Ikimono Gakari - Sing Sakura
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| Ikimonogakari promoting "Kaze ga Fuiteiru" (2012) photo source : http://www.generasia.com |
“Ikimono-gakari”, is another one of my favourite Japanese bands. The band consists of two guys on guitars, and a girl as lead singer. They seem to have a real unbalance to them. The two guys (Yoshiki Mizuno and Hotaka Yamashita) seem so laid back, that if they were any more laid back you might think they were asleep. But Kiyoe Yoshioka, on the other hand is so full of energy and has such a powerful voice, she makes up for the guys and then some.
Their song, “Sakura”, is our new Song of the Week. It was their first single back in 2006, and I`ve been a big fan of theirs ever since. I really wanted to put another song of theirs here, “Joyful”, but when it gets put up on YouTube, it always seems to disappear a short time later.
Since their debut in 2006 they`ve been consistently putting out music and doing really well. They`re definitely in my favourite top ten bands of all-time. I think the main reason why I like them is that they are so unpretentious. None of them are what you would call dancers. Kiyoe has a tremendously great voice, seems very down-to-earth and when she performs she lets her energy just roll out to entertain the audience. The guys just play their instruments and give her the stage. I think they are just a group that concentrates on their music and make it the best it can possibly be.
Their concerts look pretty impressive. Just judging by their videos, they seem to have a really wide fan base, from little kids up to people in late middle age. I really do need to make an effort to go and see them one day.
As I already mentioned, “Sakura”, was their first single. It was released on March 15, 2006 and reached the number 17 spot on the Oricon weekly chart. It`s a great video especially when the guys stop playing and Kiyoe drops her microphone, and with just her voice she works her magic.
I hope you enjoy this video from this tremendously good group. You can see Ikimono-gakari`s (Japanese) website here.
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