Ellegarden – Eleven Fire Crackers

You may not know who Ellegarden is – I know I didn’t – but they are, in fact, quite a large band if you step outside the boundaries of North America. Forming in 1998, this Japanese band has garnered themselves quite a following over seas and has no problem selling out shows all across Japan – even 30,000 capacity shows. So while they haven’t cracked the North American bubble yet, there’s no denying that they have already created a name for themselves and with the release of their debut North American release, Eleven Fire Crackers, the band is poised to start making a name for themselves here too.

While not really life changing or immensely original, there is something pleasantly peaceful in their non-threatening pop-punk sound. The entire album has a feeling of joyfulness, as if they’re playing it just for the cheer joy of playing it. This sensation passes onto the listener as well as you can’t help but smile and bop your head along with the catchy melodies. Basically, Ellegarden is for pop-punk fans as the songs feature a wide similarity to the pop-punk bands that overtook the airwaves six years ago. I’m talking of the New Found Glorys, Simple Plans, Blink-182s and Sum41 type bands. Hell, Alternative Plans even has a slight IllScarlett vibe during it’s opening verse.

And yes, many people will groan at the thought of yet another pop-punk band but there is something within Eleven Fire Crackers that can’t be overlooked. Maybe it’s the sheer catchiness of it all. I mean, hell, three of their songs are splattered with Japanese lyrics and those three tracks are three of the most memorable songs on the album. Why? For a few reasons really. First is the simple fact that the odd language sticks out when you’re listening to it. Then, it’s so damn catchy that you actually think you can sing along with them – even though you can’t speak the language; and that, my friends, is saying something.

For pop-punk fans, this is a very enjoyable CD. It’s refreshing despite not being remotely original. It’s not overly polished and the vocals never become tiring. Eleven Fire Crackers is just a lot of fun, it’s just too bad they missed the pop-punk explosion of the new millennium here in North America.