Introduction
GANGLION is one of Japan’s biggest up-and-coming all-girl hard rock bands. The band is comprised of four musicians: vocalist-guitarist
oni, guitarist
sagara, bassist
ebi and drummer
vivi.
The band name
GANGLION is a symbolic reference to the band’s attitude, that is “being at the center of creation”. Beginning with mini album
Returns to you in February 2011,
GANGLION have released two singles, three mini albums, and one full-length album since their 2010 debut.
The band’s sound gained more depth, sensitivity, and intensity through their relentless live activities. A colorful mixture of pop, emo, rock and acoustic music created by each member’s profound musical skills, as well as
oni’s clear yet husky voice, has gained them ever more support, even from overseas. In 2014,
GANGLION finally ventured outside Japan, playing their first live show abroad at
Oni-Con, a Japanese pop culture expo held annually in Galveston, Texas. This performance met with enthusiastic responses.
GANGLION has grown into one of the leading players in the Japanese music scene. Stronger than ever, the band now stands poised to move up a level and break into the rock mainstream.
Interview
As this is Ganglion’s first appearance in JaME, can you please introduce yourselves? Also, Ganglion played their very first show abroad at Oni-Con in October. Please share your most memorable moment of the event with us.
oni: My name is
oni and I'm the guitarist and vocalist. I was amazed by the huge capacity of the venue. So many people came to enjoy our show. It was very surprising to see people who already knew about us. It was also moving to see people who just showed up to listen to our music, without having any prior knowledge of us, and even bought our records after the show. I gone the impression that American people are very open to music and are also eager to discover new favorites.
sagara: My name is
sagara and am a guitarist. I was delighted that every single item we brought from Japan got sold, and some people even asked us if we had more left. I was so happy to be able to spend good time with our American fans.
ebi: My name is
ebi and I play bass. Everyone was so open and receptive to our music. The fans’ response to our performance was so direct. And I ate so much ham!! They were so big and delicious! I think there were four packs of them, and I think I ate three of them just by myself!
vivi: I am
vivi and I play drums. It was so great to see fans responding so positively to our music. I also enjoyed seeing people in cosplay since
Oni-Con is also an animation convention.
Read the full interview
here.
Review
Title of release:
INFINITY
Date of release: 2014.09.15
The CD-only version of
GANGLION’s latest mini album features six songs symbolizing the current state of the band. That is,
GANGLION is ready to break through to the next level of their career. The strength and depth of the band's sound shows how refined their musical skills have become over the years.
The album opener is
DISTANCE, a heartbreaking song about an android boy's unrequited love for a human girl. Despite the melancholic theme, this catchy number draws listeners smoothly into the mini album.
Aoku Yurete might remind fans of the band's ex-bassist
yui, who was forced to give up her musical career due to health problems.
oni’s signature transparent voice sounds as if she's dedicating the song to her former bandmate, with whom she's had to part ways with during their journey.
BLACK OUT is a song that state of mind when its feels life has lost its sense of direction. The number features aggressive guitar riffs, DJ scratches, and a complex bass line. Bassist
ebi and drummer
vivi skillfully control the modulation of the song.
Koufuku no theory shines a light of hope. The song encourages listeners to find their own concept of happiness in spite of outside influences.
sagara’s guitar ceaselessly adds vivid colors to the song without overshadowing her bandmates' efforts.
Dearness seems to be dedicated to the band members' parents of band members.
oni sings her heart out if she's thanking her family for supporting their daughter who chose not to live her life the way she felt was expected to. An acoustic guitar adds warmth to this heartfelt song about love and reconciliation of family.
Last number
ONE FEEL brings the album to a powerful close, with relentless guitar riffs, full-throttle drum beats and a pulsating bass line.
oni’s powerful vocals declares the band’s strong faith in their blight future, as well as their determination to lead fans with the power of music.
The CD+DVD version of
INFINITY features a music video of
DISTANCE, but excludes the track
ONE FEEL.
You can listen to a teaser preview of each song in the promo video of
INFINITY below.
