Asian Kung-Fu Generation
World World World

Give a guitar to a nerdy loser and you'll get a new kind of rock, the Japanese one, J-Rock to be precise. But Asian Kung-Fu Generation is not one of those usual Visual-Kei bands with makeup and teased hair loaded with foundation, they don't represent that kind of J-Rock. More than anything, they are the Japanese Arctic Monkeys, now you might be wondering: "didn't Japanese girls like the usual rock with hot guys?" Eh, I can't answer that, but this is proof that in Japan it's not just about the way you dress, but more importantly the music, as I suppose it is in all nations (except in Italy).

"World World World" is the fourth album by ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION and with this, they musically reach their maturity (and debut directly at number one on the ORICON chart, a well-known Japanese chart). Maturity that is already evident from the first track: the title-track "World World World" begins with a guitar arpeggio that vaguely recalls "Lucky" by Radiohead and continues with the galloping of all the other instruments layered with their voices shouting until the end of the song: "WORLD! WORLD! WORLD!". The last beats on the drums and here comes "After Dark" with its hard riff that spans the song, everything revolves around this riff. The singer's voice, Masafumi Goto, is catchy, although not great it blends perfectly with their compositions.

Compared to the last album, there is less sound experimentation, but more Japanese rock. The next track "Tabidatsu Kimi e" is proof of what I've just said: the track length is reduced to a minimum, but there is more use of instrumentation. "Neoteny" is a truly anti-commercial song, without a proper chorus but with excellent use of electric guitars. "Travelogue" and "No.6" are the "least successful" tracks but not at all bad, even if they are the least "original" tracks of their repertoire. The next one "Night Diving" is one of the best on the album, it starts with a "Reggae" style and a sensual electric guitar that accompanies the voices and the chorus accompanied by that omnipresent guitar à-la Tom Morello until the end of the song where we hear the chorus part and the "Reggae" part overlapped, creating something completely different. The next "Laika" is a song that puts you in a great mood, the opposite of the lyrics, which are very dark, the singer exceeds with his "hoarse" singing, even the solo is excellent, it evokes melancholy. "Wakusei", the ninth track of the album, is an excellent rock ballad, although the not-so-gritty chorus contrasts with the rest of the song.

After a list of so many rock tracks, you need a moment of relaxation, right? Here comes "Korogaru iwa kimi ni asa ga Furu" a slow and sweet rock journey with a solo as light as it is dynamic that takes us to "World World" the almost title-track with "country" influences, and the arpeggios remind me of "Soldier's Poem" by Muse, arpeggios accompanied by a ticking sound, introducing us to the album's "masterpiece": "Aru Machi no Gunjou" is the "oldest" track compared to the others (dating back to 2006 and this album is from 2008), but it doesn't clash with the others, indeed it reinforces the structure of this album with this slow rock track composed of a "drunken" but just as "sober" bridge. The last track "Atarashii Sekai" is the "fastest" track that AKFG has ever composed, a very "catchy" chorus but it contrasts with the melancholic composition of "Aru Machi no Gunjou" and now I wonder:

"Why didn't they prefer to end the work by leaving us with a bitter taste with 'Aru Machi no Gunjou' instead of thrilling us and filling us with adrenaline with 'Atarashii Sekai'"?

If you have the opportunity explore Asian Kung-Fu Generation and immerse yourself in Japanese indie-rock.