Klang Ruler/Meik -- Timing

 

Not surprisingly, NHK has taken down the footage videos of the 74th edition of the Kohaku Utagassen including the return of Pocket Biscuits and Black Biscuits but at least we have the above video showing the latter team coming together on TV. It was especially good seeing the latter band performing "Timing" once more after so long.

Also, in the "not surprising" department is the fact that the infectious "Timing", originally created by lyricist Hiromi Mori（森浩美）and composer Keizo Nakanishi（中西圭三）back in 1998, has been covered a few times. In fact, I was listening to the usual Weathernews Live broadcast on YouTube when their Weather Music segment came on and this time, I heard Klang Ruler's version of "Timing" which actually had come out as a digital single on Christmas Eve 2021.

I've written about the alternative pop band before and they seem to enjoy covering the old stuff such as Linda Yamamoto's（山本リンダ）"Dounimo Tomaranai"（どうにもとまらない）. I have also enjoyed them covering the old stuff and "Timing" is no exception. It's probably going to be the most chill cover of the song that I will ever hear and I especially like that synthesizer playing during the chorus. The video was also nice to watch especially after they had wrapped up and then tucked into a sumptuous Chinese dinner. Incidentally, it looks like there was a fad of dancing to Klang Ruler's version.

A few years earlier in 2018, singer/dancer/model Meik gave her own cover of "Timing" which sounds closer to the original disco arrangement from 1998.

Klang Ruler & Atarashii Gakko no Leaders -- Dounimo Tomaranai（どうにもとまらない）/ Klang Ruler -- Shibuya de Go-ji (渋谷で5時）

 

Commenter Bon tipped me off on another Atarashii Gakko no Leaders（新しい学校のリーダーズ）collaboration with another artist some days ago in the article for L'Arc-en-Ciel's "Driver's High". Since I'm not only a fan of the cool-and-crazy school uniform-wearing song-and-dance group but enjoyed their work with former SMAP member, Shingo Katori（香取慎吾）, in last year's "Tokyo Tower", I figured that I was going to have to give another one of their joint projects a try.

The thing is though that Bon's recommendation goes quite a ways back to 2019, at least according to when this YouTube video was first uploaded. Atarashii Gakko no Leaders cooperated with the 5-piece band Klang Ruler. To be honest, when I first heard that name, I kinda wondered whether there was something Klingon about these guys, but nothing could be further from the truth. This is a group that has been around since 2014 and has dabbled in pop and alternative music.

Another impression that I have about Klang Ruler is that they also like to do their dance beat covers of the old Showa and Heisei Era music, and that includes Linda Yamamoto's（山本リンダ）"Dounimo Tomaranai" from 1972. Working together under the banner of "Midnight Session Chapter 3", I can't seem to find any sign of this cover coming out in the discographies of either the Leaders or Klang so maybe the midnight sessions were just one-offs on YouTube (correct me if I'm wrong). But getting back to the song, Wild Child Suzuka does sound like a fresh-faced Linda before any cigarettes and alcohol. And she passes the mike off to Klang Ruler while her group does a bit of their choreography. Some nice bass action, too.

The current lineup for Klang Ruler is yonkey and Chihiro Yasuda（やすだ ちひろ）as the co-vocalists with SimiSho on drums, Takumi Kato（かと たくみ）on bass, and Gyoshi on guitar. I was looking through their discography thus far and I was intrigued when I saw that the band had covered the 90s City Pop duet "Shibuya de Go-ji" by Masayuki Suzuki（鈴木雅之）and Momoko Kikuchi（菊池桃子）. It was released as an October 2022 digital single and it has the sophisticated pop tune transform into a Trance ParaPara number.