Boom Boom Satellites
On

So, before I get lynched as a fan of J-Culture in general, let me say one thing: just because Boom Boom Satellites are Japanese, you don't have to expect a J-Pop record. Because their music is something "different"... And you could already tell that from 1998, when they made a splash with the album "Out Loud". Electronics meet rock. Something simply atypical, yet fascinating from a sound perspective: synths and guitars coexist together for entire songs, without ever "suffocating" each other. The subsequent albums, particularly "Umbra" and "Full of elevating pleasures," have literally consecrated their genre to the general public, at least as far as connoisseurs of J-Rock are concerned. "On" we could now define as something born from the strong inspiration from David Bowie and Western rock in general. A bridge between East and West, in short. Nothing to do with the chart-topping hits we get bombarded with every time from the radio.

To start with, here’s the tracklist:

1 - "Kick It Out"
2 - "9 Doors Empire"
3 - "Girl"
4 - "id"
5 - "Play"
6 - "She's So High"
7 - "Pill"
8 - "Generator"
9 - "Beat It"
10- "Porcupine"
11- "Nothing"
12- "Loaded"

 It starts with "Kick It Out", a song that reeks of blues and rock'n'roll. The rhythm base and the way guitar and vocals blend throughout the track are good, but logically it is the drums that dominate, setting the pace for the entire duration, coexisting with the singing. The lyrics are simple and, as you might imagine, unforgettable: "Now kick out the king of rock!/Now kick out the band!". The next track, "9 doors empire", even more tight-knit than the previous one, reiterates the concept that Boom Boom Satellites want to assert with this album: Western inspiration, Eastern methods. A guitar riff that seems to come from a 70s rock song and then come vocals, effects, choirs, and synth. And this is rock in the best tradition of Boom Boom Satellites. But let's continue: "Girl" almost seems like their reinterpretation of the 80s New wave genre. And indeed, upon listening, it almost makes you think of Spandau Ballet and Duran Duran, but with more guitars and synth. The lyrics of this song talk about a somewhat crazy girl as described by the singer: "My girl's working in the city all day/My girl's driving fast down the highway". The next song, "id", we couldn't really define as a song, but rather the beginning of a kind of "sound bridge" that prepares the listener for the next song. Regarding this song, in fact, there's not much to say other than we could only define it as an orgy of exasperated drums and synthesized sounds sequenced frenetically. 
"Play" is one of the two songs where guitars are absent to leave the field completely free for the synths. The singing isn't bad even though by the end of the song it just repeats the same phrase while the synth changes phrasing slowly at the end. "She's so high" repeats the concept of "id", this time assembling the guitars. In short, these two songs are forgettable. "Pill" could be considered the best song of the album. A bit of David Bowie, almost Marylin Manson-like guitars (though not too much), and a frenetic rhythm, all accompanied by lyrics that deliberately talk about drugs (although not explicitly): "Take me anyway you want me baby!/Take me, are you gonna drive you crazy!" indeed refers to the pills with which young people want to "transport" themselves from reality to a world of their own. An excellent song. Perhaps it would be successful here.
We continue with "Generator", an instrumental song where the drum, guitars, and synth take the lead. The drum repeats the same rhythmic pattern as "Pill" while guitar solos follow one after another on the synthline, a bit disco from the 70s and a bit rock. Perhaps a bit more "saccharine" than the other songs. "Beat It" could instead be defined as something between rock and dance, and although it is catchy and enjoyable, precisely for this reason it cannot support the sound structure of the album like the other tracks. Anyway, it remains a nice song to listen to, but it might be more suitable for parties. "Porcupine" repeats the concept of the "sound bridge" seen with "id" and "She's So High" and also for this reason it is forgettable, as it is too calm compared to the rest of the album. A simple assembly of acoustic guitar sounds. Mediocre and too detached. "Nothing" can instead be safely assimilated to a sort of "BBS version" of Yellowcard's punk rock. Fantastic guitars and perfect singing that form an excellent progressive sound. The last song, "Loaded", is the second where guitars are absent. The main sounds are synth pads and leads that could be assimilated to the new wave genre. It could be an example of "synthrock" although it is impossible to name experiments like this, the lyrics talk about a new, unreachable sound, like the one Boom Boom Satellites are sure of achieving with this album.

So we have reached the end.

Final score: 95 out of 100 - Even if it is far from the suggestive contaminations of "Full of elevating pleasures", this album represents another testament to the great talent of Boom Boom Satellites. Magnificent.