Musical Style
Merry mainly blend the genres of classical rock 'n' roll, hard rock, punk, alternative, blues and jazz fusion, occasionally experimenting with undertones of heavy metal, surf, techno, ballads and more. Though some may not find this entirely appealing, the result is undeniably "totally fresh", as former Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman put it.
Like many others, the members themselves were influenced by Japanese pioneer rock bands of the 80s and early 90s such as X Japan, Luna Sea, Buck-Tick, The Blue Hearts and Boøwy. The main songwriters are the two guitarists Yuu and Kenichi, the former writing majority of the slower, groovier songs and the latter composing faster, catchier melodies. Not afraid to experiment with their musical ability, Merry delivers a full spectrum of brand new tunes with the release of every anticipated album.
The band's music and lyrical imagery are likely influenced by the liberal Taisho and early Showa era, a period of significant artistic and musical movement when Japan shifted further towards Western concepts. It was the time of avant-garde; industrialisation saw the introduction of jazz and blues to Japanese culture, bringing about the rise of music cafes, bars and clubs. Similarly Merry fuse the these genres with modern rock music to create a whole new style – a "modern avant-garde", or rather "modern-garde" as their second album is named.
Lyrics-wise, vocalist Gara writes on a broad variety of topics, ranging from themes of war & patriotism (Rest in peace, Japanese modernist, 愛国行進曲 "Patriot march"), politics & society (迷彩ノ紳士 "Gentlemen in disguise", ニセモノ天国 "Fake heaven", Lost generation) to those of dreams, life, love and hate (窓 "Window", 恋愛交差点 "Intersection of love"). Some of these carry a retro feel in their imagery (黄昏レストラン "Sunset restaurant", 薔薇と片隅のブルース "Blues of the rose and corner", 東京テレホン "Tokyo telephone" and R-246), once again attributed to the influence of Taisho era romanticism.
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