Onkochishin -- a saying by Confucius meaning "Studying the old and discovering the new" -- perfectly describes the music of rock band Glim Spanky.
Songs by the duo are reminiscent of the rock and blues music of the 1960s and the 1970s, but vocalist Remi Matsuo and guitarist Hiroki Kamemoto also confront, resist and rage against this time and age. Their unwavering rock'n'roll spirit attracts fans of all generations.
Recently, the pair released a new album titled "Looking for the Magic."
The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin ... Glim Spanky's music strongly reflects the sounds and spirits of all three legendary rock groups. Asked why they are committed to the musical style of such bands, they say in unison, "'Cause we like them!"
"Sure, I like music from the '60s and '70s, and I also think that today's music is a result of [musicians] following them. We feel like making new rock music in a normal way," Matsuo said.
Added Kamemoto: "It's not that we feel that doing something old is actually like doing something fresh. The appeal of past music and computer-generated music sort of exists on the same level."
They work together naturally and easily.
Matsuo, born in December 1991, and Kamemoto, born in August 1990, formed their group in Nagano Prefecture in 2007. In 2009, they became finalists in Senko Riot, a now defunct music competition for teenagers, and made their professional debut in 2014. The rock unit drew attention with "Ikari o Kureyo" (Give me your anger), the theme song for the 2016 anime film "One Piece Film Gold."
In 2018, four years after their debut, the duo performed at the Nippon Budokan hall in Tokyo, Japan's mecca of rock music.
"We find joy in making new rock music using as ingredients material that the best rock stars have created. I dare say, 'We do authentic rock,'" Matsuo said.
First and only band
When Matsuo was a first-year high school student, she started a band with three other students. Her voice, which becomes characteristically distorted and husky at a certain volume, is now her greatest weapon and asset. Back in those days, however, she thought her throat was weak because her voice easily became hoarse.
"She told us to tone down and not to play loud. But we wanted to make it more rock'n'roll, so we played louder and louder. It seems she thought that when her voice cracked it must be hard on her throat," said Kamemoto, who was the band's guitarist.
"I was scared," Matsuo said. "But then I realized I was actually OK, so now we're playing really loud."
Her powerful voice and the duo's cool demeanor suggest they have a wealth of musical experience. Yet they have never formed another band.
One episode tells of their strong tie. When Matsuo was in the third year of high school and was thinking of going to a university in Tokyo, she phoned Kamemoto, who was going to a university in Aichi Prefecture, to ask him to pursue band activities together in Tokyo. Kamemoto's parents opposed the plan and told him to continue with the university.
"That's the normal reaction," Kamemoto said, looking back, although he ended up sitting for an entrance exam to a university in the Kanto region and switched universities.
"I looked for a good vocalist in Nagoya [where his first university was], but I couldn't find any. I thought there was no point in doing whatever when there was no good vocalist."
When they came to Tokyo, the band's bassist and drummer left the group, but Matsuo and Kamemoto carried on by themselves.
"He adds vivid colors to the songs I write. He complements the most delicate and subtle parts with his guitar," Matsuo said in praise of Kamemoto's guitar playing.
"I've got a good sense and feeling for that," Kamemoto boasted, which Matsuo ignored before commenting, "I asked him [to come to Tokyo with me] because I thought there was no one who can express my work better than him. I wanted to continue as Glim Spanky because this is the first band I formed."
The power of Glim Spanky's music may come from their admiration for past rock legends and the pure joy and affection for the first band they formed.
Rock defined by hope
Their new album, "Looking for the Magic" is filled with fantastic and psychedelic sounds on an even wider scale than before. They recorded part of an album overseas for the first time in their careers.
The album starts with a magical, spell-like singing voice.
"I wanted it to sound like singing by someone who you don't know where she came from, so we added some twists to the sound. My goal was to create a utopia-like song that gradually enthralls listeners," Matsuo said.
Asked why they recorded two of the songs in Los Angeles, she said: "Because there were musicians and [sound] engineers who created our favorite rock music [over there]. The sounds were so different in L.A. I discovered how clear sounds can be."
"They have a different set of values over there. They aren't fussy about cables and don't use the pricey ones," Kamemoto said.
Added Matsuo, "In Japan, you record in a completely sound-proof studio, but the studio in L.A. was like a storage house with doors that don't close easily. You can make damn cool sounds there."
The song "TV Show" off their album projects certain sounds that seem to convey the atmosphere of California.
"Usually, we completely cut the white noise in the instrumental section, but we left it untouched [in this song]," Matsuo said. "It sounds like it's been just recorded and has quite a raw feel."
Glim Spanky has sung about resistance in the past, but this song sounds as if they are up against someone or something even bigger than before.
"It could be against ourselves or society, rather than some particular person. It's a message for many sides, a wake-up call of sorts," Matsuo said.
Kamemoto flinched, saying, "You're scary!" but Matsuo continued: "For example, when fake news posted on the internet is portrayed as the truth, everyone believes it, even though they don't check for themselves what's reported in the news. Now that's scary. I wanted to say [in this song] that people should think for themselves about what is true, without just being fed information."
The album makes ample use of high-pitched and low-pitched voices dubbed to create a fantastic atmosphere.
"Rock'n'roll is not only about shouting. There can be room for various expressions. That particular dubbing technique suits Asian-sounding melodies. I can express rock with this," Matsuo said.
All of their songs carry positive messages.
"I've always included hope into even my most judgmental songs, because I believe rock music is about hope," she said.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
