Customer Reviews

My Foot

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Pillows are an amazing band. Like most other non-Japanese people, I was introduced to the Pillows via their music in the fabulous anime Fooly Cooly. The show was amazing, but the music was even better, and ever since I saw the show, I've been a fan of the Pillows. Fooly Cooly's music was pulled from three of The Pillows best albums (which were current at the time of the show's production) being Little Busters, Runner's High, and Happy Bivouac. All three of the albums are amazing, and should already be available in the US. However, after the release of those albums, the Pillows headed off in a louder, less melodic direction with albums like Smile (very poor in my opinion) and Thank You My Twilight, which had some standout tracks but was a mediocre effort on a whole. After that came Penalty Life, which is a pretty good album with a number of catchy songs and Good Dreams, which is notoriously short but also not too bad. Most recently, My Foot came out, and it is a real return to classic Pillows sound. The title track is a long, rocking, melodic affair, and it conjures memories of tracks like Tashika me ni Iko, and will really remind you of classic Pillows sound. The rest of the album is a really solid affair, which crunchy, powerful guitars, throbbing bass, and rocking drum beats. My Foot is easily the best album by The Pillows since their heyday of the Fooly Cooly soundtrack. Don't be off put by the Japanese lyrics, because the music more than makes up for any lack of understanding you might feel.

Bottom line: give this album a try, and I don't think you'll be disappointed. It's a little short, but better to be short and sweet than long and drawn out.

If you're reading this, chances are you know who the pillows are, and if you know who they are, you like them. It is a law of the universe. This cd does not dissappoint. There's really only one track I'm not crazy about, but I won't try to bias you against it. Point of interest: SO LONG UNIVERSE is one of the few songs I've heard by the pillows that sounds sad (but it's still great). For the uneducated, the pillows are known for playing wonderfully happy music. You listen, and you want to vomit sunshine and rainbows and bunnies. But in a good way.

HOWEVER- As enjoyable as this album is, don't buy it here for $40. It will be released in the U.S. in July, and Best Buy will be selling it for $15. Save your money. But yes, buy it if you like the pillows. Buy it if you don't know who the pillows are and you don't mind being happy. Otherwise Buster-kun will eat you.

Also, if you get the chance to catch them at their current (or any) U.S. tour, do yourself a favor and go. They put on an amazing live show.

I first purchased this CD in Japan for 2100 yen. It was one of the best buys in my life.

My Foot will give new American listeners a better idea of what The Pillows truly sound like. Reflecting on past CDs, such as Happy Bivouac and Little Busters, My Foot shows true to the wacky, creative style of The Pillows. This is definetely an essential to any J-Rock collection.

Like Paper Triangle, March of the God is a trip that everyone must take. The dual-guitar concept coming from each ear will intrigue and lead you into a massage.

So Long, Universe is a joy ride, depicting a man leaving the earth into a warming space scenery. It does have sad lyrics, with Sawao's spaceship disappearing into light, but you can't help smiling.

For those who like to hear Sawao in English, Rock N Roll Sinners is perfect for you. It gives you the idea of freedom and the ability to rock. That is what you want, right?

I don't want to infer that any other songs are bad on the album, but I don't want to give it all away. When you can, this is an album you really should buy. It gives you everything you need for a long haul in existance.

Despite the title that I've given this, I've never actually listened to the CD itself... BUT I've already heard each track individually off of websites or other CDs. This CD, as most others will also say, is one of the best by the pillows. Actually, my favorite song happens to be on this CD. My Foot is (in my opinion) an amazing song which brings different melodies all together and it sounds wonderful. Whether you're a fan of The Pillows or you've never even heard of them, this is a wonderful soundtrack which all Rock/Pop lovers should own.

I was exposed to this group by their incredible guitar work in the them song to FLCL. I didn't have as visceral and immediate a love for any one song on this album, but the guitar is outstanding.

For pillows fans, this album, really is a must. Its good enough for me to say that even if you've never heard of the pillows, you should buy it and find out what you've been missing. Driving guitar, fantastic melodies and bass lines that quite literally will have you humming them for days and days on end. The album is very solid in that it does all of what the pillows are great at, Rock and Roll Sinners and The Air Resistor deliver the kind of fine guitar riffs that will appeal to any guitar fan while My Foot (sure to be a favorite) is that song on the album your friends will be wondering why you cant stop singing. Ballads such as My Girl and my favorite on the album So Long Universe contribute to the great array of tracks on the album. A must buy for any fan of the pillows and anyone thats curious about this great band. 5 stars.

For no-nonsense basic rock with no messing around, Japan's punk-pop veterans the Pillows deliver the goods in a consistently listenable way. After around 16 years and more than a dozen albums, the boys have obviously distilled their musical attack into a well-honed and dependable machine, with a sound that seems as effortless as it is enjoyable. Here we find the airtight two-guitar team of Sawao Yamanaka and Yoshiaki Manabe delivering surprisingly intricate and interlocking licks, particularly in "Gazelle City." Drummer Shinichiro Sato backs things up efficiently and flawlessly, though he does get to rock out on the rollicking instrumental "March of the God." Meanwhile, the great guest bassist Jun Suzuki really should be a full member of the band, because he really holds up the bottom end. The Pillows attack is heard best in this album's heaviest tracks, especially "Rock n' Roll Sinners" and the piledriving "Degeneration." However, there is a fundamental issue with the aforementioned flawlessness of the Pillows approach, in that no envelopes are being pushed and no rules are being broken. This is a real issue in the rather dreary semi-ballads "My Girl" and "So Long Universe," while the majority of tracks deliver basic punk-pop that is clearly dependable but just as clearly unsurprising. It would also be interesting to hear the Pillows inject some elements from their unique native culture, but if they're doing so it's undetectable to the listener. [~doomsdayer520~]

I like this cd more than their recent efforts, namely "penalty life" and "good dreams".

My favorite song in the whole cd has to be the 1st song "my foot".
Other notable songs in the album are "Third Eye", "Mighty Lovers", and "My Girl".

Definitely recommended for fans of the pillows.