Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on November 2009

Singer Hiroto Komoto and guitarist Masatoshi Mashima form one of the key songwriting duos in Japanese rock history. From their ’85-’95 incarnation as The Blue Hearts to their ’95-’05 rebirth as The High-Lows and on to their current group, the pair’s back-to-basics atavism has endeared them to generations of punk fans. No surprise then, that Mondo Roccia (roccia means “rock” in Italian)—released in mono—adheres to the formula. Despite my admittedly snobbish critical tendencies, I found myself drawn to this almost simpleton-level music. There’s something likably vulnerable about Komoto’s quavering delivery and Mashima’s proto-melocore riffs—they hit a nerve at a time when pretense passes for artistry in much so-called “post-rock.” Who can argue with a song in which the singer likens himself to an iron beetle, as Komoto does on “Tetsu Kabuto”