Throwback Thursday: BUCK-TICK - Aku no Hana Album Retro Review

BUCK-TICK is a famous, influential, and just really important rock band from the 80s. Credited as one of the founders of the Visual Kei movement, BUCK-TICK has been playing their unique brand of punk-infused New Wave pop nonstop since they got together in the early 80s. They have influenced so many bands that it's impossible to even list them all, but they're without a doubt a fairly big name in Japanese music. Today I'm here to talk about their classic 1990 album "Aku no Hana", by far their best-selling album to date.

"Aku no Hana" may not be BUCK-TICK's most unique album, but it's the one that has resonated with the most fans, being certified Double Platinum by the RIAJ (over 500,000 copies sold). "Aku no Hana" came at a high point for the band, coming off of both a handful of hits as well as the arguably perfect album, "Taboo", an album which had solidified the band's place in the darker side of pop music. "Taboo" is also notable as being their first album to chart at number one on the Oricon Charts. At the point of "Aku no Hana"'s release, BUCK-TICK was already a nationally famous band and they were ready to take it even further.

"Aku no Hana" starts off with "National Media Boys", one of the best songs on the album. It has all the elements of classic BUCK-TICK, from their bouncy beats to their classically-influenced melodies. It's a little bit baroque, a little bit rock. Along with the band's new gothic imagery, this style probably helped to influence the 90s wave of Visual Kei, especially big names like Malice Mizer. BUCK-TICK had been playing with gothic imagery before, but it was after this album that they took it to the next level, and still use elements of it in their music today. Another song of note is the title track, which comes in right before the end. It's much darker than the rest of the album, and one of the band's closest links to Post-Punk. It also has one of the best guitar riffs in the band's discography, in my opinion.

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There are a lot of really strong tracks on "Aku no Hana", and it's a great mix of more straightforward New Wave music and that classical influence, with a couple ballads thrown in for good measure. One of those ballads is the final song on the album, "Kiss Me Good-Bye". This song is considered by some to be a masterpiece, and it really is one of the band's best ballads of their career. "Kiss Me Good-Bye" is definitely a unique ballad, though. Within the six-minute run time, the song has jabs of gothic rock and just an overly dark and heavy overtone. Even as a love song, it sounds just a little bit sinister. Vocalist Atsushi Sakurai does some of his best vocal work, crooning out "kiss me good-bye" as he professes his endless love, to last even after death.

Again, "Aku no Hana" may be a great album, but it really just paved the way for the band's much more intense experimentation to come later during the 90s. Still, it really is a powerful record. With classics like "Kiss Me Good-Bye", it's no wonder this album shot up to number 1. It's an essential album for any BUCK-TICK fan, or anybody trying to get into the roots of Japanese gothic rock, Visual Kei, or Post-Punk.

-Justin

BUCK-TICK Is:
Sakurai Atsushi (櫻井敦司) (Vocals)
Imai Hisashi (今井寿) (Guitar, Vocals, Noises)
Hoshino Hidehiko (星野英彦) (Guitar, Keyboard)
Higuchi Yutaka (桶口豊) (Bass)
Yagami Toll (ヤガミ ト ル) (Drums)

For More Information:
Website: http://www.buck-tick.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BUCKTICK_INFO
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bt.18th.album

BUCK-TICK - Kiss Me Goodbye (Live)