WILT_2023-04

A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 22 Jan 2023 to 28 Jan 2023.

1. Hitoribocchi Tokyo” (ひとりぼっち東京) – Kessoku Band (結束バンド, Kessoku Bando)
2. “Guitar, Loneliness and Blue Planet” (ギターと孤独と蒼い惑星, Gitā to Kodoku to Aoi Wakusei) – Kessoku Band (結束バンド, Kessoku Bando)
3. “That Band” (あのバンド, Ano Bando) – Kessoku Band (結束バンド, Kessoku Bando)
4. “Flashbacker” (フラッシュバッカー, Furasshubakkā) – Kessoku Band (結束バンド, Kessoku Bando)

Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2023-04

Notes

There’s a reason why this week’s playlist is really short, and features music by one artist. 

The band is Kessoku Band (結束バンド, Kessoku Bando), a fictional band from the anime, Bocchi the Rock!

I had heard recommendations about this anime and I was interested enough because I also had fond memories of K-On!, another similarly inspired anime about being in a band.

However, instead of watching the anime first, I decided to listen to the music first, and it was nothing short of amazing in my opinion. As you might know, I am a little jaded with the rock genre, but the musicality on this album is dynamic, high-octane, and full of passionate performances. The instruments are standouts, and in true envelope-pushing J-Rock fashion, the arrangements and performances are on a virtuosic level. 

Every song that I picked out has something that I really like about the individual musical parts. Be it the fluid, driving bass lines, the manic guitar shreds that easily sell the bubble-gum pop of the vocals, or the energetic drum rolls and syncopations, if you are a fan of J-Rock, this music will blow you away.

As for the anime, and its story. I might be biased, but it brought back a lot of memories of the bands that I have been fortunate to be part of, as well as the joy that comes from playing and expressing yourself creatively with a group of like-minded or equally driven people. 

Go watch Bocchi the Rock!