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There's never a dull moment in an album by those four musicians, whose absence is starting to show in their home-country's music generation. A come back on their part would surely replenish the dreams of aspiring artist with cravings for diversity and love for music, like they did for ten years before their hiatus. If music is big in Japan, it is partly because of these guys.
Translations are hard to come by for some reason but the mood is well represented with Yoshii's voice alone. If you find Japanese pronunciation to be annoying to the ear, The Yellow Monkey might make a great introduction band since, language aside, vocals do not seem completely Japanese. It appears to have flavours from English and even a touch of Arabic. The other band members stand out in their own ways, and I'm not talking about the hair... exclusively. The bass in The Yellow Monkey is the main part of the "danceability" of most songs. Even the regular chorus lines are very complex and wide-ranging. Heesey doesn't give his place to the guitar and almost steals the show during "solos". A show that Emma holds on to firmly. His guitar playing brings back fond memories. Being a hardcore fan of Aerosmith, Queen and Radiohead, he does what the guitarists of only these bands and a few others can do: using his guitar intrusively, but well. His brother Annie (you heard me) is the self-proclaimed "engine of Yellow Monkey". I won't try to refute this; that guy always gives everything he has, twisting his body left and right to get truly heretical beats.
Their major debut with The Night Snails and Plastic Boogie did not turn them into superstars over night but attendance for their concerts doubled from 1992 to 1993, then tripled in 1994 for a total of twenty-five thousand people in twenty-seven shows. The records sales began to match the live hysteria in 1995 with their fifth album, Smile, which reached number four on the Japanese billboards. The Yellow Monkey declared their personal growth and that of their music was far more important than numbers on a billboard, but I am sure they were happy to see each of their following albums go straight to number one with sold-out concerts in the biggest venues like the Budokan and even the famous Tokyo Dome in November 2000. The Yellow Monkey was on a hiatus from 2001 to 2004 after which they confirmed the dreadful rumors: they were breaking up. A few members had already started working on solo projects during the break. Hirose Youichi and his band Heesey with Dudes released their first album called Obstinate Rockaholic in March 2003. Yoshii Kazuya, on his part, negotiated a new recording contract with Virgin Records, and his project, Yoshii-Lovinson, took off October 1st 2003 with a single named Tali. He has released 3 albums since but now goes by his full name, Yoshii Kazuya.
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Punch Drunkard
The arrow would have stopped on the band's last album, 8, had Seinaru Umi to Sunshine's album version been remotely as good as its single version, and if I could stand Shock Hearts. Even if it is not usually a fan-favourite I feel Punch Drunkard is an underestimated album that hosts many brilliant tracks |
Favourite Songs:
Why Kyukon?
The most powerful song in The Yellow Monkey's arsenal. Yoshii Kazuya's soothing voice makes the very slow beginning a delight, but at 1:30, things go from delight to seventh heaven. The whole band puts their soul into the song from that point and Yoshii gets a chance to show his voice is not only powerful but also that he can hold it nicely.
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Official Site: http://www.theyellowmonkey.com Yoshi-Lovinson (featuring Yoshii Kazuya)'s Official Site: http://www.yoshii-lovinson.com Heesey with Dudes (featuring Hirose Youichi)'s Official Site: http://www.heesey.com
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Kikuchi
Eiji (a.k.a. Annie), Kikuchi Hideaki (a.k.a. Emma), Yoshii Kazuya (a.k.a.
Lovin) and Hirose Youichi (a.k.a. Heesey) form a band drawing their
influences from all over the globe and coming out as the best of all
worlds. Past The Yellow Monkey's loud fashion statement is an
equally loud music statement; the reflection of Japan can be seen in their
jumbo sunglasses as well as through their rockin' tunes. Over a hundred and twenty
songs feature on their list, and they deserve every little bit of the
hard-earned success they are experiencing. 
Yoshii
Kazuya is the sole lyricist and produces most of the band's songs. His
style is somewhat hard to describe. Songs with an old-school,
rock-and-roll sound still have a contemporary touch and vice-versa. I
guess the best way to describe most songs is the combination of
head-banging music and... art. For example, a few of their albums tell
stories and their corresponding promotion tours are like theatrical shows.
This artistic mix goes beyond concerts, too, and into mixing booth where
samples of acoustic instruments and little effects are added to songs making them all special.
Even in their early days, when budget was tight, you could always find
something special in their music videos.
Hirose Youichi, Kikuchi Eiji and Yoshii Kazuya modestly played together in a
small band until their vocalist left and Kazuya decided to give singing a
shot, while also changing from bass to guitar. Inspired by his powerful
voice and virtuous compositions, the band got more serious and started to
play in clubs regularly with the help of Eiji's older brother, Hideaki.
The touring got really intense after the release of their first
underground album, Bunched Birth. They announced their venture into
the major recording business a year afterwards at a packed show in La.mama, their club of
choice.
