I can
hear you think 'no, please not another Japanese Rock band, don't you have
anything else to show us?' but trust me, this one's different.
What separates
Wagakki Band from other rock and visual kei bands is described by their name.
Wagakki (和楽器) literally means: traditional Japanese musical
instruments. So besides the regular rock instruments the band features a
shamisen (three-stringed instrument comparable to a banjo), a koto (13-stringed
instrument, a bit similar to a harp) a shakuhachi (a bamboo flute) and taiko
drums. These traditional instruments accompanied by the unique voice of singer
Yuko give the band a very distinct and recognizable 'Japanese' sound.
The band
started out in 2013 doing covers of vocaloid songs (songs made using voice
synthesizer software) like Roku Chounento Ichiya and Tengaku. Their
breakthrough came with the song Senbonzakura
which currently has almost 50 million views on YouTube. Their music videos are
always highly entertaining and make you feel like you're watching a Japanese
action movie. In Ikusa for instance
they are battling each other while in Akatsukino Ito they have to defeat a dragon.
Although
it took me some time to get used to the singers voice I'm now a huge fan of her sound. Wagakki Band's last album already dates from a year ago so I'm patiently
waiting for a new album of traditional Japanese epicness.
Other favourites: Hangekino Yaiba, Hanabi and Strong Fate
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