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Returning to the StageDate: 12/31/07Writer: Kamikazen What an exciting year for Japanese music! In the world of Japanese rock, "The Return" was the name of the game for 2007. Almost copying the news we heard from the United States this year such as the return of The Rolling Stones and the return of Rage Against the Machine, 2007 saw the prominent return of many Japanese rock bands that had not been seen in action for quite some time.
Other "classic" rock bands that made significant strides in 2007 include The Birthday, The Cro-Magnons, Kenichi Asai, Keisuke Kuwata, and Y?sui Inoue. Many of these bands also participated in the summer rock festivals of this year and all of them made new releases this year. However, 2007 was not only a year that featured returns of previous greats. Some bands just took the time to continue their greatness from previous years.
Ultimately, 2007 can be marked as the return of many popular Japanese rock bands and the overall success of Japanese rock in general. We fans can only hope that 2008 brings more of the same. JMIgnited.com is not affiliated with the artists presented on this website or their representatives. All images are the property of their respective copyright owners. Images are displayed for educational and decorative purposes only under the "fair use" clause. |
The first of such artists would be Bump of Chicken. Almost a year after their last single "Namida no Furusato", the two singles "Hana no Na" and "Mayday" were released this October. The two singles were received amazingly well, claiming the number 1 and number 2 spots respectively on the Oricon single charts in their debut week. The two singles have also had tremendous staying power as the former "Hana no Na" is currently ranked as 16th in singles for the entire year and the later "Mayday is listed as 25th. We also saw the release of Bump of Chicken’s newest album "Orbital Period" on December 19th (their first album release since "Yggdrasil" came out in 2004). Not to disappoint their fans, Bump of Chicken also had an extensive touring schedule to back up their releases. In particular, the band participated in many of the major summer rock festivals this year such as SETSTOCK, ROCK IN JAPAN FESTIVAL, RUSH BALL, and RISING SUN ROCK FESTIVAL. This was certainly a tremendous accomplishment, considering that the last time they participated in a major tour was March of 2006.
Another Japanese rock band that saw a return this year would be J-Rock icons L’Arc en Ciel. The insanely popular L’Arc en Ciel had not seen much new activity dating back to 2005, mainly due to each member seeking to develop their individual side projects. However, they all managed to come back together in 2007 and proceeded to release a slew of new singles: "Seventh Heaven", "My Heart Draws a Dream", "Daybreak’s Bell", and "Hurry Xmas". Each single enjoyed considerable success in the Oricon charts. The first three singles topped the Oricon single charts in their opening week. The first single "Seventh Heaven" actually held the top spot for two week’s in a row. Also, "Daybreak’s Bell" was used as the opening credit theme for the anime Gundam 00. However, more significantly, L’Arc en Ciel released their newest album "Kiss" in November and are planned to tour in support of this album until February of 2008.
While these two bands had come back from short breaks, 2007 also saw the return in the sense of "classic" rock. This is possibly fully epitomized with the return of legendary Japanese garage rockers Guitar Wolf. Not since the death of their bassist Wolf Billy in 2005 had the band put together any new material. However, this would be the year of the Wolf as two new albums "DEAD ROCK" and "Mars Twist" were both released this year. The self-proclaimed "Jet Rock n’ Roll" band also began an extensive return to touring in 2007. Most notably was Guitar Wolf’s trip to Europe and their return to ROCK IN JAPAN FESTIVAL. Many of the younger generation bands who were participating in the festival made special trips to see the return of this amazing band.
The band that would personify this would most likely be B’z. The highly popular and influential rock duo continued their dominance of the Japanese rock scene this year, releasing two new singles "Eien no Tsubasa" and "Super Love Song". "Super Love Song" is currently ranked as 19th in Oricon single rankings for the year and "Eien no Tsubasa" is ranked 26th. B’z also released another new album in December called "Action", which currently sits at 36th in Oricon album rankings for the year. While these strong Oricon rankings and popularity overall may seem as par for this rock band, one particular event pushed them over the top this year. In November, B’z became the first Asian band to be inducted into Hollywood’s Rock Walk. This illustrious honor could mark the admission of other Japanese or Asian rock stars into the mainstream American rock scene.
