Sorry if Yosui Inoue - Yuudachi changes your life
- Yosui Inoue - Yuudachi (夕立)
- Funky section and 3 beats towards the very hot!
- A beat that should not be in non-instrumental songs
- Good voice that is almost like cheating
Yosui Inoue - Yuudachi (夕立)
I've been continuing to listen to the songs I used to listen to, and I've rediscovered one that I have to mention just like last time. This time it's Yosui Inoue!
Why is Yosui Inoue on this blog? It's about Japanese folk songs with nice harmonies, right? No, it's a very hot song with a very good funk rock groove. Listen to this song Yuudachi from the album YOSUI SINGLE COLLECTIONS. Yuudachi means in Japanese a sudden heavy rain in the evening.
Funky section and 3 beats towards the very hot!
From the beginning to the end of the 1st verse:
(00:00-)
A funky intro involves a guitar riff and rhythm guitar. I don't know how to describe the style of this intro part properly, but there are many ways to describe it. The basic drum pattern starts at 'A' on the score, and the song comes in at 'B'. In 15th bar, there is an interruption of 12/8 (or two 6/8s). This sudden 3 beats is so effective that it can be a major feature of the song. Immediately after that, the "ru-uh-uh!!" at the beginning of the 16th bar is simply hot.
In addition to the drums, we can hear the near-zero sustain sound of rototoms or something. It's like the sound of raindrops hitting a tin roof, adding to the sense of urgency and realism of the sudden heavy rain. This tom-like sound also makes it difficult to distinguish the snare sound of the drum kit. It is hard to distinguish everything though, I found a lot of kicks with 16th note as you see in the score. I didn't recognize it when I listened to it normally. I used the equalizer to increase the volume level of the pitches from 0 kHz (the heaviest bass) to about 80 kHz, and I could hear them clearly.
A beat that should not be in non-instrumental songs
Continuing from around 'C', where the second verse of the song comes in:
In 24th bar the 3 beats comes again. After that, from 'D', the snare starts to hit on-beat quarter note, and Yosui finally shouts out lyrics that can no longer be expressed in any words. And the next moment, 3/8! How could it be when such a beat is inserted in an non-instrumental song? And yet, it's so natural that you think there's no other way to play this song. This is amazing. I wonder who came up with it. Also, the phrase with the hi-hat in the 30th bar is a nice little phrase that I want to copy.
Good voice that is almost like cheating
20 years ago I happened to have a friend who used to listen to the album YOSUI SINGLE COLLECTIONS and he recommended it to me. That's when I started to fall in love with songs of Yosui Inoue. I was completely attracted to his good voice, not to the drums or the grooves of his songs. I highly recommend listening to his vocal if you haven't done yet. His voice is so pleasant that it's almost a cheat. It's not fair. I just want to attract people with a good voice.
I shudder to think if I hadn't come across SNAIL RAMP - STEP BY STEP
- SNAIL RAMP - STEP BY STEP
- It's rather not that hard to play here
- Well-disciplined and high-speed
- Great songs I highly recommend
The situation has worsened to the point of declaring a state of emergency, and my office has been closed. Nowadays, I spend more and more time just listening to music. I've been listening to songs all the time, and I keep coming across songs that I've missed in years.
SNAIL RAMP - STEP BY STEP
This time, I was deeply moved by the song I listened to the most, SNAIL RAMP. It's a nostalgic ska-punk/ska-core music. From SNAIL RAMP's album FLATFISH COMES!, I can confirm that even though it's been more than 20 years, their music has not faded!
It's rather not that hard to play here
Monk seal, perhaps? Here's the intro to the album's first track, STEP BY STEP!
(0:00-)
ISHIMARU, the drummer, is just so good. I think his play is what sets SNAIL RAMP apart from other bands. I want to check out every song in detail because his play is just perfect for every song on SNAIL RAMP. Meanwhile this time, I chose this song STEP BY STEP as an example because I had covered it in a punk band I was in over 20 years ago.
After I played this song in the band, one of the audience told me that the first part of this song (i.e. the 1st - 5th bars in the score above) was fast and amazing. And he said "I can't do that like you!" It's not that difficult actually, but it seems to be a phrase that attracts people's attention for some reason.
Well-disciplined and high-speed
The part in the middle of the song where the guitar solo starts!
(1:19-)
From the 6th bar, he goes with a common pattern of punk drumming, but the time feel, dynamics, 16th note backbeat kicks, etc. are perfectly integrated, so he upgrades the pattern one or two ranks higher. He controlls very well with that ultra-high tempo about 200 BPM. It's great.
Great songs I highly recommend
Although I picked up this song to focus on the drums, my most favorite songs of SNAIL RAMP in general are the other ones. For example, the second song on this album, BREAKAWAY, is like a godsend. We hear a miracle that all the inevitability and coincidence work together, such as, selection of the cover song, the sound of piano, roughness, etc.. Other great songs are A WOMAN WITH A STORY and STILL, from the album MR.GOOD MORNING which is known to have all tracks are great. Maybe it's just that I like the combination of punk & piano or punk & strings. Listen to them if you haven't done before. You can see what makes SNAIL RAMP so different.
A year later, Frank Zappa - Andy will make a difference
- You can write another song with this!
- Goes back to a normal Zappa music
- Tense section to make a mistake
Due to the pandemic we had to cancel our live stage performances, which includes the show that was supposed to be our biggest milestone of the year. It turned out to be literally an illusory show. In a world where bands can't be densely packed and can't be in close contact with each other, there's no choice but to post articles online!
Continuing from the previous article, let's check out some of the song Andy's interesting bits from Frank Zappa's album The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life!
See also the previous article.
You can write another song with this!
The beginning of the song has come to an end, and here comes the next development returning to the theme of the beginning.
(1:27-)
The 1st to 4th bars are the theme part that has appeared since the beginning of this song. From the 5th bar, it suddenly gets the most exciting section. You could have written another song with this, instead of just inserting 8 bars here! I can't help but be impressed at this superb groove. The three key elements are as follows:
- Clearly defined phrases and a beautiful ensemble of drums, horns, etc. The pink highlighted notes in the score above correspond to the ensemble phrase;
- Lively 16th-note movements of the piano and especially the bass. I can't transcribe it, so you have to listen to it. It pushes the groove to a higher level; and
- Most important of all, the tambourine! It's the mastermind behind this criminal groove. It's just a simple backbeat, but it's extremely effective, harmonizing perfectly with the key elements 1 and 2. I was so overcome with emotion that I had to transcribe it, even though I knew it was a waste of time!
Goes back to a normal Zappa music
Below is a part of the score I posted above, but since the page has come a long way down, I repost it from 13th bar.
(1:50-)
Right after the 8 bars which could make another song, it gets an odd meter 21/16 section. That is the usual Zappa music. The song goes with one of the motifs that appears multiple times in this song. It starts from the last 8th note of the previous bar, and is divided into 5-notes units. It seems to be very difficult to play because it doesn't start exactly from the beginning of the 21/16. It is surprising that this is a recording of a live performance. Only The best band could play this perfectly in a live performance.
Tense section to make a mistake
A section similar to the theme at the beginning of the song, but with a slightly different tension comes afterwards. As usual, the flow of his song is a kind of dizzying.
(2:13-)
The phrase is similar to the theme at the beginning, and the halfway 12 bars instead of 16 bars cause the musicians to make a mistake. Only Chad Wackerman, the drummer, remembered that they came to this section in the 1st bar. As expected. Too bad the others didn't remember, so they couldn't make a sound. The 3rd beat of the 9th bar was also, only Chad got it right. In bars 12-13, Chad must have shouted with his eyes like 'Next bar, next bar, guys. Don't make another mistake!', or perhaps he must have been sending a warning look at the band members, or at least making eye contact with them as a guide. Because the strong accent on the 4th beat of 13th bar seems to indicate the band members' relief from the tension.
Due to the pandemic we have to keep us being indoors for the next few moths or even a year with the fear of infections. I'm hoping to get outside, get into the studio, and play some gigs, in order to get as close to The best band as possible.
