The Double Doghouse

hello folks! this week for the weekly review, we’re checking out 結束バンド (“Kessoku Band”), the self-titled album by the fictional band from the anime Bocchi the Rock!, which also serves as the OST for the anime.

青春コンプレックス (Seishun Complex, or “Youth Complex”), is the OP for the anime – this one slaps, no lie. the little guitar riff that opens the song and plays a prominent role in the song, is incredible, and the chorus is just great. good track, excellent opening (both for the album, and i imagine the anime). from the little i know of the plot of the anime, lyrically this seems like a very good fit too! ひとりぼっち東京 (Hitoribocchi Tokyo, or “Lonely Tokyo”) is a very nice track about the balance of loneliness and connection in big cities. Distortion!! is the first ending song from the anime. it’s p good. ひみつ基地 (Himitsu Kichi, or “Secret Base”) is a real sweet track. ギターと孤独と蒼い惑星 (Guitar to Kodoku to Aoihoshi, or “Guitar, Loneliness and Blue Planet”) has some very fun guitar riffs, and while it’s a fairly melodramatic track, i feel like the song brings the right energy for that. the choruses are really the highlight on this one, haha. ラブソングが歌えない (Love Song ga Utaenai, or “I Can’t Sing a Love Song”) has one of those fun cut-outs, where the song builds to a nice place through the first chorus but then pulls way back going into the second verse. あのバンド (Ano Band, or “That Band”) paints a very nice picture, of the music being sung providing a valuable outlet for the lyiricist – very nice, for the subject matter, haha. カラカラ (Karakara, or “Clatter”) is the second closing song of the anime, taking over after episode 3 – it’s also neat for featuring a different vocalist than the tracks so far. seems like a nice closer, though i think i’d prefer Distortion!!, haha. 小さな海 (Chiisana Umi, or “Little Sea”) is v nice. i don’t got a ton to say about it though. なにが悪い (Nani ga Warui, or “What is Wrong With”) is our third closing track (episodes 8 to 11), and brings in a third vocalist for the band. a much more hopeful kinda closer, haha. i like this one quite a bit! 忘れてやらない (Warusete Yaranai, or “I Will Never Forget!”) is a nice bit of classroom nostalgia – very appropriate for the protagonists. 星座になれたら (Seiza ni Naretara, or “If I Could Be a Constellation”) opens with some VERY good guitar and bass noodling – really dig the bass in this song overall. フラッシュバッカー (Flashbacker) is a very mellow kinda rock. 転がる岩、君に朝が降る (Korogaru Iwa, Kimi ni Asa ga Furu, “Rock n’ Roll, Morning Light Falls On You”) is the final closer for the anime and the closer for the album. in a really cool note, every band member but the lyricist, Hitori Gotoh, has sung a closer until now, and we finally hear directly from her in this song! very cool!

faves – 青春コンプレックス (“Youth Complex”)
dislikes –

 yeah i enjoyed this record! some real solid rock, with some great guitars and bass, and some very moving vocals! also special callout to the drummer for this record, who was on point the whole damn time. i wager i’m missing at least something here from having no connection to the characters, but also the lyrics here provide a really clear picture of the kind of thematic and emotional journey the characters are on – very effective for a soundtrack in the voice of the protagonists. a fun listen, and now i gotta go watch the anime, haha.

結束バンド – 6/10

for the next Weekly Album Review, i’ll be checking out Jessie Ware’s What’s Your Pleasure. i’ll be back next Friday, July 28st with that review and to pick another weekly record, and in the meantime, let me know what album you’d like me to review! (i pool all suggestions in one place, and draw a person, then one pick from that person, so feel free to drop as many as you’d like! if you leave an email or username i’ll contact you when i’ve gotten through all your suggestions.)