| Landmark | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 12, 2012 | |||
| Recorded | 2011-2012 | |||
| Genre | Indie rock, alternative rock | |||
| Length | 45:57 | |||
| Label | Kioon | |||
| Producer | Asian Kung-Fu Generation | |||
| Asian Kung-Fu Generation chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Landmark | ||||
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Landmark is the seventh studio album by the Japanese rock band Asian Kung-Fu Generation, released on September 12, 2012.
In late 2011, Masafumi Gotoh confirmed in his diary that the band were in the studio recording new songs. In July 2012, shortly after their 2012 Nano-Mugen Festival, the title and release date of the album were announced, along with a 22-show nationwide tour in support of the album. [1]
On August 2, Gotoh claimed that the album "is a masterpiece" via Twitter. [2]
On August 8, the album art was revealed and credited to Yusuke Nakamura, a long time art collaborator with the band. The track list was also confirmed, revealing that "All Right Part 2" will be the second song to appear on both a Nano-Mugen Compilation and a studio album (the first being "Blackout", which appeared on the first Nano-Mugen Compilation as well as Fanclub .) "N2" was previously released on the "Marching Band" single as a b-side, similar to three tracks on Surf Bungaku Kamakura .
On August 28, the song "Bicycle Race" was first played on "School of Lock", a segment on a radio station in Tokyo. The music video for the song was released on September 7.
Two different limited editions of the album were released, with one including an LP version of the album, and the other a compilation DVD of songs performed at both a 2011 Nano-Mugen festival concert, and a 2012 Best Hit AKG concert. [3]
The album became the band's first original album to be made available for purchase in the United States through the iTunes store, being released on October 17.
The track list for the album was confirmed by Gotoh on his diary on August 23, 2012. [4]
All lyrics are written by Masafumi Gotoh
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "All Right Part 2" (featuring Hashimoto Eriko (from Chatmonchy)) | Masafumi Gotoh, Kensuke Kita | 3:34 |
| 2. | "N2" | Masafumi Gotoh | 3:06 |
| 3. | "1.2.3.4.5.6. Baby" | Masafumi Gotoh, Kensuke Kita | 3:24 |
| 4. | "A & Z" (AとZA to Z) | Masafumi Gotoh, Kiyoshi Ijichi | 4:38 |
| 5. | "Taiyō Kōro" (大洋航路 "Oceanic Route") | Masafumi Gotoh | 3:15 |
| 6. | "Bicycle Race" (バイシクルレースBaishikuru Rēsu) | Masafumi Gotoh | 4:16 |
| 7. | "Sore dewa, Mata Ashita" (それでは、また明日 "Well Then, See You Tomorrow") | Masafumi Gotoh, Takahiro Yamada | 3:42 |
| 8. | "1980" | Masafumi Gotoh, Takahiro Yamada | 3:36 |
| 9. | "Machine Guns to Keiyōshi" (マシンガンと形容詞 "Machine Guns and Adjectives") | Masafumi Gotoh | 3:54 |
| 10. | "Railroad" (レールロードReirurōdo) | Masafumi Gotoh, Kensuke Kita | 3:08 |
| 11. | "Kakato de Ai o Uchinarase" (踵で愛を打ち鳴らせ "Clicking My Heels To Love") | Masafumi Gotoh, Kensuke Kita | 4:23 |
| 12. | "Anemone no Saku Haru ni" (アネモネの咲く春に "In the Spring, When the Anemone Bloom") | Masafumi Gotoh | 5:01 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "After Dark" (アフターダークAfutā Dāku) | 3:15 |
| 2. | "Solanin" | 4:35 |
| 3. | "Marching Band" (Originally released on the "Marching Band" single) | 5:20 |
| 4. | "Rewrite" (リライトRiraito) | 3:47 |
| 5. | "Loop & Loop" (ループ&ループRūpu & Rūpu) | 3:45 |
| 6. | "Kimi to Iu Hana" (君という花 "A Flower Called You") | 6:10 |
| 7. | "Kakato de Ai o Uchinarase" (踵で愛を打ち鳴らせ "Clicking My Heels to Love") | 4:23 |
| 8. | "All Right Part 2" (with Eriko Hashimoto from Chatmonchy) | 3:34 |
Asian Kung-Fu Generation is a Japanese alternative rock band formed in Yokohama in 1996. For its entire career, the band has consisted of vocalist Masafumi Gotoh, guitarist Kensuke Kita, bassist Takahiro Yamada, and drummer Kiyoshi Ijichi. Starting out as a college band, Asian Kung-Fu Generation released a series of independent EPs featuring lyrics mostly sung in English. In 2002, they released their major-label EP debut Hōkai Amplifier, from that point singing their lyrics in Japanese. The band's musical style is influenced by seminal Western alternative rock acts as well as their own local Japanese indie rock and punk scene. Their songs incorporate various aspects of the genres, most typically expressing fast tempos and prominent power chord guitar riffs in addition to rhythmic groove and emotional lyrics. Despite the indie nature of their music, the band has enjoyed worldwide commercial success in addition to critical acclaim. Asian Kung-Fu Generation has been cited as one of the best, most balanced modern rock bands to emerge from Japan in the 2000s.
Kimi Tsunagi Five M is the first studio album by Japanese rock band Asian Kung-Fu Generation and their second major-label release overall, released on November 19, 2003 on Kioon Music. The album's name is sometimes given as "Kunkei Five M," but the reading "Kimitsunagi" is given in katakana on the original compact disc. Peaking at number five on the Oricon charts, the LP retained two successful singles, "Mirai no Kakera" and "Kimi to Iu Hana, and has gone on to sell over 250,000 copies. The album is also featured in a live studio recording which is included as a bonus DVD from the limited edition of future compilation, Best Hit AKG.
Sol-fa is the second studio album by Japanese rock band Asian Kung-Fu Generation, released on October 20, 2004.
Masafumi Gotoh or Gotch is the lead vocalist, main songwriter and rhythm guitarist of the Japanese rock band Asian Kung-Fu Generation. Masafumi met fellow band members Kensuke Kita and Takahiro Yamada while attending a music club of Kanto Gakuin University. The three formed Asian Kung-Fu Generation in 1996, with drummer Kiyoshi Ijichi joining the band shortly after. As the main songwriter of the band, Gotoh is credited with writing a majority of their lyrics, but has a strong tendency to share songwriting duties equally among his bandmates. His vocal style most often alternates between soft, melodic singing, and harder, harsher, yelling. Masafumi has a degree in economics and his favourite artists include Weezer, Number Girl, Oasis, Teenage Fanclub, and Beck. He produces records for other artists such as Chatmonchy, Dr. Downer and The Chef Cooks Me. He was also one of the founding members of the band Skeletons (スケルトンズ).
Mada Minu Ashita ni is the second major-label EP by Japanese rock band Asian Kung-Fu Generation, released on June 11, 2008. The mini-album features songs conceived around the time of the recording of their preceding full-length album, World World World.
The discography of Asian Kung-Fu Generation, a Japanese rock band, consists of eleven studio albums, one live albums, fifteen compilation albums, seven extended plays, thirty singles and sixty-nine music videos.
"Kimi to Iu Hana" is a song by Japanese rock band Asian Kung-Fu Generation. It was released as the second single of their major-label debut album, Kimi Tsunagi Five M, on October 16, 2003. The song's b-side, "Rocket No.4," was later included on the band's 2006 anniversary compilation, Feedback File. "Kimi to Iu Hana" was ranked at 3rd on fans request for band's 10th anniversary live setlist on September 14, 2013.
"Mirai no Kakera" is a song by Japanese rock band Asian Kung-Fu Generation. It was released as the first single of their major-label debut album, Kimi Tsunagi Five M, on August 6, 2003. In 2020, this song was used for promotional anime video for horse race event, 65th Arima Kinen, with original characters then became anime Fanfare of Adolescence. The song's b-side, "Entrance," was later included on the band's 2006 compilation, Feedback File.
"Rewrite" is a song by Japanese rock band Asian Kung-Fu Generation. It was released as the third single of their second full-length studio album, Sol-fa, on August 4, 2004. In 2016, they re-recorded Rewrite along with all songs from Sol-fa and released on November 30, 2016.
Eizō Sakuhinshū Vol. 2: Live at Budokan + is the second video release by Japanese rock band Asian Kung-Fu Generation, released on April 20, 2005 by Ki/oon Records. The two-disc video was also the band's very first live DVD, as the first disc contains live footage of the entirety of the final show of their "Tour Suihai 2004 - No!Member, November-," at Budokan, where they performed before an audience of over 10,000 people on December 5, 2004. The disc retains twenty-two songs, with tracks taken from Kimi Tsunagi Five M, Sol-fa, and Hōkai Amplifier.
"After Dark" is a song by Japanese Indie rock band Asian Kung-Fu Generation. It was released as the second single of their fifth studio album, World World World, on November 7, 2007, nearly a whole year after the release of the album's lead single. The single debuted in the top ten on the Oricon charts and was selected to be used as the seventh opening theme of the anime series Bleach.
"Blue Train" is a song by Japanese rock band Asian Kung-Fu Generation. It was released as the first single of their third studio album, Fanclub, on November 30, 2005. The song entered the top five on the Oricon charts and sold well over 100,000 copies by 2006, becoming the 94th single of the year.
"World Apart" is a song by Japanese rock band Asian Kung-Fu Generation. It was released as the second single of their third studio album, Fanclub, on February 15, 2006. The song is unique for a number of reasons. Not only was it the first single AKG released following their tenth anniversary, it also became their first number-one single, debuting at the top of the Oricon charts. The song's b-side, "Uso to Wonderland," was also the first recording in which Kensuke Kita held the position of lead singer.
"Solanin" is a song by Japanese rock band, Asian Kung-Fu Generation. It was released as a single on March 31, 2010. The song was written for the film of the same name. The music was composed by band member Masafumi Gotoh, while the lyrics was written by Inio Asano, creator of the manga of the same name that the film is based on. Asian Kung-Fu Generation's recording was not used in the film. Instead, a cover, credited to Rotti, a fictional band from the film, with vocals by Aoi Miyazaki, who plays Meiko in the film, was used.
Magic Disk is the sixth studio album by the Japanese rock band Asian Kung-Fu Generation, released on June 23, 2010. It was announced in April 2010 after Gotoh posted an entry into his diary stating the title and that it would be released on June 23, 2010.
Best Hit AKG is a compilation album by the Japanese rock band Asian Kung-Fu Generation, released on January 18, 2012.
"Marching Band" is the 16th single of Japanese rock band Asian Kung-Fu Generation for their first best-of album Best Hit AKG. The single was released on November 30, 2011. The song "N2" is also featured on the album Landmark.
Feedback File 2 is the third compilation album by Japanese rock band Asian Kung-Fu Generation, released on February 26, 2014. The album consists of B-side tracks from previously released studio singles, recordings of live performances, tracks from previous Nano-Mugen Compilations and two new songs yet to be released on an album, "Rolling Stone" and "Slow Down". The limited edition two-disc DVD version includes live footage from the band's European and Asian tours in 2013.
Wonder Future is the eighth studio album by Japanese rock band Asian Kung-Fu Generation, released on May 27, 2015, through Sony Music subsidiary Ki/oon Music. The album is the first by the band to not feature art by artist Yusuke Nakamura.
Best Hit AKG 2 (2012–2018) is the second best-of album by Japanese rock band Asian Kung-Fu Generation. It was released on March 28, 2018, alongside two compilation albums, Best Hit AKG Official Bootleg "HONE" and "IMO". Best Hit AKG 2 contain songs and all singles from 2012–2018 and new song, "Seija no March". HONE and IMO are playlist created by Masafumi Gotoh around when Best Hit AKG released. HONE has a selection of heavier tracks, whilst IMO version is a mix of “power pop” themed songs. Artwork for both albums were drawn by Gotoh and were based The Beatles's red and blue album.
