The Screaming Frogs - for the Frogs (22 June 2005)
J-Pop fans of the late 90’s may remember the trio Hysteric Blue, whose music had more than a passing resemblance to Judy and Mary at times. Hysteric Blue disbanded in 2004 after guitarist Naoki Akamatsu pled guilty to eleven rape charges. Vocalist Tama and drummer Takuya immediately went on to form the Screaming Frogs, quickly joined by guitarist and keyboardist of Unsuspected Monogram. In that same year they released their debut album, the frogs at beautiful sunset. And then one year later released for the Frogs. The band has been silent since, except for two mini albums released in 2011.
If you liked the music of Hysteric Blue then you should like the Screaming Frogs. The immediate turn-around following the loss of Akamatsu did not trigger any sort of shift in their musical style. To me it seemed as if they just wanted to distance themselves from him while continuing to do what they’d been doing since 1997.