A rush of excitement and anticipation came over me when I first saw this release. I have been following the Highmarts via their singles and now Soundflat Records (of Germany & Japan) has stirred things up during this most wearing stretch of summer with World Tour. According to the Tokyo Weekender, the Highmarts are the future of the Tokyo garage scene. The current version of the band includes Atsushi Hagimoto (Bass/Vocals Support), Minako Ishikawa (Drums/Vocals Support) and guitarist and singer Suzu, who remains the founding member of the band. Past line-ups included Karin, who currently drums for the indie-pop wonders Hazy Sour Cherry. The album cover is notable for featuring a new band logo with a Zenith “Z” splitting their name. (Zenith was a major American consumer electronics brand before being bought by LG in 1999.) Also of note is the very cool '90s Buddy Holly sweatshirt worn by drummer Minako Ishikawa in the band photo.
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| Notice the Golden Cups lettering |
Greatest Singles I recall seeing their first single “I Want You Bad” prominently featured at Time Bomb Records in Osaka in 2019. The single, produced by Sally Kubota, also includes a cover of the Gestures’ “Run, Run, Run.” Fittingly, the scampering “I Want You Bad” begins the World Tour album. This album title was directly inspired by the trio’s recent touring of France. It’s heartening to know that the Japanese groups are once again whirling around on overseas tours. The first side of World Tour consists mainly of their originals, which previously appeared as singles. Also included are some live versions of their singles like “Hey Boy” and a few Japanese Group Sounds (GS) and American covers. They definitely bring out the brightness in the old standard “CC Rider/Jenny Jenny.”
With its CCR-ish intro and Beatlesque closing chord, “Hold Me” is a first-half highlight. This single, originally issued by Mexico City's Chez Nobody Records, demonstrates their current ability to project dynamics and dimensions by ramping up backing vocals, while tracking their ongoing direction. I'm guessing their current approach has also been sparked by their perceived influences-ranging from U.S. ‘60s legends the Shangri-Las, the Ronettes, the Luv’d Ones as well as ‘90s underdogs like the Prissteens to even the eyelined garage sound of 15 years ago whipped up by the Raveonettes and the Detroit Cobras. In turn, it seems like Highmarts are inspiring current Japanese trios such as the Questions (Okinawa).
Dodgy Demo The second half of the record is the complete Dodgy Demo which was originally released as a limited merch table cassette. They take “Test Drive” by Takeshi Terauchi and Bunnys out into Davie Allan & the Arrows fuzzy mirage territory. A song titled “That Summer Feeling" was one of the first things I noticed when previewing the track listing. Could it be the yearning Jonanthan Richman song? It's not the Jonathan Richman song, but an atmospheric, distorted and swirling original by Suzu and sung in Japanese. Lovely melodies and harmonies shine through the sheets of sound-resonating somewhere between Slumber Party, Red Kross and the Amps. I also hear faint echoes of "Voodoo Doll" by the Queers in the melody. Up Next The catchy “I’m So Sorry” could be their signature song as it’s a clear standout. The Highmarts are incorporating a much stronger power-pop element (a la the Baby Shakes) which solidifies, diversifies and enhances their sound. This style truly suits them. “It’s All Over Now” dramatically unfolds next. Fittingly it’s a spirited theme song to an imaginary movie that conceptually exists only as a poster design concept from Rockin’ Jelly Bean. These most recent finely tuned recordings indicate they are punching through to the next level. Overall, World Tour presents the adventures of the Highmarts searching and finding their own original sound. It also might be the garage rock record of the summer.
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| Atsushi Hagimoto (Bass), Minako Ishikawa (Drums) and Suzu (Guitar, Vocals) |
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