The Start Of My Ketchup Mania Collection

When Radicalpatriot invited me to Japan Nite in San Francisco last March, the only band that really interested me was SCANDAL.  And why not?  AKB48 rocking out with guitars?  How hot is that?  SCANDAL was pretty cool, but what I didn't know was that I would leave the concert as a huge fan of another group all together.  And that band is Ketchup Mania!

Like Henkka, I can also be described as somewhat of a "metalhead"  The list of groups I have seen live includes Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Ozzy, Motorhead, Van Halen, Dokken, Twisted Sister, Guns n' Roses, Dio, and W.A.S.P..  Outside of J-pop and Hello! Project, My all time favorite artists are The Ramones, The Surf Punks, X, The Pixies, and 311.  I'm also a huge fan of The Smiths (I know, pretty random for this list)  I've now received my first of hopefully many Ketchup Mania purchases, their first full-length CD...

 Greetings From Tokyo - 2006

This is an unbelievably great album!  Every track is fast, furious, and features the amazing voice of the ultra-sexy HIRO.  There are many groups in the J-rock universe that have a punk/thrash sound with an Anime-styled lead singer.  Berry Roll is one I've heard, The Soap is another.  But no singer has the command of HIRO, and her sound is so unique.  The musicianship is ultra tight.  DAI's guitar work and WANI's drumming are lightning quick, but very crisp.  And they sound great live too!

 

The CD is a set of twelve under-2 minute songs in rapid succession.  In a way, their style could be described as repetitive.  But I love their style, so it doesn't bother me at all.  The CD in many ways reminds me of The Ramones first album.  Pretty much every song is great!  My favorite tracks...

Track 2 ~ BES-POSI  They go into a reggae style on the bridge, which is a great variation!  Like an amped up version of The Specials.  HIRO goes very high in her vocal range on the chorus. 

Track 3 ~ NAMIDA VACUUM SOUND  The guitar solo is a great variation of Wipeout by the Ventures.  Their second PV...

Track 7 ~ SUN FLOWER  This is my favorite song on the CD.  On almost every track, HIRO harmonizes with herself.  I'm pretty sure it's an overlapped track.  Twice the HIRO, twice the fun!  Many songs on this CD are just fast, but this one is one of the most melodic.  I wish I could find a video of this!

Track 8 ~ YOUR WORLD  For some reason, the guitar work on the chorus reminds me of the 80's alternative sound.  BTW, The sound on the PV is kinda low...

Track 9 ~ CANDLE ON THE BIRTHDAY CAKE  This song is so reminiscent of Bow Wow Wow, especially the intro guitar.  It's very melodic, with a caribbean rhythm to it.  My Japanese is weak at best, but I've never heard so many phrases end with the sound "lu"  What does that mean???

Track 10 ~  JINGLE BERRY  is my other favorite song, and just might be the best Christmas song ever made!!!  Sorry Bing!  Although it's slightly more "Christmas-y" than Spinal Tap's "Christmas with the Devil" and Dread Zeppelin's "Christmas in Las Vegas"  I'll be alternating between this and Sayumi and Koharu's "Merry Pinku Kurisumasu" this holiday season.  To me this is their best PV, simply because it is almost exclusively closeups of HIRO...

I love just about every song on this CD.  I highly recommend it.  I found it for a very reasonable price (new) on EBay, and YesAsia has a CD/DVD version.

You can hear Ketchup Mania every Monday night (10 eastern/7pacific) on the Japan Files channel on live 365.com.  There's a link posted on their MySpace page.  By the way, here is their brand new PV, Please! Marry Me!!!  Oh HIRO, if only...

I was surprised by the comparative "softness" in the beginning, but the song "rocks out" more as it progresses.  It sounds A LOT more polished and produced than "Greetings From Tokyo".  I believe they might be grooming them for a more mass market appeal!  The purists might not like it as much, but it is a step forward in their career.  When they become huge stars, I'll always have the memory of hanging out with them and having a smoke on Divisadero Ave. in San Francisco!  DAI's "Wedding March" guitar solo in the middle is awesome!  I just love when guitarists do "classical favorites" as solos.  The video is a continuation of the theme from their previous PV, BAD BAD BAD.  And I love the R. Crumb-styled animation!  Ya know, after listening to this song a few times, it's really starting to grow on me, very cool!

 

And by the way, did I mention HIRO is too friggin' HOT?  Even if she does deserve a Hall of Fame spot on my "Great Orthodontist Adventure"!!! 

CK in California