Vola & The Oriental Machine is the spin-off group formed by former Number Girl drummer Ahito Inazawa, who also played drums in Zazen Boys, a band formed by Number Girl front man Mukai Shutoku after Number Girl broke up in 2002.
Vola is something of a super-group, featuring former Downy guitarist Aoki Yutaka (who has since left Vola to play in his own band Unkie), drummer Nakahata Daiki from Syrup16g and Arie Yoshinori on bass. All of these expert players combine to form the Vola super-robot. Shedding Number Girl's and Zazen Boys' more erratic, complex and noisy sound, Vola hones its blade to a sharp edge, slicing the air instead of pummeling it. Their songs are pure and to the point, yet intricate and deep. Mostly straight-up rock, they tend to be danceable and driving, with relatively simple drum lines (at least when compared to Inazawa's previous bands) in lock-step with the bass.
Inazawa (who plays guitar and sings, by the way) at times sounds a bit like Sawao Yamanaka from The Pillows, at least when he's actually trying to sing. So much so that when I first heard Vola I had to double check to make sure I didn't get something wrong. Vola is like a very intense and dangerous version of The Pillows. While their songs are often anthemic and soaring, they contain a dark and angry edge.
Much like Dave Grohl moving on from Nirvana to form The Foo Fighters, Ahito Inazawa has moved on from Number Girl to form Vola & The Oriental Machine. It's an apt comparison (if I may say so) and a testament to the huge amount of songwriting talent Vola & The Oriental Machine has to offer.
An Imitation's Superstar
Official Site
MySpace
Members
Ahito Inazawa - Vocal, Guitar
Nakahata Daiki - Drums
Arie Yoshinori - Bass
Major Releases
Waiting for My Food (1-25-2006)
ANDROID -like a house mannequin (4-11-2007)
Halan'na-ca Darkside (10-08-2008)
羽根の光
A Communication Refusal Desire (Live)
Comeback In Darkness
Self-Defense
