Based in a bowl in the mountains (Hita City, Oita prefecture), Anglo-Nipponese trio The Routes play independently over 600 miles south of the Tokyo garage scene.
The Routes have a distinct influence from UK and US 60s music and culture as the name suggests they've followed the right signposts of the past, groovy, Mod with punkatude and heavy on psychedelia weaved like San Fransico flashbacks courtesy of Owsley's punch bowl. A love child of Blues Magoos & 13th Floor Elevators, they also add flashes of Dick Dale surf riffs on the Kinkish 'Worry' and the 'Thousand Forgotten Dreams' which has a killer opening bass line setting up an Eric Burdon worthy rant. The catchy 'Peeling Face' has great Herman's Hermits harmony's and a definite British Invasion influence of the Mods of the early 60's.
The laid back 'In Years Gone By' draws heavy on early Stones Aftermath era, with echo and reverb prominent. 'Oblivious' draws on every trick in their impressive toolkit, with a riff that's an instant hook. The title track 'Perfect Hell' is a hot slow burner that proves, with all the references made above this is a band with it's own identity seeped in garage rock and masters of their craft and ready to take on the world from their remote mountain hideaway.
Members:
Chris Jack: Guitar, vocals, Keyboards
Yuichiro Tomishige: Drums
Kensaku Muronaka: Bass
“In This Perfect Hell” on Dirty Water Records is the fifth album by The Routes, brings you ten original songs. No filler and no covers. From the start, you can tell it’s not going to be your stereotypical garage album. This time The Routes seemed have strayed far from your average garage bands comfort zone. They have stripped everything right down in the playing department, with leader Chris Jack playing pretty much everything apart from the drums. The stripping down seems to have the opposite effect, of creating a huge, thick, heavy wall of sound. The nasty Japanese fuzz pedals, and very simple guitar leads stab through the wall, and stick into your brain. It’s not exactly your typical garage, it’s not exactly psych; it’s not exactly any one thing in particular. Is this a mutant musical manifestation of Chris Jack’s musical taste? One wonders if he opened the floodgates on his musical tastes and just let it all come through."
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