 Tober
"Harajuku No Emo Ko" CD
Dork
Rock Records
Genres: indie rock, nerd rock
Dork Rock
5 Waterman Rd.
Gloucester, MA
01930-1421
Jan 3 - 9 2005 |
Tober play nerd-rock ala Weezer, except with a punchy,
synth-infused pop infectiousness that recalls power poppers Ozma
and, to a lesser extent, The Flashing Lights. Harajuku
No Emo Ko's six songs only offer a brief glimpse into the
band's repertoire, but things seem about right.
"Lunchbox" and "The Benefits of a Liberal Arts
Education" are pure, cheery power pop tunes; charged, infectious
melodies are used alongside unconventional indie rock song
structures. The melodies aren't as instantly catchy as Weezer's
fare, but they do the trick. The band isn't trying to keep its
emo subject matter under wraps on a song like "My Inability to
Talk to Girls," but they thankfully avoid whininess and
over-angst - "My Inability" is, however, one of the EP's weaker
songs. Overall, Harajuku No Emo Ko is a strong debut for Tober,
though some more instantly juicy hooks would be recommended next time
around. Still, peppy tunes like "Liberal Arts" and
"Dear Miss Laura, Love Jimmy" spell out a nerd-rock
s-u-c-c-e-s-s. And yes, the lameness was intentional.
83%
Fun Fact: From japan-guide.com: "Harajuku
is Tokyo's teenager town, a shopping and entertainment district for
the young and trendy. Many small stores, boutiques, restaurants and
cafes can be found in the area." According to the press
sheet, the record's title is a reference to the emo girls of the
Harajuku region, who allegedly were the band's inspiration while
creating these six songs.
Matt Shimmer [Vitals:
6 tracks, distributed by the
label, released 2004] |
