In the midst of all the other music being released this summer, I actually forgot about one: Niche Syndrome, the newest album release from ONE OK ROCK. ONE OK ROCK’s 2008 album, Kanjou Effect, is still one of the staples in my music diet–that is, I listen to it a lot, more often than most other rock albums in my library. I was looking forward to the new album, but not expecting much, which is probably why I forgot about it. After all, after an album as good as Kanjou was, can you really expect anything better?
Note to self: I am an idiot.
From start to finish, Niche Syndrome is a well-rounded collection of rock music. It’s also easily the best album I’ve heard this year, and maybe even last year. 2010 needed this release, and with apologies to many of the other bands I follow, I have been needing an album this good for a long, long time. Niche is one of the best releases to come out of Japan and make its way into my collection. That may not mean a lot for the rest of you, but for me, that’s pretty damn monumental.
One of the first things I noticed about Niche was its heavy reliance on English lyrics. Thinking back to Kanjou, lead singer Taka certainly does use English quite a bit… but songs like “Kanzen Kankaku Dreamer” (above) or the album opener, “Never Let This Go,” sport English lyrics that are both clear and (mostly) sensible. Secondly, Taka totally lets loose on these tracks, and his vocals actually shift into full-out screaming at times. Both of these changes are clear signs of influence from current English-language emo-rock bands. While this shift in sound may not seem all that unique to American listeners, Japanese fans could find it refreshing, maybe even completely new. For me, it’s a general improvement in sound that makes ONE OK ROCK even more appealing to my bilingual ears.
This isn’t to say that the band has lost their trademark sound and style, though. Niche is a vast improvement on Kanjou and the previous releases, but it is still just that: an improvement. Songs like “Liar” combine the hard rock sensibilities fans were used to with the new focus on English lyrics and harsher vocals. So it’s ONE OK ROCK, but better. Isn’t this how all albums are supposed to be?
There are still slow(er) songs, like “Yes I am” and “Wherever you are,” but even they seem like vast improvements over “My sweet baby,” the beloved ballad of Kanjou. Taka may not genuinely be more motivated or loving, here, but he sure as hell sounds like it. “Yes I am” in particular is almost compelling in the way Taka continuously shouts out the “yes I am” line, and the song is still heavy enough on the guitars and drums to be compelling instead of boring. There’s a full feeling in these two songs that somehow overpowers “My sweet baby” or even “Dolls” (which actually begin to sound the same after a while–that doesn’t happen this time!).
And that’s another thing to consider: replay value. After one run-through of the band’s previous albums, I typically feel the urge to switch to something else. Niche Syndrome has serious repeatability; the songs aren’t similar enough to keep them from sounding boring after listening to the full album (on shuffle or otherwise), and each track is, on its own, a treat to listen to. There’s really not one song on this album that I would want to skip if it came up on my iPod, and as good as Kanjou Effect was, I couldn’t really say the same for that release.
2010 needed this album. If you haven’t tried it yet, and you can tolerate a little screaming, I highly encourage you to pick up a copy of Niche Syndrome. Existing ONE OK ROCK fans will certainly find it monumental, but if you haven’t tried the band yet, I think you’ll be delighted by the quality of rock that’s coming out of Japan these days. Who knew ONE OK ROCK was really this good?