Very few bands can claim a second peak so long after their heyday the way Kinniku Shojo Tai does. Ever since reuniting, Kinniku Shojo Tai has been pumping out quality album after quality album, the best of them worthy of being mentioned among their classic work. ‘Love’ is another one of those. While the band sounds as odd as always – the cover may have given that away already – ‘Love’ is one of the more consistent albums they released in recent years. Where ‘Za Shisa’ was a little more laid-back than usual, ‘Love’ is fairly energetic and full of unexpected detours.
Kinniku Shojo Tai’s style can barely be described. Funk rock riffs, classy power metal melodies, proggy weirdness, Queen-ish bombast, punky aggression… It’s all there and often, several of those come together in the same song. Recently, much of the band’s focus went to making optimal use of the strengths of both guitarists, who could not be more different. Toshiaki Honjo excels in funky rhythm guitars and choppy rock riffs, Fumihiko Kitsutaka is likely the best neoclassical hardrock and power metal guitarist in Japan. Instead of the styles getting in each other’s way, they enhance each other better than ever on ‘Love’.
Opening track ‘Ai Wa Kagero’ almost sounds like a mission statement in the sense that after the relatively relaxed vibe on ‘Za Shisa’, ‘Love’ kicks off with an uptempo power metal track full of Kitsutaka’s magic. The triumphant lead guitar parts and fast, precise riffing set the mood for the record effectively. The way the blaring keyboards and guitars work together on ‘Hollywood Star’ would not have sounded out of place on the band’s debut album, while ‘Sacrifice’ is borderline speed metal with its punishing riffs. ‘Chokugeki Kamakiri Ken! Ningen Bakuhatsu’ combines an almost surf-esque main riff with a powerful hardrock vibe and as such, is one of the album’s most pleasant surprises.
However, Kinniku Shojo Tai’s rockers and metal tracks are almost always worth hearing. What really makes their better albums above average is the quality of the lighter material. And that’s where the increased number of songwriting contributions from bassist Yuichiro Uchida really shines through. ‘Moso Boei Gun’, for instance, is one of the best Kinniku Shojo Tai ballads to date. Its unconventional structure and the post-rock-ish dissonant chords in the chorus really make it stand out from any other softer J-rock songs. The jazzy ‘Donmai Sakaba’ is another Uchida masterpiece, elevated by its loose, café-like atmosphere. And of course, the delightfully weird interlude ‘Venice Ni Shisu ~ Love’ could not have come from anyone else.
‘Love’ is good. Very good even. I thought Kinniku Shojo Tai had outdone itself with ‘Omake No Ichinichi (Tatakai No Hibi)’ four years ago, but their new album is almost as good. While it is relatively light on funk rock, it plays to all of the band’s other strengths. And while the lighter songs are clustered as much as they were on ‘Za Shisa’, ‘Love’ is notably more dynamic. Because of this, it feels less like blocks of songs and the flow of the album as a whole is improved. Not many bands can release an album this good almost four decades into their career, but then again, that’s hardly the only strange thing about Kinniku Shojo Tai.
Recommended tracks: ‘Ai Wa Kagero’, ‘Donmai Sakaba’, ‘Chokugeki Kamakiri Ken! Ningen Bakuhatsu’, ‘Moso Boei Gun’
Order ‘Love’ from nearly anywhere in the world at CD Japan below
Kevy Metal 
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