abingdon boys school New Single

abingdon boys school (A.B.S.) is a Japanese rock band formed in 2005. The members are Nishikawa Takanori (T.M.Revolution) on vocals, SUNAO on guitar, Shibasaki Hiroshi on electric guitar and Kishi Toshiyuki on keyboards. SUNAO and Shibasaki are also involved in T.M.Revolution's backup band. Toshiyuki had arranged several songs on T.M.Revolution's 2006 album "UNDER:COVER".

Nishikawa is well recognized among the Japanese media as a singer and producer. He has also ventured into television and film acting.

abingdon boys school is quickly climbing the ranks of the Japanese rock scene to claim their throne at the top of the alternative rock heap. A recent press conference announced that the band will be very busy in 2009, including a world tour. With their edgy modern-rock sound, numerous English songs, and charming style, it should be relatively easy for a.b.s. to break into the U.S. market if given the right push. (Keeping my fingers crossed for a slot on the Warped Tour).

The latest single by a.b.s. is titled simply, "JAP" and has made huge waves since it's release. The accompanying music video has recieved over 24,000 views in just over a month of appearing on YouTube.com.

abingdon boys school - "JAP" (3:55)
Download: 192 kbps

D: Under-Rated Rockers

While listening to random indies and vk bands I've acquired through pay-to-download sites, one in particular keeps catching my ear with particularly interesting and talented songs. That band is D.

Formed in 2003 by former members of Syndrome, D have somehow remained just outside of the limelight of the vk scene. With over a million scrobbles on last.fm, I wonder why it took me 5 years to hear of the band. It certainly has nothing to do with a lack of talent or poor songwriting, because this band has plenty of both! D are a welcome mix of an indies sound with ehavy vk stylings, edgy solos, melodic vocals (read: not just screams and growls), and the beginnings of a solid catalog of music.

D are currently on tour throughout Japan, but there's no word of the band making their way to the U.S. anytime soon. That's too bad since D could easily give any other current vk band a helluva run for their money! D have already lasted longer than most vk bands do these days, so hopefully we'll be seeing a lot of this band for many more years to come!

Please enjoy some sample songs from their disc "The Name of the Rose" from 2005. I'll be adding more of their music soon, but this is a nice place to start.

4-song selection from "The Name of the Rose" (2005)
Download: 128 kpbs
Tracks:
GOD'S CHILD 4:22
Hourglass 5:21
Day Dream 5:14
Ever After 3:47

T.M.Revolution Remix

The first release from T.M.Revolution is titled, "Makes Revolution." After a number of years, and several major album releases later, T.M.R. decided to remix some of his songs into dance tunes. "LIAR'S SMILE" from the "Makes Revolution" album is one of the songs to receive the electro-makeover. You can download it here.


Song: "LIAR'S SMILE (Breaking The Code I-Mix)"
Album: DISCORdanza Try My Remix
Download: 128 kbps