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Ikimono Gakari
Ikimono Gakari
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Ikimono Gakari, one of the most successful young pop-rock bands of Japan, actually claim to be not so young, citing 1999 as formation date. However, their early attempt at rocking out didn't go anywhere. The group was established in Kanagawa between college mates Mizuno Yoshiki and Yamashita Hotaka, who expanded to a trio by the end of the year when they picked up their girl underclassman Yoshioka Kiyoe as the vocalist. Right from the start the band was dubbed Ikimono Gakari -- a name that is as amusing in English as it is in Japanese, translating 䀘those in charge of the school pets'. However, in 2000, after a year of spirited street performances, the band members abandoned Ikimono Gakari in favor of their student careers and went to study in the university. That's a very banal story; what's unusual here is that in 2002, after getting through with their courses, they resurrected the project, and not just in a sense of fun class reunion. The band got picked by and independent label Thunder Snake, and by 2003 played sold-out local shows and released its first EP, Makoto ni Sen'etsu nagara First Album wo Koshiraemashita, which translates 䀘Indeed, We Were Being Audacious When We Made Our First Album'. Irony is rarely the path to mainstream recognition, but the pop sensibility of the band soon propelled them to the top league: in 2005, after two more 䀘indies', they were picked by a major label (Epic Records), and didn't miss out their chance. Ikimono Gakari's first single for the new label, Sakura (2006), reached the Oricon charts and lingered there for 29 weeks, although not rising above #17. That was followed by the debut LP with the sweetly naïve name Sakura Saku Machi Monogatari (The Story of the Town Where Cherry Blossoms Bloom), that scored #4 on the charts. The band solidified their success in a traditional Japanese way -- by providing a song for the long-running and very popular anime series Bleach (the single Hanabi, 2006). Another 7 singles, released over the course of the next 1.5 years, paved the way for the second LP, Life Album, that was out in February 2008, debuting on #2 in the charts and selling more than 150,000 copies in three weeks. ~ Alexey Eremenko, All Music GuideMore

Fan Comments

Nov 11th, 6:35am
love their music!!!
:):):):):)
Sep 29th, 3:22am
i love their songs! XD
Sep 6th, 9:47pm
LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!!
Jul 27th, 4:27am
彼女は本当に大好き！
May 28th, 5:25pm
I love them ^^ thier music is awesome
Apr 10th, 11:32am
Nov 29th, 8:10pm
They are my favorite Japanese band!!! Ikimono Gakari rock!!!!