a jrock hope

caution: this is a Jrock Rant session, so you may skip this entry if you'd like. i've been bogged down by the a.b.s. fever for the past week! this may perhaps turn out to be my second Saviour (while the first was Gazette).

amidst the revival and reunions of pioneer bands like Luna Sea and X Japan, there is Hope yet still which has emerged from the contriteness in this current generation's Jrock scene. and when each band gets younger and younger......

kowtow to abingdon boys school (aka a.b.s.), an uprising band that has got everyone abuzz with it's spanking riffs and fresh lease of life to alternative/ progressive music.

their debut album that shares the same name ("abingdon boys school") is full of spunk and edginess, coupled with clever (read: comprehendable English) lyrics and impressive skill.

i was influenced into them by jrocknyc's blog when he cited that a.b.s. is his biggest regret - for not liking them earlier. horrifyingly, i too had been denying the existence of a.b.s. when everyone else had blabbed on and on about them. i mean, alice nine was praised too but i don't even like that band. :P

anyway, a.b.s. has TM Revolution as vocalist (YESH! that same fella who sang 'HEART OF SWORD' for Rurouni Kenshin yearsssss ago), Sunao on guitar, Hiroshi Shibasaki on bass and Toshiyuki Kishi as programmer. they may not actually make a pretty picture cos they're so frigging old, and the image of them donning boarding school uniforms can turn some people off.. but imo old people can rock better. ahahaha!

their nifty marketing technique using the school boy theme also extends to their PVs which are so cool compared to recent trends for goth/death/punk *cough cough*. it's a sheer delight to see old people (teehee) rockin' out and making excellent and tasteful rock music. :D