By its title alone, Merry’s second album ‘Modern Garde’ already serves as a bit of a mission statement for the Tokyo-based band. Even in their early days, Merry was a band that stood out among their early twenty-first century visual kei peers by having some thought behind their concept, alluring to the Japanese avant garde of the early twentieth century musically and especially lyrically. There is something decidedly nostalgic about Merry’s music, but the rocking guitars and hard-hitting rhythms also make it timeless. And while Merry is still releasing quality music these days, ‘Modern Garde’ is undoubtedly one of their greatest works.

Merry’s core style is a hyperactive mix of punked-up rock ‘n’ roll rhythms, guitar parts that are either dancingly interwoven or abrasively heavy with the occasional ska chords on the afterbeats and frequent quasi-jazzy detours. The best way to differentiate their albums is by the varying degrees of heaviness. There are certainly albums on which Gara is mostly yelling and screaming, but ‘Modern Garde’ features memorable vocal melodies and intimate performances out of him most of the time. And though Merry is great enough during their heavier moments, I actually prefer them more melodic and focused on their jazz and rock ‘n’ roll leanings.

Not that ‘Modern Garde’ is without its heavy moments. After the playful intro ‘Sasurai Rhapsody’ – one of the few instances where I think whistling in a rock track is actually done well, it’s even harmonized whistling – the opening bars to ‘Japanese Modernist’ violently pound their way through the speakers. Its beautifully open chorus makes it more than just an exercise in hyperactivity though. ‘T.O.P’ has its share of growled madness as well, though it’s mainly built on a typical Merry guitar line, while ‘Lost Generation’ is probably the most punky track on here without ever being full-on punk.

It’s just that ‘Modern Garde’ is better when more subdued. ‘Haraiso’ is one of my favorite Merry songs due to its nostalgic feel and how brilliantly the instruments are layered. The verses literally feature none of the musicians playing in unison, but it never sounds chaotic. ‘Renai Kosaten’ has a similar sense of yearning melancholy that Merry excels at. Those are still rock songs in essence though; closer ‘Kuroi Niji’ has more of an intimate jazz club vibe, though Nero’s drums as usual are a bit more forward than such a description may suggest. ‘Uragiri Loop’ combines all elements of Merry’s sound in a surprisingly concise song and as such, is one of the unsung highlights of ‘Modern Garde’.

Admittedly, Merry isn’t a band for everyone. But they are one of the very few newer bands that have a style that is completely and utterly their own. Not unlike Alice In Chains, though stylistically very different, Merry combines elements from styles that already existed long before they commenced activities, but in a way that sounds unique. If you are not familiar with Merry, ‘Modern Garde’ actually might be the best place to start. ‘Peep Show’ is still my favorite album of theirs, but ‘Modern Garde’ contains all the elements that make Merry what they are in only 39 minutes.

Recommended tracks: ‘Haraiso’, ‘Uragiri Loop’, ‘Renai Kosaten’, ‘Japanese Modernist’