ORANGE RANGE 'musiQ'

Released on December 1, 2004, this is ORANGE RANGE's 2nd full album.

Although they are not a band that comes up much in conversations with music-loving friends these days, the excitement surrounding this album when it was first released was immense. Even people who didn't like them at all would likely know the singles included on this album.

I was in junior high school at the time, and I didn't know anything about music reputations, nor did I even have a mobile phone, so word of mouth was all there was. I wonder what the real-time evaluation was like from what we would now call rock fans back then.

I borrowed this album from a friend and put it on an MD, but I only extracted and listened to the singles, so this is my first time listening to the entire album from start to finish. Although, there are some album tracks I've heard here and there.

M1. 'KA・RI・SU・MA' is a cheerful instrumental track. It's a Eurobeat-style, quintessential opening track that says, 'The party is about to start.' M2. 'Chest' is a single. It has a fairly heavy performance; originally, ORANGE RANGE had a foundation of covering a mixture rock band called Yamaarashi. So, this is their original direction, like their 1st single 'Kiri Kirimai.'


It's cool but not pop, yet it still managed to hit number one on the charts. That's amazing.

M3. 'Locolotion' is a single. This song was playing constantly from the classroom speakers during breaks. Just when I thought it was over, the same song would play again...! This was sung to death at karaoke after tests.
I learned about the plagiarism issues later, but I don't care; I like it because it's a song that simply gets you hyped. I don't sing it much anymore, though.

M4. 'Ishindenshin' is not a single, but it was a very well-known song due to an au commercial tie-in. I think the 'Chaku-uta' (ringtone) was also a huge hit. Yes, back then, it was the 'Chaku-uta' culture. When you got a call, the artist's song would play... I haven't seen that at all since smartphones became the norm.

The fact that the song title uses 'Denshin' (telegraph) is likely due to the tie-in with the mobile phone company. The correct term is 'Ishindenshin' (telepathy/tacit understanding), and I remember almost writing 'Ishindenshin' with the wrong kanji on a Japanese language test. Imprinting is dangerous.

M5. 'ZUNG ZUNG FUNKY MUSIC' is a song included as a B-side to the single 'Michishirube ~a road home~.' As someone who listened to a lot of Rip Slyme and Ketsumeishi, I didn't really like this band's rapping, but I thought HIROKI was actually pretty good on this track.

As I listened to more music, I realized that rather than rap skills, it's the melody sense of the chorus or the youthful, empty-in-a-good-way lyrics that are easier to accept.

M6. 'Padi Bon Mahe' is an instrumental track. It gives the impression of an exotic tribe shouting in a forest. It really is just a repetition of the nonsensical phrase 'Padi Bon Mahe'.

M7. 'City Boy' is a track that was quite popular at the time, even though many non-single tracks were rather strange. As the title suggests, it's an urban sound, a disco beat song about wanting to keep dancing with you. In a good way, the lyrics don't have much depth, so you can listen to it focusing on the sound. I quite like it.

M8. 'Xiexie' is, as written on the wiki, a jazz-style song with rhythm and brass instruments. I hadn't listened to it very carefully before, but I actually quite like the guitar cutting and riffs. However, YAMATO's rap-style lyrics are a bit of a waste. HIROKI and RYO are cool and good, but... I guess it's a matter of taste?

M9. 'Danshing session' has a slightly funkier sound, and thinking back, I get the impression they were doing fun things with a wide variety of song compositions. This song in particular has a good bassline, and the guitar has a good sound too. It's an interesting sound, but when the three vocalists sing, it becomes a bit idol-like, but that's their signature style.

M10. 'Beat Ball' has a drum rhythm that feels programmed, and it seems it was difficult for them as well. The hook part has a groove that feels like Dragon Ash, like a mix of programming and drums. It's a song that's a bit different from the band sound of the other tracks.

M11. 'Michishirube ~a road home~' is a single and a remake of a song from their indie era. An orthodox song arrives at the 11th track. It seems it was a drama theme song, and they continued to hit number one on the charts starting with this song.

It really feels like a classic cheering song, and later, many pop groups like GReeeeN would release songs in this vein. Perhaps it became a signpost for such groups (not a great pun).

M12. 'Hana' is a single. This needs no explanation. It's their signature song. When you think of BUMP OF CHICKEN, you think of 'Tentai Kansoku'; for Remioromen, it's 'Konayuki'; for Kirinji, it's 'Aliens'.

M13. 'FULL THROTTLE' is apparently the only song on this album composed by the bassist, YOH. It has a very simple structure and feels like classic mixture rock, but it gives the impression of having been made quickly. I don't feel much complexity in it.

M14. 'Matsuri Danshaku' is, as you can tell when you listen to it, a song inspired by Jitterin' Jinn's 'Natsu Matsuri.' People said it was a rip-off back then, but I think this is within the realm of homage. It's like they intentionally made it that way with respect. The theme of the lyrics is completely different anyway. lol

M15. 'papa' is a song with lyrics that are truly incomprehensible. For some reason, a friend of mine used to sing this at karaoke, and when it got to the spoken part, we all went, 'What is this song? lol,' which is a memory I have. lol

M16. 'HUB⭐︎STAR' is a mixture rock number that makes the most of their strengths. By this point, trying to understand the lyrics becomes ridiculous. There are many songs in this vein when it comes to album tracks, but no one was pushing this song back when I was in junior high. People naturally gravitate toward what's easier to listen to, right?

M17. "Oh! Yeah!" From the very beginning, with the "para-para-pa-pa-pa," I thought it was another strange song, but I kept listening, and HIROKI and RYO's verses are actually quite good. Also, the melody at the end of the chorus, "The setting sun gently dyes my shadow again today," is emotional and nice. This song is memorable, and I remembered it.

M18. "SP Thanx" A song where they sing their gratitude to the people who supported them, never forgetting their spirit of enjoying things with momentum. There is no guitar playing, and the sound is centered on keyboards and strings. I think the fact that they chose to end the album with this song shows the purity of this band.

M19. "Zipangu 2 Zipangu" For some reason, they put an instrumental track at the very end. It might be their playfulness, not wanting to end on a somber note.

At a total of 1 hour and 6 minutes with 19 tracks, it's quite long. I listened to it thoroughly, and I thought the mid-section was interesting with its wide variety of song styles.

Six years ago, I went to a summer festival in Osaka called OTODAMA, and ORANGE RANGE was performing.

It was a really intense lineup with veteran bands gathered, but when they appeared second on the main stage, I couldn't help but raise my hands when they played their signature songs like "Ishin Denshin."


Bands like Unicorn, Magokoro Brothers, Grapevine, and Ningen Isu were also performing, but ORANGE RANGE's songs probably have the highest name recognition. People of all ages know them. Although Mongol800 was also performing.


I saw them live there and had a great time, so I immediately rented this album and synced it to iTunes. However, I hadn't listened to it until now.

Sometimes, reviewing an album that is so obviously a commercial success might be interesting.