Electric Eel Shock

Transworld Ultra Rock

Written by: PP on 09/11/2007 03:16:59

What should you expect from a Japanese band called Electric Eel Shock? Especially with an album title as bizarre as "Transworld Ultra Rock"? Although the promo sheet desperately tries to prove otherwise by calling the band 'fashion-proof', trendy and fashionable is exactly what the end result is. Granted, it's packed into a groovy lo-fi rock and roll package instead of one full of make up and songs about broken relationships, but there's no way around it: Electric Eel Shock are purposefully trying to stand out by being as strange and as odd as humanly possible from a straightforward rock and roll band.

That can be a good thing, too, as seen on the effect-laden album opener "I Can't Hear You" or on ultra groovy "Big Mistake". Both albums have one effect on you: they get you off your feet dancing to their groovy hooks and tongue-in-cheek vocal lines. Not surprisingly they are also the strongest tracks on the record, and although both tracks ooze that aforementioned "I wanna stand out and look 'cool' by being different" attitude that many of us had as teenagers, they are enjoyable, catchy tunes, perfect for your 70s revivalist dance party you're about to host. These aren't the only strong points, either, as shown by the high-school rock'ish "Limousine" or the pop idol styled title track.

But at the same time, it can also be a terrible thing. "Joe" & "Joe II" are cliche 70s rock and roll meets garage rock songs, and what's even worse, they're sung in Japanese so pretty much nobody in Europe will no freaking clue what they're singing about. But maybe that's for the better, because overall, the album is ridiculous lyrically, and I mean ridiculously bad. Most songs consist of simple repetitions of retarded lines: chorus of "Baby" goes something like this: "Baby, baby, baby, baby, baby" repeat x amount of times. While that might be fun on the first two listens, it starts to annoy you thereafter. Even a bigger minus goes for shameless rip off track that is "Dice De Try", which has absolutely no problem plagiarizing the classic intro riff from Jane's Addiction's "Stop" - I'm almost expecting the frontman to shout "HERE WE GO!" a few seconds into the song.

Overall, Electric Eel Shock tries to hide their blatantly obvious attempt at being 'hip' and 'in' underneath a lowly produced 70s rock and roll slap. As you might have guessed, our judgement is: failure.

4

Download: I Can't Hear You, Big Mistake, Limousine
For the fans of: Dir En Grey, Turbonegro, groovy music
Listen: Myspace

Release date 01.10.2007
Double Peace Records

Related Items | How we score?
Comments
comments powered by Disqus

Legal

© Copyright MMXXIV Rockfreaks.net.