Labels: self released
Review by: Andy Malcolm
What a nice job on the packaging here, thick cardboard with nice simple artwork (a baseball team with umbrallas, though one guy, probably the catcher, has a mohawk), and a little lyric booklet with lyrics in Japanese and English. The Lions dish out 4 songs of highly catchy power pop / punk, a masterful exhibition of the genre. As is so often the case with Japanese bands, the playing is tight as fuck, everything is perfectly placed with the guitars driving, the vocals laying just on top without intruding too much, and the rhythm section subtly carrying everything along. This doesn’t instantly bring to mind any of the old Snuffy Smile bands I was reared on other than Navel, perhaps leaning more towards Mega City Four and such like (stuff I am not overly familiar with), but without the weird production that those bands had. The production is not overdone either, letting the music push on through nicely. The lengthy “Never See the Terminus” has a super pretty twinkly intro, very Christie Front Drive! Except the vocals come in a lot sooner and then it rocks out in a power pop fashion. This is my favourite song on a rather enjoyable 7″. They finish on the cool “The Common War” which is faster and punchier, maybe in line with something like Blew.
Thanks to Tomohiko for sending this! I appreciate it.