FOE – Do Not Kill’Em (a J!-ENT World Groove Album Review)

1. PYRAMID OF THE QUEEN!!!
2. DO NOT KILL’EM (ORIGINAL)
3. GO WEST
4. DANCE, DANCE, DANCE
5. TERRIBLE TUNING
6. ALOE SMITH
7. TSURA TSURA
8. RERA TO IU NANO HANA
9. STROBE LIGHT
10. TO BE ALONE
11. SMOKE & WATER
12. LONG GOODBYE

CD-EXTRA:

1. DO NOT KILL’EM Music Video

EXTRAS:

The CD features a bi-fold with production credits.  Included is a foldout with the lyrics.  The CD-EXTRA is featured on the CD as an .mpg file that can be read on both PC and Mac.

Since 1999, the rock trio FOE (featuring vocalist/guitarist Shigekazu Aida, bassist Kenji Sato and drummer Masahiro Komatsu) have been rocking Japan.  The band is led by musician/producer/vocalist Shigekazu Aida who’s worked can be heard on the film “Lost in Translation” and the band has performed in the US ala SXSW back in 2002 and continue to rock in Japan.

There album “Do Not Kill’Em” features their first album release through their new label Avex Entertainment Inc. and in some way, the band’s music features a bit of electronic rock as heard from their beginning track “Pyramid of the Queen!!!” but also some classic rock fused with today’s style.  In fact, listening to the album gave me some Steve Miller Band vibes with Aida’s smooth voice and the band’s chord progressions.

The album comes with the music video (via CD-Extra .MPG file of “Do Not Kill’Em” as well.

Overall, “Do Not Kill’Em” has a mix of today’s modern rock and even some retro early ’80′s US rock style that makes a pretty enjoyable album.  If anything, the music is not what you would typically hear from a Japanese band, so for the most part, I’m really digging what Shigekazu Aida and band members have done with the music of FOE.

BUY THIS ALBUM from CDJapan.com:

Do Not Kill’em

FOE

or YesAsia.com