antiReviews:
Watashi
Wa - The Love Of Life
Review by antiGUY
Watashi
Wa - The Love Of Life
Rating:
Tracks: All Of Me
At Its Finest
The Air I Breath
With Love
Smoke Signals
Joanna
Everything
Always Is a Place
How She Sees
Her Dress
Clear
Life Is Beautiful
Just when you thought legitimate pop-rock
had been bastardized by a thousand pretenders who are heavy on pop and
light on rock, here comes Watashi Wa to shows us that the two music forms
can happily co-exist and to good effect.
This is an album of richly crafted and
sonically pleasing poppy rock tunes. The bands blend of melody and hooks
should make this album a shoe in for Top 40 radio play and when measured
up against the heavy hitters they have no problem winning the day.
Before you get the wrong impression, there
is more to the band than just the pop rock and they dive into other realms
of music like 80s new wave and also border on the punk side of the street
at moments.
The band definitely benefited from a masterful
production from GGGarth Richardson (Chevelle, Rage Against the Machine)
who helped them reach their musical aspirations in the studio. Taken as
whole, the album songs like these songs were years in the making (and perfecting),
which seems to be the case as vocalist Seth Roberts started work on the
group in 1996 at the ripe old age of 13.
Seven years later, we hear the fruits of
that labor and Roberts can be proud of what he has accomplished. The music
is far more mature than the hundreds of pop-punk bands that are taking
up precious room on record company rosters. Watashi-Wa bypasses those pretenders
and finds themselves in happy company among bands like the Goo Goo Dolls,
Switchfoot and the Gin Blossoms.
When people see that this album is
put out by Tooth & Nail records, a red flag might go up, oh no! Not
another Christian rock band! Do not fret, Watashi Wa do incorporate
their ideals into the music but they do it in such a way that you can take
it or leave, or not even pick up on the Christian leanings on most of the
songs unless you know to look for it.
I usually like to list the stand out tracks
on an album, but in this case they all pretty much stand out and measure
up. Each track has its own charm and character, so the album is best experienced
as a whole.
With that said, I must confess that Im
not a huge fan of this type of music. Mostly because bands that have tried
to fit this mold have failed miserably and ended up far too sugary and
sweet. That isnt the case here (ok it might be too sugary for some). While
the music isnt mind blowing or earth shattering, Watashi Wa are definitely
far better than most bands ruling the airwaves and worth a listen if you
have a spot in your heart for pop infused rock, thats not quite heavy
enough to be called power-pop.
Posted by James D.:
This Watashi Wa cd is very good! It is a step above and beyond their previous (punk) efforts and I am thrilled with the production, as well. Alas, the band broke up earlier this year but left us with this swan song release...a masterpiece!
Posted by Aaron:
My cousin knows the band, so he gets free cd's.Once i listened to them i was blown away by their music.I now listen to the The Love Of Life cd every day.
Posted by Alana:
I came to a small club down the street from my college dorms and expected nothing, but was blown away by the unique nature of every song watashi wa has. Unique from eachother and unique from all other sounds out there. Just so you know, they are even better in concert.
Posted by Gabe k:
watashi wa has revolutionized the way i listen to and create music, I have meet few bands who have talent like theses guys do. I recomend giving them a listen, just buy the cd you will love it.
Posted by Gabe k:
watashi wa has revolutionized the way i listen to and create music, I have meet few bands who have talent like theses guys do. I recomend giving them a listen, just buy the cd you will love it.
Posted by Sledgehammer:
A reality check message for you and everyone who refuses the FREE GIFT.
Parable of the dragnet:
"So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separte the wicked from the just,"and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will will be wailing and gnashing of teeth".
Eternity is only a breath away! DON'T BLOW IT.
Posted by Timmy P:
Watashi Wa, at first listen, seem like a band that belongs at the top of the radio pop charts with all the other lame bands. If you listen to any more than 30 seconds of this cd, that idea will be shot clear out of your head. "The Love of Life" sounds soo good that sometimes i just get lost in the beautiful melodies, emotional vocals and incredibly well-written lyrics. Its the kinda of music that will induce huge amounds of summertime nostalgia and will keep you interested throuout the whole effort. Yeah, its pop...but its pop done right, with just the right amound of rock and roll.
