REVIEW: The Back Horn - Pulse
This is the venerable garage-rock band’s new full-length album, including the title tracks from their last two singles and 9 more new tracks for 11 total.
The Back Horn
Pulse
Genre: rock, alternative
Release Date: 09-03-08
Price: 3,000 ¥
Released By: Victor Entertainment
Tracks: 11
01 Sekai wo ute
02 Freude
03 Kakusei
04 Sazameku Highway
05 Kagami
06 Byakuya
07 Hotaru
08 Gladiator
09 Ningen
10 Wana
11 Umare yuku hikari
Sekai wo ute - starts things off nicely, and sounds a lot like old material with its jangly main riff and Masashi’s harsh, yet oddly melodious vocals. There are a few almost-screams, but nothing terribly off-putting. I liked the rambunctious drumming and rather garagey overall sound.
Freude - has a similar beginning, but the bass takes more of a role in this one, though to a certain extent, it feels like the guitar riff is moving it along at light-speed. The chorus of “whoa’s” is always a nice touch. There’s a bit of a tempo change before something that would be a solo with any other band, but is more like varied riffing and some odd Oriental soundbites. Strangely I didn’t notice Masashi’s singing at all.
Kakusei - was one of the singles and deservidly so. It has an excellent main riff and some actual singing from Masashi. I wish the riff made more of an appearance, but it seems relegated to bridging various parts in the song, and there is an actual guitar solo after the first bridge. At about halfway through, there’s a sort of choral-sounding part that seems, well, out of place, considering the rest of the song. But TBH is known for that kind of random weirdness. So if you’re an experienced listener of theirs, you won’t even blink.
Sazameku Highway - has some great bass and a neat little harmony/chant thing by Masashi right near the start. As it moves along, there’s some sound effects in the background, which sound a bit like the sort of thing you’d play on your porch for Halloween. It’s an odd song, but I like how it switches between haunting and typical indie rock, with an alternately chunky and melodic bassline to back it up.
Kagami - is the first song we can call a ballad so far. It’s not bad as TBH ballads go, but I would not put it among my favorites. Slow, and nothing particularly epic about it either.
Byakuya - here we go! A bit of a jazz number. My favorite songs from them have that little bebop in the beat, and bass you can feel throbbing beneath the rest of the song. I’m torn on Masashi’s vocals. His slightly off-pitch chanting in the first part is grating, but it takes more of an ethnic feel as the song moves along. In the end, I enjoy the folksy, jazzy, minor sound, so I won’t complain.
Hotaru - is a little boring after the last song. Some fairly standard structure here, some off-pitch wailing from Masashi, but an interesting, speedy solo in the bridge.
Gladiator - My observation is starting to be that a lot of these songs have beginnings that honestly eclipse the rest of the song. The good songs bring these musical bits back, the mediocre ones forget about them for the rest of the song. This one kind of meanders on and honestly doesn’t leave much of an impression.
Ningen - can at least be notable for my thought that it was a female singing at the very start. That was certainly some skillful nasal resonance from Masashi. It’s just too bad he can’t/doesn’t repeat it the next time that part comes around. I’ve liked the guitar solos so far on this album, and this one is no exception, sounding vaguely DEAD END-like.
Wana - was another one of the singles, and is certainly not a bad song. But to me, after hearing a good handful of better songs so far, this one comes off a little bland. I did like how it ends though, with only a phrase from Masashi.
Umare yuku hikari - this is really a fairly typical album-ender. Not quite as soft as Kagami, but still pretty much in ballad territory. The only thing I really like about it is Masashi’s downward progression at the end of each chorus. It has a nice, ethereal quality.
Their last album came out in May 2007 and was just about the most boring thing they’ve ever released. This one seems different right away. And like MUCC did with Shion, there’s a vague Oriental theme going on throughout. But old styles are present as well, such as the jazz in Byakuya. Overall it has a good variance in tempos and not much, if any, real screaming from Masashi. Nothing particularly catchy, but then, that isn’t their forte. They make stuff you can either bob or bang your head to, but then promptly forget about it.
Final Word: solid album with some good tunes. ★★★☆☆
Key:
★★★★★ = Excellent, flawless, perfecto
★★★★☆ = Very good, has some minor flaws
★★★☆☆ = Good, maybe a few boring moments, but overall enjoyable
★★☆☆☆ = Fair, bad outweighs the good
★☆☆☆☆ = Poor, possibly offensive to your ears
