GRANRODEO can’t stop innovating, experimenting with new elements and introducing new elements to their music in “Jonetsu wa Oboeteiru“.
Title: 情熱は覚えている (Jonetsu wa Oboeteiru) Label: Lantis Release date: 09/09/2020 Genre: Rock
Tracklist:
1 - 情熱は覚えている 2 - Scorn 3 - 情熱は覚えている (OFF VOCAL) 4 - Scorn (OFF VOCAL)
Track by track analysis:
1 – 情熱は覚えている
GRANRODEO channel Indian vibes for Jonetsu wa Oboeteiru.
The song kicks off to the sound of a sitar and quickly evolves into an all-out groovy, fully dynamic toms-driven beat, making the best out of GRANRODEO’s trademark rock sound.
The electric guitar and sitar share the spotlight, with the sitar’s main melody serving as the guide for the whole song, adding a really unique taste to this track.
In this instrumental, you also have the contrast between the live session rock drums and what seems to be either a Tabla or a Mridangam (Indian fans, please correct me if I am wrong).
I am more inclined to say, especially after cross-referencing the percussion in this song, that a Tabla is responsible for giving all the groove we find in this track.
The guitar solo has quite a few interesting parts, escalating in tension and with a couple of sections to it, as e-ZUKA goes down the scale into a technical performance.
When it comes to the vocals, KISHOW adds a bit of theatricality to his vocals, something that is especially noticeable in the final pre-chorus but can be found a bit throughout the track.
Other than that, KISHOW adds intensity to his performance, playing around his range, delivering pretty solid low, mid, and high notes.
2 – Scorn
To wrap up this release we have Scorn, a track that goes in a slightly different way than the previous track.
The sound of revving bikes introduces the listener to a classic rock sound that those big fans of 80s high-octane hardrock will instantly love.
The focus on this track is on its bass sound, with the drums and bass being particularly intense and groovy throughout the song.
Guitar riffs are playful and edgy in the good old days’ fashion.
The guitar riffs aren’t that complex in comparison with what you can find in Jonetsu wa Oboeteiru but it’s this simplicity that makes the song incredibly fun to listen to.
Of course, when it comes to the guitar solo, e-ZUKA cranks up the difficulty and goes for a solo that plays around with the higher tones, including some dead notes in the mix, something that I absolutely love a good display of.
KISHOW goes for an impressive performance that has him tackling a lot of high notes in a sort of screaming fashion. His composure, confidence, and charisma shine in this song. Absolute masterclass of a hardrock track.
Final considerations
When you thought that GRANRODEO can’t innovate more, the band keeps on experimenting with new elements and introducing new blends with other music genres and traditional instruments. This time around India is a clear influence in the sound of the title track, Jonetsu wa Oboeteiru.
The sitar, the traditional percussion by the groovy Tabla blend with the band’s intense 80s hardrock inspired sound that has marked much of their career.
The mix might sound odd, especially if you are only reading this review and haven’t listened to the song, but it works so well. I am not going to say that it works “surprisingly well” because, by now, it is no surprise that GRANRODEO are rock chameleons, adapting, inspiring and making theirs all the sounds they add to their music.
Jonetsu wa Oboeteiru is a massive track and if you are a rocker at heart and are wondering if their song strays too much away from rock, fear note. You have a full on rock sound with traditional elements on top and an outstanding, layered guitar solo on top of it.
Scorn is a song that instantly took me back to those days in the 90s listening to 70s and 80s rock mixtape cassettes that my parents played time and time again.
There’s only good, old-fashioned hardrock with nothing glamorous or hyped up in there. That awesome progression, a catchy yet simple chorus, the same 1 or 2 guitar riffs in the verses and an equally simple beat and groovy from the drums and bass do it for me.
That simplicity that made 80s rock songs fun is in here and, for me, it is really nostalgic while not sounding dated at all.
At the same time, it is awesome that GRANRODEO pull off these kinds of songs in such a magical way – they regularly explore sonorities from the 80s in their music, something I love -, making them sound just like we’re all back in the 80s.
You can tell e-ZUKA’s guitar influences from that era in the way he crafts and performs those solos or just how much fun he’s having jamming along to songs like this one – that’s a bit less complex than most of the band’s songs. KISHOW morphs into a crazily charismatic 80s rock frontman whenever there’s an opportunity so, once again, massive props to GRANRODEO for bringing 80s rock to the 20s and rocking it no other.
All in all, Jonetsu wa Oboeteiru is a must listen. From the unique blend of rock and traditional Indian instruments in the title track, to the throwback to 80s hardrock in Scorn, this release is flawless.
Jonetsu wa Oboeteiru is available for purchase at CDJAPAN.
