J-ROCK WEEK – FRIDAY: FLOW
Alright, Fighting Dreamers, it’s time to all get up and sing together!! Our final J-Rock band of the week is FLOW, the group primarily responsible for some of anime’s best and most notorious opening songs. There’s just something about this band’s sound that just makes you want to get up and go do something.
Many J-Rock or anime fans have probably already heard of FLOW. This ecstatic 5-man piece made their big breakthrough in 2004 when their hit single “Go!!!” became the third opening theme for Naruto. Originally formed in 1998 by brothers Kohshi and Takeshi Asekawa along with Keigo Hayashi on vocals, Yasutaroh Gotoh on bass and Hiroshi Iwasaki on drums, FLOW spent a couple years releasing mini-albums on an indie label. In 2003, their single “Okuru Kotoba” made it onto the Oricon singles charts for 7 weeks straight, leading to two full length albums and getting signed on to Ki/oon Records. A long string of singles followed, and to this date FLOW has released 27 singles and nine studio albums.
We may be a tad biased in our love for this band, but dammit- their music has amplified our love for Japanese music altogether. From Code Geass to Eureka Seven to friggin’ Samurai Flamenco, these guys are everywhere. Furthermore, their sound has evolved over time from pure, unadulterated garage rock to refined, meaningful songs that have adopted more of a groove. Their earlier music like “Go!!!” and “Re:member” brings out the energetic child in a person while “Colors” and “Days” incorporate additional instruments such as horns and symphonic overtones to create a wall of sound.
As the listeners mature, so does their music. FLOW has, like any great rock band, learned how to experiment and branch out from their original sound to explore new methods of creating music that still sends a message. Whether it’s the sorrow of “Sign” or the search for purpose in “World End,” FLOW doesn’t just play rock- they’ve mastered it.
Advent Seven 
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