Pied Piper Review

Release Date: Jun 25, 2008
Label: Avex Trax
Genres: Alternative Rock
Number Of Tracks: 11
New full-length album from The Pillows featuring a wide variety of rock and mid-tempo numbers!

Sound:	9
Lyrics:	9
Impression:	9
Overall rating:	9
Users rating:	9.3
Comments:	10

overall: 9

Reviewed by: FoolOnThePlanet, on july 04, 2008

Sound: In what some would say is the pillows return to glory, their latest release 'Pied Piper' is bound to please. Frontman Sawao Yamanaka recently stated how the Pied Piper of Hamlelin lured rats and children with his pipe, he wanted to lead the world with his rock. Though Wake Up! Wake Up! Wake Up! was a great album, it no doubt lacked something. Well, PP takes up where it left off and is a real great album. It flows wonderfully track to track. The opening title track starts the album with a bang, and from there on, from the first reverb tinged intro of Pied Piper, you know this album will rock. My favorite track on the album would have to be Last Holiday or the song for Hermit, a longtime friend of Sawao's and a member of his label, Delicious Label. // 9

Lyrics and Singing: Being a Japanese album, most would probably not understand the lyrics. Those of us who know Japanese or care enough to look up translations are bound to be pleased. Sawao works his lyric magic again on this album. Themes range from love to mantaining individuality. Those who don't understand/don't care what is being said will at least notice the perfect mesh of music with lyrics. Sawao's melodies are still as strong as ever, as is Sawao's voice. It's still amazing ol' Sawao, and his dynamic range is still great. You really know it's classic pillows in songs like New Animal. Sawao starts with the first verse, almost talking. The second verse is classic Sawao, not necessarily screaming, but just classic Sawao delivery. There is no other way to describe it. // 9

Impression: Overall I'd say this album is a 9. I'm being fair in that it's not a perfect album like Thank You My Twilight or Please Mr. Lostman. It IS a great album though. As compared to their recent releases I'd say it's better than Wake Up! x3, but equal to My Foot. Others will like it more than My Foot, but I loved My Foot. My favorite songs on this album are Last Holiday and New Animal, with Pied Piper and the song for Hermit coming close. All of them have great instrumentation, great solos, great melodies. Everything is just perfect. One thing you may notice in this album is the utilization of Jun. the bass really shines, more so than any other albums as of late. Really good stuff. This is a very fun album to play along with also, and a really good one to train your ear and figure out the songs on your own. If it were stolen, I'd deffinately get it again, though it'd be on my iPod. // 9

overall: 9

Reviewed by: Linkerman, on july 03, 2008

Sound: With nineteen years of career, and sixteen studio albums, The Pillows continue to do what they do best. Pure and simple rock. Their sound is energic, full of vitality, and always refreshing. In this sixteenth studio album, "Pied Piper", The Pillows stay true to their style, proving once more their quality and talent. Long-time fans of the band will easily feel comfortable with this album, since it follows perfectly the work done and sound signature achieved in previous albums. The album starts with the song "Pied Piper", a perfect introduction for the 37 minutes of sonic pleasure that follows. Song after song, the riffs have a good pace and the fast rhythm is almost a constant, and integrating nicely the slower songs, making "Pied Piper" a very solid album, easy to listen. All the songs have amazing nuances worth of reference, but some songs just hit you in the right spot. The chorus in "No Surrender" is one fine example. "Across the metropolis" has almost a melancholic feeling, but in the good way. The trombones in "Tokyo Bambi", already a good song, make it just plain fun to listen. Also, with 4:43, is the longest song in the album. "Ladybird Girl" is a beautiful song, that makes you want to learn japanese just to sing along. The Pillows's "modern vintage rock" is explicit on "That's A Wonderful World (Song For Hermit)", making you think you just traveled back some years. // 9

Lyrics and Singing: It's difficult to analyze the lyrics without knowing japanese, but some songs have choruses sung in english, and you can see how perfectly those lines fit in the overall feeling of the song. Sawao Yamanaka's vocal skills continue to fit perfectly the music produced by this band, and his voice has a very pleasant tone. // 9

Impression: "Pied Piper" is definitely an album worth listening to, even if you don't know the band yet. It gives you a good impression of their musical identity and of their discography as a whole. The Pillows managed to deliver another good rock experience, even though they don't sound that much different from the previously used formula, that has been granting them a legion of fans worldwide. Still, this music is very good, and shows why they are a reference to many guitar players. "Pied Piper" is the first album in the rock genre to enter my "Best Albums Of 2008" list, and I think this is a relevant album in the present musical scene. I definitely recommend it to anyone that wants to hear a good rock album. // 9

Comments

[skyillusion]

Good to know that they have made yet another good album I'll have to pick it up. My only wish is that I might get to see these guys one day.

[kaptink]

I like them, just can't buy their CD's easily here

[tbarrettl]

I had no Idea that the Pillows have been around the block a few times, I am sure though this is a good listen.

[FoolOnThePlanet]

Boy. I came to the review page to see something else only to find this right on the front page!

Good review, glad to see my favorite band get the recognition.

I loved this album as well, I might just have to write up a review.

[SLD.Potato]

Gaaah! It's "the pillows", not "The Pillows"!!!

Anal? Yeah, a little bit. But still.

[improbbagel]

Their albums are soooo goooood...

My only complaint is that they never tour near me.

[Linkerman]

SLD.Potato wrote:

Gaaah! It's "the pillows", not "The Pillows"!!!

I know. But since i didn't want to use the "" symbols all the time, i decided to use "The Pillows" so that my writing could be more fluid. :p

[Little_Buster]

I didnt even kno the new album was out yet O_o

[standUPandGO]

This album is amazing.

[love21415]

perfect. as usual. all of their songs are so awkward and lovable. (wonderful world is my favorite.)