File The Captains under the category of bands from another country whose music I'd surely not be listening to if it were being peddled by a comparable band from the US (My Chemical Romance mixed with Drake Bell perhaps). Some of their songs come across as ready for tweenie TV show fame, some as Bling Kong-esque cheer-a-longs, some as guitar based pop-rock burners, and some as prime candidates for silly drunken karaoke. It feels like one third of this record I've already heard from some French band obsessed with dramatic flair... or were they from Turkey? Russia? One third of the record is good, but not great, and the final third is SUPERPARTYFUNTIMEUSA! Have you ever noticed how similarly reverby and "recorded in a studio in 1983" so much of the music recorded outside of the US/UK sounds? Is that just me being a snobby American? Whatever. What's fantastic about The Captains, and so many of our brothers and sisters in music overseas, is how unabashed they appear to be about their music and image. They know how to have fun, with music. Shocking concept to some I know; but hey, check out the Dance Lesson section of their site as an example. In fact, take a look at their Love Under The Equator dance right now. Please.
"Haato Ni Pittoin" blasts out of the gates like a full company musicial dance number - a Japanese take on "Jaan Pehechaan Ho" (remember that one from Ghost World?); "Seisyun Yarou" comes across a bit like Ricky Martin mixed with Gwen Stwefani, but in the best way possible. Yep, I mean that. Here I am jamming along to The Captains' 2007 album Bara No Ori and thinking about yakitori and beer (and how badly I need to visit Japan) and how some of these songs are probably going to be stuck in my head for days now. Hey, the novelty of foreign music can go a long way sometimes. And who can resist ultra tight/intentionally cheesy Japanese pop hooks? "Not I," said Ear Farm.
Listen:
"Haato Ni Pittoin"
"Seisyun Yarou"
See The Captains live:
- 19 Sep @ Rhythm & Brews - Chattanooga, Tennessee
20 Sep @ Drunken Unicorn - Atlanta, Georgia
21 Sep @ Tasty World - Athens, Georgia
22 Sep @ Renaissance Waverly Hotel - Atlanta, Georgia
24 Sep @ Red & Black - Washington DC
25 Sep @ International House - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
26 Sep @ Pianos - New York, New York
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