Aobozu (band)
| Aobozu | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Japan |
| Genres | Rock, punk rock, new wave |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Labels | Toy's Factory |
| Website | Aobozu Official Site |
| Members |
Hozzy (vocals) Yūichi Tanaka (田中ユウイチ) (guitar) Shinichi Fujimori (藤森真一) (bass) Takurō Watanabe (渡辺拓郎) (drums) |
| Past members | Kamei (亀井) (drummer) |
Aobozu (藍坊主 Aobōzu) is a Japanese rock band, signed to Toy's Factory. They debuted in 2003, with the album Aobozu.
Biography
Hozzy, Kamei and Fujimori were originally childhood friends, all coming from Odawara, Kanagawa. In 1999, they formed a band in called The Blue Bōzu (ザ･ブルーボーズ Za Burū Bōzu) in 1999, that was a cover band for Japanese punk band The Blue Hearts. In 2000, they changed the band's name to aobōzu (藍坊主) - the name of a mythical yōkai (Japanese folk legend ghost), however with a different kanji for ao (藍 instead of 青). In 2001, Yūichi Tanaka (a friend of Fujimoris since kindergarten) joined the band as its guitarist. The band then centred their live activities in their hometown, as well as around the Tokyo areas of Hachiōji and Shimokitazawa.
In 2002, the band produced their first self-published CD: "Michi" (道 Street). The following year, the band independently released their debut album Aobozu through Buddy Records, and had their songs featured on many punk compilation albums.
In 2004, the band's drummer Kamei left, and was replaced by a classmate of Tanakas, Takurō Watanabe, as a session drummer. The band then made their major debut under Toy's Factory, Hiroshige Blue, which reached the top 30 on the Oricon albums charts.
Since then, the band has toured exclusively, gradually gaining more fame. Their 2010 album Mizukane reached the top 10 on Oricon.
Discography
Albums
| Year | Album Information | Oricon albums chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Aobozu (藍坊主 Aobōzu)
|
125 |
| 2004 | Hiroshige Blue (ヒロシゲブルー Hiroshige Burū)
|
30 |
| 2005 | Soda (ソーダ Sōda)
|
29 |
| 2006 | Hanamidori (ハナミドリ)
|
26 |
| 2008 | Forestone (フォレストーン Foresutōn)
|
15 |
| 2010 | Mizukane (ミズカネ)
|
10 |
| 2011 | The Very Best of Aobozu (ザ・ベリー・ベスト・オブ・アオボウズ)
|
--- |
| 2012 | Noctiluca (ノクティルカ Nokutiruka)
|
--- |
| 2013 | Bloomery (ブルーメリー Burūmerī)
|
--- |
| 2013 | S/Normally (スノーマリー Sunōmarī)
|
--- |
| 2014 | Himawari (向日葵)
|
--- |
Singles
| Release | Title | Notes | Oricon Singles charts |
Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | "Shizuku" (雫 Drop) | Released under Buddy Records. | 52 | Hiroshige Blue |
| "Sora" (空 Sky) | Sole release under Hills Records. | 66 | ||
| 2005 | "Uzura" (ウズラ Quail) | First major label single. | 35 | Soda |
| "Spoon" (スプーン Supūn) | 40 | Hanamidori | ||
| 2006 | "Sakura no Ashiato" (桜の足あと Cherry Blossom Footprints) | 28 | ||
| "Hello Goodbye" (ハローグッバイ Harō Gubbai) | 19 | Forestone | ||
| 2007 | "Coin Toss" (コイントス Koin Tosu) | 24 | ||
| "Sora o Tsukuritaku Nakatta" (空を作りたくなかった I Didn't Want to Make the Sky) | 30 | |||
| 2008 | "Kotoba no Mori" (言葉の森 Forest of Words) | 29 | ||
| "Mother" (マザー Mazā) | 28 | Mizukane | ||
| 2009 | "Namae no Nai Iro" (名前の無い色 Nameless Color) | 32 | ||
| 2010 | "Dengon" (伝言 Rumor) | 21 |
References
External links
- Aobozu Official Site (Japanese)
- Toy's Factory Label Site (Japanese)
- Aobozu staff+member blog (Japanese)