The High-Lows

The High-Lows were the next big project of singer Hiroto Komoto and guitarist/vocalist Masatoshi Mashima, the godfathers of Japanese punk, who achieved superstardom in the later ’80s and early ’90s using their unit the Blue Hearts. High-Lows didn’t stray definately not the noble route of old-school melodic punk — nearer to the Clash than to NOFX — however they had been always thinking about throwing additional elements into the blend, as the addition of a long term keyboardist Mikio Shirai demonstrates. Shirai was actually with Komoto and Mashima right from the start from the High-Lows, which goes back to 1995, using the tempo section — bassist Sakito Shirabe and drummer Kenji Oshima — becoming a member of them soon. The band were only available in high equipment, liberating their eponymous debut in 1995 and starting a couple of extended trips that included stints with Tom Robinson Music group in 1996 and Foo Fighters and Crimson Warm Chili Peppers in 1997. Those displays actually boosted their recognition, supported with a string of produces aswell: the next recording Tigermobile was out in 1996, and Lobster adopted in 1998, to state nothing from the 11 singles out between 1995 and 1998, including Mune ga Doki Doki (1996), found in the favorite anime series Detective Conan. The majority of their singles since Mune ga Doki Doki joined the Oricon Best 20, and all the band’s full-lengths damaged the very best 10. High-Lows’ weighty touring spell culminated following the launch of Baumkuchen (1999), that was promoted with a 70-day marathon, and accompanied by a couple of displays in 2000 used the group’s potential buddies the Ruler Brothers as well as the Neatbeats. 2000 also noticed the discharge of their 5th album, Relaxin using the High-Lows, which offered the band their finest chart performance, rating at number 3, but from then on High-Lows eased through to live activity, although they continuing to toil in the studio room, saving the albums Resort in 2001 and Angel Beetle in 2002, not forgetting two best-of compilations (Flip-Flop in 2000 and Flip-Flop 2 in 2003). In 2003 keyboardist Shirai remaining High-Lows, as well as the group by no means fully recovered from then on. They handled another episode of activity in 2004, if they did a large tour, showing up at Fuji Rock and roll Festival, went to that 12 months by Pixies, Killers, and Primus, released their last studio album, Perform the Mustang, and added a track for the film Zebraman, however in 2005 they tidied points up using the retrospective Adobe flash: Greatest and known as it quits. Komoto and Mashima set up another punk rock and roll work, the Cro-Magnons, direct after disbanding the High-Lows.