Towards the end of 2011, something terrible happened. Takahashi Kumiko, drummer for premier girl rock trio chatmonchy, decided she no longer wanted to make music. Being a music lover, I found it just plain sad for someone so talented to simply lose their drive to create music. And as a chatmonchy fan, I worried for the state of the band. But luckily, Kumiko’s band mates have just released their first single as a couple.
Mangetsu no Hoero is a pretty simple track, but it is good. If you’re a fan of chatmonchy’s, you’ll undoubtedly enjoy the new single. It has all the familiar trappings of a chatmonchy favorite, only slightly lacking. On a whole the song is just very simple; not that the girls have ever really played very advanced music. The biggest difference you’ll notice on this track is the lack of Kumiko—and it is noticeable. For some reason Akiko has decided to put down her bass and pick up her friend’s drumsticks instead. I’m not sure why the girls would choose this direction. Doesn’t it make more sense for Akiko to stick what she’s good at and perhaps get a support drummer? Not to say that Akiko doesn’t play the drums well, but c’mon: she’s no Kumiko. Kumiko was a freaking monster on the kit; I loved her style and talent behind that drum set. But, I digress. With the move from Akiko to drums, there actually is no discernable bass line in the song and that can make the song feel a little…flat?
The track is a moderate pace, fairly upbeat pop-rock song. Something we’ve come to expect from chatmonchy. The drums are obviously sorely lacking with Kumiko’s absence, but Akiko does just fine on the skins. The majority of the song is filled with Eriko’s simple chord progression, an accentuated solo of the chorus’s melody plucked out at regular intervals throughout the song. The chorus itself is catchy and will probably get stuck in your head at some point. The b-side is a throw away track for all intents and purposes: a slowed down piano instrumental of the title song. It’s nice, very pretty, akin to something I would hear played over a touching scene in a romantic comedy starring Toda Erika. But, it’s not really what I needed to hear on the other half of this single.
If this is the new direction for chatmonchy, I can’t say that I hate it. But I would say that it isn’t the optimal path. The song is good, a lot better than I was expecting honestly, but it isn’t the chatmonchy that I really know and love. There is that hole that Kumiko left. I’m not sure if the girls are just wary about filling it, or if they don’t feel the need to. I would definitely say they need someone more experienced on drums and Akiko needs to be back on the bass. There are a number of very talented, young girl bands coming up and if chatmonchy wants to stay on top, they need to pump out the music I know they’re truly capable of.
チャットモンチー 満月に吠えろ PV by plutoatom
INFORMATION
chatmonchy
満月に吠えろ
released 2012.02.01
Tracklist
01. 満月に吠えろ
02. 満月に吠えろ (Piano Inst.)
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Purchase chatmonchy’s Mangetsu no Hoero here!
