Thee 50's High Teens - Punch De Beat

In September the proud "Fukuokan girls," Thee High Teens, will tour the United States, and their album Punch De Beat will be released there while the band is touring. Though they have two full albums out in Japan already, this will be their first U.S. release. Their greatest charm is the playful, liberating atmosphere created by their music, whether it's upbeat, relaxed, psychedelic or just wild.

The first track, Don't Break My Heart, is a wild rock and roll number with the band's distinctive throw back feel. Opening to shrill screams, it becomes fast paced, bouncy and playful. Though the back-up vocals are tame, Tomo is surprisingly aggressive, shouting out the lyrics angrily. That angsty attitude goes perfectly with the crazy screams that are interspersed throughout. Red Star is similar, but Nami's guitar solo is notable for fitting perfectly with the 60's rock feel while still feeling contemporary. The screamed vocals are even more intense in this track than the first, and the liberating atmosphere that the band is consistently able to create is very strong in this song.

This is followed by Love Me Tonight, which has an even catchier rhythm and melody. The guitar wails on throughout and lends the song a psychedelic, hippie feel that shows off the color and energy of the music scene of the 70's. While the vocals are comparatively tamer and there's no screaming, Tomo still evokes a dark, rebellious attitude.

The pace slows down with the fourth track, Stroller In The Air, an instrumental number that manages to sound dark and ominous at times, while laid back and relaxed at others. More than some of the other tracks, the music varies throughout, which keeps it interesting. The emphasis on the organ synths highlights a Gothic element that meshes well with the vampire image, though overall the piece maintains an old fashioned rock n' roll vibe. The return of Tomo's angry vocals in the next track, Nobody Knows, is a welcome addition. A relatively tame piece, it gives off a groovy vibe, overflowing with attitude as usual. It becomes increasingly more wild, however, and Tomo really goes crazy with the vocals by the end.

Track six, It's All Over, is a cheerful tune whose guitar melodies and rhythms get to feel a little repetitive, but Tomo’s rocking vocals and screams easily redeem it. This is followed by the upbeat, danceable Everything's Alright, which has a notable amount of English lyrics. Contrasting with the encouraging message of the song evident in the title, the screaming vocals are delightfully out of place.

PopPopPop-Pie is a creative song with prominent back-up vocals and a distinct 'do the twist' vibe. The tempo increases towards the end, accelerating to a dizzying speed and accompanied by increasingly wild vocals and screams. It's followed by one of the more outstanding songs on the album, Short On Love. Dark and angsty but with a relaxed rhythm, at one point all music save Sue's simple drum beat drops out, leaving Tomo's voice in the spotlight. The other singers shout during the chorus, alternating with Tomo, which makes for an entertaining pattern.

Aeba Suki Suki is another fast number, the guitar and keyboard following the catchy melody from the refrain. The drums change up noticeably about 2/3 of the way through the song, and again at the end. The variation adds a lot of color to this track and would have been welcomed in some of the others as well.

The album finishes up with a cover of Little Richard's Shout. It's exciting to hear Tomo's angsty vocals yelling out the familiar lyrics, and of course the group puts their own unique spin on the well-known classic, transforming it completely. The shrill horror movie screams that alternate towards the end match the song perfectly while seeming completely out of place from the original.

The strength of the band must be the combination of generally cheerful 60's and 70's rock styles with Tomo's seemingly out of place, angsty, aggressive vocals. In particular, the screams evoke the horror movie genre associated with vampires, which fits nicely with the band's concept, but also gives the group's sound a contemporary metal flavor. The combination of these elements makes for a very original and entertaining outcome that fans of all types of music will be able to enjoy.