Profile of Abingdon boys school
AboutAbingdon Boys School is something of a super-group, though that might not be immediately apparent. Their front-man is none other than the platform dancing/silly arm waving Takanori Nishikawa, aka T.M. Revolution. Most J-pop fans already know all about him (for reasons why, see: T.M. Revolution), but what about the other strapping (not so) young lads in the band?
Sunao, the phenomenal lead guitar player, is also a member of and writer for T.M. Revolution's solo work. Shibasaki Hiroshi, rhythm guitar, was in a band called WANDS (think New Kids On The Block with guitars) before leaving to form al.ni.co, a sort of arty grunge band. Ikuo (bass) is a member of Cube Ray, as is drummer Kozy Hasegawa. Hasegawa has played in a few other bands like Out Of Order, Admucho Family Band and The Esper, and that’s just the beginning. In short, this guy is a tireless and prolific drummer.
The real brains and brawn behind the band seems to come from the keyboard/turntable/laptop/programming guru Toshiyuki Nishi. Also known as TKO, he has worked with and produced or arranged music for a huge number of artists like The Alfee, Tomoyasu Hotei, Tomovsky, Tetsu69, J and of course T.M. Revolution. He's also performed live with Pizzacato Five and Tetsu 69 among others. Trolling though his site and reading over the lists is rather exhausting.
All of this diverse talent leads to some equally extraordinary music. Their first self-titled album is consistently thick with layers of detail, while at the same time providing plenty of balls-out rock. Even the slower tracks "Nephilim" and "Lost Reason" bring a huge lumbering metal machine to back them up. In fact it's usually Takanori who manages to keep the band from falling off the tracks into territory that may be too dark for a wider audience. His clear and pretty voice calms the otherwise savage riffs. It's a testimony to the quality of the other band members that Takanori is often the weakest link. He is a great vocalist in his own right, but his hard-rock shortcomings are really brought to light in their cover of Buck-Tick's "Dress." While the song reaches new heights of awesomeness due to the massive sonic assault, there really is nothing that compares to Atsushi Sakurai's god-like vocal prowess.
Their music is everywhere. From NANA ("Stay Away"), to the Death Note movie tribute album ("Fre@K $HoW"), Buck-Tick tribute album ("Dress"), to various anime shows like Darker Than Black ("Howling"), D. Gray Man ("Innocent Sorrow"), Soul Eater ("STRENGTH."
and also video games like the PS3 FolksSoul (“Nephilim”). Ever single has been used as part of another major work. With this much coverage and mainstream acceptance, I expect absolutely huge success for Abingdon Boys School.Members
Nishikawa Takanori (T.M. Revolution) - Vocals
SUNAO - Guitar
Shibasaki Hiroshi - Guitar
Kishi Toshiyuki - Keyboard and Programming
Support
Ikuo – bass guitar
Kozy Hasegawa - drums
Disography
Singles
Innocent Sorrow (December 6, 2006) Reached Oricon weekly peek of #4
Howling (May 16, 2007) Reached Oricon weekly peek of #4
Nephilim (July 4, 2007) Reached Oricon weekly peek of #5
BLADE CHORD (December 5, 2007) Reached Oricon weekly peek of #2
STRENGTH (February 25, 2009) Reached Oricon weekly peek of #4
JAP (May 20, 2009) Reached Oricon weekly peek of #4
Kimi no Uta (August 26, 2009) Reached Oricon weekly peek of #8
Albums
Abingdon Boys School (October 27, 2007) Oricon top 200 weekly peek: #2
Various Artist Compilation Albums
* Love for Nana -Only 1 Tribute- (March 15, 2005)
"stay away"
* Parade -Respective Tracks of Buck-Tick- (December 21, 2005)
"Dress" (ドレス, Doresu?)
* Luna Sea Memorial Cover Album (December 19, 2007)
"Sweetest Coma Again"
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