll 2004
Lost World's Anthology 2004
Skeletonized 2002
Error 2001
Straighten It Up 2000

Lightening


Black Hole


Tender


Killer Tune


Traveling Gargoyle


The Ramains


Rocksteady

The Predators

The Predators are probably exactly what you would expect to hear from a band influenced by Nirvana and fronted by the singer for The Pillows, Sawao Yamanaka. Namely, rough edged songs, played simply, but with the same good natured happy glow that seems to surround just about every track from the Pillows.

The big name band members don't stop at Yamanaka though. In fact the trio is a sort of indie super-group, with Shinpei Nakayama of Straightener on drums and Jiro from Glay on bass. While any one of these guys brings plenty of experience and hard earned credibility to the fore, together they manage to sort of cancel each other out, at least to the point that they can actually get some songs written. Perhaps it's because they stick to the simplistic song structures and straight ahead songwriting, or maybe they all just want to take a break from their more serious bands. Whatever the case, they do manage to produce some nice little grunge tinted indie pop sings.

Their first album Hunting!!!! is the more Nirvana-esque of their two short releases. Each track has the signature three chord rock sound of just about any early grunge band. The requisite out-of-tune singing is missing though, replaced by Yamanaka's easy-going voice. Basically, it's like typical material from The Pillows with more aggressive guitars and louder production. Their second album Kiba wo Misero is like the progression from Nirvana to the Foo Fighters. While still stripped down and rockin' the production is a bit tighter and richer, with the songs being just a bit poppier and bold.

While The Predators are a natural fit for any fan of The Pillows, they also offer up a bit more muscle for those wishing that The Pillows would rock out a bit more. The don't offer up any surprising twists or flashy guitar tricks, instead focusing in very catchy songs and the sort of epic positive vibes we've come to expect from the various bands the individual members usually inhabit.

BUY THE PREDATORS RELEASES HERE

Rock 'n' Roll Lay Down



Official Site

Members:
Sawao Yamanaka - Vocals, Guitar
Shinpei Nakayama - Drums
Jiro - Bass

Releases:
Hunting!!!! (2005)
Kiba wo Misero (2008)

Bakuon Drop


Live Drive


Live


CRS

Japanator Radio 59

And just like that, as if by magic, here we have another Japanator Radio, only a few days after that last. Consider it your reward for having to wait around stamping your feet in a blinding rage while waiting for the previously tardy episode. Gomen.

This week we've got more from Vola & the Oriental Machine and 9mm Parabellum Bullett, some Sleepy.ab and Dokaka, and The Predators in the Artist Spotlight, a band featuring members of Straightener, Glay and The Pillows. Sweet!

Grab it while you can. This kind of magic is transitory at best. Click your heels three times while saying "There's nothing as awesome as Japanator Radio" and hit that download link!

Next week, the Halloween Special!! BOO.

DOWNLOAD EPISODE 59 ON JAPANATOR

RSS Feed

Random updates via my Twitter.

Track-list and links after the jump!

00:00 OP: Gackt - Another World - Moon [BUY] 

01:03 Vola & the Oriental Machine - Self-Defence - Halan'na-ca Darkside [BUY]
04:00 9mm Parabellum Bullet - Vampiregirl - Vampire [BUY]
07:06 6eyes - Crystal Boy - Blank in Black [BUY]

09:51 Break: Silent Hill: Homecoming OST [BUY]

10:32 A Lunch - Beast Beat Beatniks - First Food [BUY]
13:56 Te - いつも好転する未来を望み、しかし時節の変化は『恐』れている。 - まして、心と五感が一致するなら全て最上の『音楽』に変ずる。 [BUY]
17:34 Sleepy.ab - Palette - Palette [BUY]

20:20 Break: Silent Hill: Homecoming OST [BUY]

Artist Spotlight - The Predators
21:41 The Predators - Dizzy Life - Hunting!!!! [BUY]
25:33 The Predators - Sleepy Dragon  - Hunting!!!! [BUY]
28:29 The Predators - Island - Kiba wo Misero [BUY]
31:54 The Predators - Rock 'n' Roll Lay Down - Kiba wo Misero [BUY]

34:55 Break: Silent Hill: Homecoming OST [BUY]

35:45 Omodaka - Asadoya Yunta - Cantata no. 147 [BUY it at HEARJAPAN.COM]
39:17 Dokaka - Contra Theme - works [BUY]
41:08 Aira Mitsuki - Beep Count Fantastic (feat. Terukado) - Copy [BUY]
45:32 Dokaka - Megaman 2/Snakeman - works [BUY]
46:57 Mosaic.wav - Anata no Tonari no Vampire - Meiwaku Mailing Girl (Single) [BUY]

51:11  ED: Kiiiiiii - Wishing the Penguin Star - Al & Bum [BUY]  

The Pillows

Over The Pillows' eighteen yeas (and counting) they have had, as they say, a lot of ups and downs. Easily their biggest "up" has been having three of their albums licensed by Gainax and used in the wildly popular anime FLCL. As the show made its way to the West, so did the popularity of The Pillows, exposing them to a much wider fan-base. The "downs" have mostly come afterward. After a bit of a break, then the release of FLCL and its slow burning popularity, the band's sound had time to evolve. While they have recently been signed to the massive Avex Trax label, their music seems to have lost much of the drive that propelled their earlier work. Nevertheless, The Pillows continue to release some great old fashioned pop rock and roll along with the crooning ballads.