1) It's Alright !
2) 10/10
3) Jerassic
4) Kazabana
5) Juuni Hitoe
6) AB LOVE LOVE
7) JAPANESE SPIRITS pile-up
8) ELE !!!
The group's 1st album release includes a total of 8 tracks inclusive of their debut single It's Alright ! & the B-side JAPANESE SPIRITS pile-up .
THE TURTLES JAPAN is a special unit that comprised of 3 main members ; music producer Kameda Seiji whom worked extensively with Shiina Ringo during his tenure with Tokyo Jihen for 7 years & flumpool's vocalist/guitarist Yamamura Ryuuta + guitarist Sakai Kazuki .
The band was formed last July & functions as a band for a limited time . WEAVER's vocalist/keyboardist Sugimoto Yuji + drummer Kawabe Toru participated/joined in their debut single It's Alright ! .
Subsequently , 2 new members Remioromen's dummer Jinguji Osamu & pianist/keyboardist Simon Isogai were welcomed into the band .
THE TURTLES JAPAN named their debut album ELECTRONIC HUMANITY because they want to inspire people who live in the modern society of violent , mechanical & dry human relations .
Kicking off the album is the group's debut single It's Alright ! . This song was picked to be used as the opening theme for CDTV last year in Oct & Nov + also as the ending theme song for MBS MUSICEDGE + Osaka style last year in Nov & Dec .
For the concept of It's Alright ! , the members wanted to tear down borders & enjoy music freely .
10/10 & Jerassic are the 1st 2 new songs in the album . Both tracks are quite heavily EDM & Rock driven to a certain extent , there's definitely nothing boring going on for both no.s .
But between 10/10 & Jerassic , I prefer Jerassic slightly as it's more towards the Rock side , not that 10/10 is bad .
The lead promo track in ELECTRONIC HUMANITY is Kazabana . This song was 1st released as a downloadable single & goods package last month on 25th March that's only sold in Tower Records .
In addition , Kazabana is also only the new track in the album to get a video & it's used as the theme song for THE TURTLES JAPAN Zepp Tour 2015 「ELECTRONIC HUMANITY」 in which all 3 tour dates have been sold out .
I can understand why Kazabana was chosen to promote ELECTRONIC HUMANITY as it's quite a dreamy sounding no. . Unlike the other new songs , this's the only 1 that's closest to a ballad . I was intrigued when I 1st heard the song & it's quite thought provoking too .
Juuni Hitoe is an edgy aggressive no. . Somehow Ryuuta's vocals are distorted in here purposely on purpose but the melody is accompanied by strong guitar riffs .
The 2nd last new track in the album , AB LOVE LOVE is 1 of my fave tracks as it's just a fun upbeat no. . I find myself humming along to it the 1st time I hear it which's definitely a good sign .
JAPANESE SPIRITS pile-up served as the B-side of the group's debut single It's Alright ! . When I reviewed It's Alright ! on its own , I did wrote that JAPANESE SPIRITS pile-up was a B-side I enjoyed a lot & so for the group to include in their debut album , I have no complaints at all as it's still a great track .
ELE !!! is the final song & unlike the other new tracks in the album that can be quite EDM driven , ELE !!! is a rather simplistic sounding no. which makes it the perfect track to conclude ELECTRONIC HUMANITY .
Prior to the ending of ELE !!! , the melody of the song is changed to another different music style .
1 of the most interesting debut album release in recent times , THE TURTLES JAPAN definitely made their presence felt with the release of their debut album ELECTRONIC HUMANITY .
ELECTRONIC HUMANITY on whole is a very musically engaging album & frankly before I decided to give THE TURTLES JAPAN's music a listen , I was skeptical as I wondered , will their music sound like what flumpool has done given that flumpool's vocalist Ryuuta sings in this special unit .
Luckily the material that THE TURTLES JAPAN has come up with is and cannot be compared with flumpool at all as for once , I can't visualise flumpool going the EDM route .
I suppose the members from different groups they belong to decide to come together to form THE TURTLES JAPAN in order not to have any musical boundaries to hinder them when they embark in making THE TURTLES JAPAN sound unique/different .
From their get up to their EDM meets Rock music styles , it's quite evident that from the moment they were formed , THE TURTLES JAPAN was going to stand out from other bands which I respect that .
Before I go off point , I would like to say that I definitely enjoy ELECTRONIC HUMANITY a great deal as it has been quite a while that I have been impressed with a debut album . Let alone , all the songs in the album are literally a feast for my ears as each song managed to carve out a distinct unique identity .
In a way , it's a bit sad to know that THE TURTLES JAPAN serves as a temporary unit but I do hope that in the near future , they will continue to release music sporadic because I genuinely feel their music's quite something .
To sum it up , ELECTRONIC HUMANITY is not your typical mainstream debut album but if you would like to listen to something different , then this could be the album for you to jam to .