myspace band of the week
Tired of hearing Japanese punk bands butcher the English language? Alternative Medicine is here to save the day.
The band formed in 2002 while they were still in high school. They named their band Alternative Medicine because they were really into alternative music such as The Smashing Pumpkins at the time. They play pop punk and pop rock music, mostly sung in English. Their vocalist lived in Chicago between the ages of 7 and 11, which makes his vocals so much more understandable than other punk bands in Japan. Their major influences are Fall Out Boy, Valencia, and The Starting Line.
Currently all of the songs on their myspace are samples off their upcoming mini-album Songs To Sing Along To. Most notably at the top is their punk rock cover of Owl City’s “Fireflies,” which would be the first time I found that particular song listenable. The rest of the songs are up-tempo pop punk songs, except for “On the Road Again” that has more of a mainstream rock vibe. “Take Me Away,” “Sing Along,” and “Everything” are really fun songs, and are at least on Fall Out Boy level. The only songs sung in Japanese are “Hang Glider” and “Talk 2 U Soon,” which kind of reminds me of Scott Murphy’s solo stuff.
Alternative Medicine is definitely one of the best new pop punk bands out there. Not only do their English lyrics make sense, they are catchy, which is a rarity. This should bring them some fame, if not in Japan, then at least overseas if they ever get the opportunity.
J-Rock Explosion 