SHISHAMO - SHISHAMO 3 Album Review

SHISHAMO is an indie rock band formed in 2010, who released their first official album ("SHISHAMO") just three years ago. I actually missed out on their second album, "SHISHAMO 2", when it came out last year, but that takes us to..."SHISHAMO 3" which, as you can probably guess, is the band's third album. As a big fan of their debut album, I was excited to pick up this new record. I was not disappointed.

"SHISHAMO 3" opens up with a soft and gentle intro to "Gomen ne Koigokoro", an otherwise fast and compelling opener. It's a little bit on the longer side, but I don't mind that in the least. The band keeps the energy up for the next few songs, including "Ikiru Girl". This is easily one of my favorite songs on the album, being super punky, catchy, and to-the-point. The album slows down with the beautiful acoustic "Egao no Tonari", and the incredible "Tenohira no Uchuu". In fact, the entire mid-section of the album is a bit down-tempo. There is the bouncy "Suitei Idou Kyori", though, which I love. Not that I dislike the slow songs; some of them are actually exceptionally good.

The energy doesn't really pick back up until the last couple tracks on the album. "Kimi to Gerende" is another personal favorite, with a great melody and some pretty fun riffs. The closing song, "Minna no Uta", delves slightly into ska territory, with some backing horns. In keeping with the theme of the album, it's also an amazing song. As you might have noticed by my review, there are a lot of amazing songs on this album to be honest.

It's really hard to find anything bad to say here, and I don't see any reason why I should anyway. SHISHAMO is a band just starting to hit their peak, and I'm hoping it's a peak that lasts for a long time. The songs on "SHISHAMO 3" are among the best music I've heard so far this year. Vocalist Asako Miyazaki has one of my favorite voices in rock music, and the band as a whole are so talented, I think it might actually be impossible to dislike them. Please listen to this album, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Favorites: Gomen ne Koigokoro, Ikiru Gal, Egao no Tonari, Tenohira no Uchuu, Suitei Idou Kyori, Kimi to Gerende, Minna no Uta

Tracklist
1) Gomen ne, Koigokoro
2) Nakaniwa no Shoujo-tachi
3) Ikiru Girl
4) Egao no Tonari
5) Tenohira no Uchuu
6) Suitei Idou Kyori
7) Onnagokoro
8) Nettaiya
9) Tabi ga Eri
10) Kimi to Gerende
11) Minna no Uta

-Justin

SHISHAMO Is:
Miyazaki Asako – Vocals, Guitar
Matsuoka Aya – Bass
Yoshikawa Misaki – Drums

For More Information:
Website: http://shishamo.biz/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SHISHAMO_BAND
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/shishamoofficial

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