[stextbox id=”custom” caption=”Music Made In Japan …” color=”000000″ ccolor=”ffffff” bgcolor=”dedede” cbgcolor=”cc0000″]
Hangry and Angry
Kill Me Kiss Me, 2008
Label: Ponycanyon
Website: hangryandangry-f.com
[/stextbox]
Style and Substance
Hangry and Angry are:
A. Yoshizawa Hitomi and Ishikawa Rika, former members of Japanese girl pop sensation, Morning Musume.
B. A collaboration between fashion designer h.NAOTO and illustrator GASHICON.
C. A brilliant marketing ploy.
D. All of the above.
The golden age of advertising jingles, boy bands from The Monkees on, corporate funded adult themed girlie groups, any Disney project from their classic animation soundtracks to their kid friendly cable popstars, there has always been a fine line between music and marketing. With the creation of Hangry and Angry that line has been obliterated.
A band created to be merchandised maybe nothing new, but a band created to push a specific product to a targeted demographic may well be. In lesser hands this project would be The Vassarettes (google it), the question is can the music stand on it’s own and reach out beyond the intended audience of young teen goth fashionistas?
The answer is a resounding YES.
What sets the Kill Me Kiss Me EP by Hangry and Angry apart from similar endeavors is the truly talented vocals, slick production, hypnotic sound and edgy lyrics which make for several exciting tracks. The ladies Hangry (Yoshizawa Hitomi) and Angry (Ishikawa Rika) trade vocal chores, singing mostly in Japanese with some smattering of English while performing in the latest fashions from their sponsor.
Gurokawa, gross and cute at the same time
The fun begins:
1. Kill Me Kiss Me, time 4:00
Lyrics reminiscent of a film noir title with impressive vocals.
2. Angelia, time 4:31
A tad too long, but entertaining gothy rock with a few sound FX.
3. Giza Giza, time 4:02
Europop-ish.
4. Japanese Title, time 3:54
iTunes lists this track as Romantic Ni Violence
Heading into electronica with a fast beat and filters on the vocals.
5. WALL FLOWER, time 4:11
Creepy intro turns into very danceable pop.
Design wise, the CD booklet layout resembles a super flat manga combined with a lavish fashion shoot. Adorable gurokawa (gross and cute at the same time) graphics grace the CD face.
The Takeaway:
Riceburner.FM recommends Kill Me Kiss Me by Hangry and Angry.
Given the pedigree of the talent involved, Kill Me Kiss Me is not surprisingly a satisfying slice of synth pop pie. Music meets marketing and the result is a terrific product.
Available from Amazon.com!
photo courtesy flickr / Tokyo Rebel
video courtesy youtube / ukyo178