This week, Dan’s brother Will is a guest host for the Song of the Day (or この日の歌).

When you can’t understand the words, the voice just becomes another instrument.

Gesu No Kiwami Otome – “Girl at the Height of Rudeness” — is an odd little band that describes themselves as “Hip Hop/Progressive”. While I certainly wouldn’t describe them as hip hop, the vocals certainly have an emphasis on wordiness and rhythm reminiscent of hip hop emcees.

The band was founded as a side project of Enon Kawatani, the lead singer. He invited musicians he respected or enjoyed playing with and started this band as a fun side project separate from his main band (Indago La End). Since then, the band has seen major label releases and has enjoyed some popularity.

If I had to pick one word to describe this song, it would be ‘quaint’, which google defines as “attractively unusual or old-fashioned.” From the hectic vocals in the verses to the classical piano interlude, this song fits that description to a T. Enon Kawatani has one of those voices that you can’t exactly decide whether or not it’s good, but you do know you like listening to it. Something about the way he rolls over those verses into the prechorus before finally exploding into the chorus is addicting to listen to.

While it’s easy to let the shrill vocal performance distract from the instrumentals, if you’re paying attention, you’ll notice that the musicians in this band are incredibly talented. The layers of drums piano, and occasional guitar all hit the mark, and that classical interlude is a delight to the ears. Put together, this song feels fresh in its delivery: often offbeat, frequently frantic, and always entertaining.

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