DON'T WORRY BE HAPPY - Mongol800

MONGOL800 (also known to fans as Monpachi) is an Okinawan ska/punk band that has enjoyed moderate success at home and abroad.

Years active:2000 - Present
Genres:Punk, Ska
Labels:Tissue Freak Records/Highwave
Members:
-Uezu Kiyosaku - bass guitar, vocals
-Gima Takashi - guitar
-Takazato Satoshi - drums

MONGOL800 (モンゴル800) is a Japanese rock band that has found popular success over the past years. The melodic punk rock band from Okinawa broke into the mainstream with their 2001 release MESSAGE. Ever since then, their works have been highly anticipated. So is the case now, shortly after the release of their 4th full-length album, Daniel.

The trio consists of vocalist Kiyosaku Unzu, guitarist Takashi Gima, and Satoshi Takazato on drums. Thier notable LP, MESSAGE was actually originally an indies released. It stunned all when it sold an unprecedented 2,600,000 copies. In 2004, MONGOL800 released MOMO (Peach). The album was very successful and reached #3 on the Oricon charts. Following up their success they played a show in Los Angeles in March of 2005.

MONGOL800′s brand of melodic punk rock mixed with pop has put them on the map. Their lyrics often read like poetry and the vocal harmonies that they pull off are amazing. Dominant bass lines and unique song progression are also notable.

Daniel was released August 8th, 2006. Though it created buzz after-the-fact, the release was a rather abrupt. MONGOL800 found the spotlight in the early 2000′s and doesn’t show any sign of wanting to give that up.

Ever since I heard MONGOL800′s MESSAGE LP, I’ve been hooked. It is on eof my overall favorite albums. I recently got to listen to Daniel. I’m just as impressed as I was with MESSAGE. In their latest installment, MONGOL800 does drift a bit away from the heavily-pop/punk likings of MESSAGE. It’s surely a good thing. They explore a different musical route while remembering all of the elements that make them famous.

One of the touches that made MESSAGE so memorable were the beautiful vocal harmonies. To my slight dissapointment those were seemingly absent in Daniel. While it’s there, harmony is not emphasized nearly as much in the new release. Despite that fact, Daniel is stellar. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.