Monkey Majik are a 4-piece international rock band formed by 2 Canadian brothers — Maynard and Blaise Plant — and joined by Japanese members Tax and Dick on drums and bass, respectively. Largely based out of Japan, they manage to jump back and forth between English and Japanese lyrics, a unique formula which has won them many fans.
Monkey Majik released their latest album, titled “Collaborated,” last month. And true to its name, it’s a series of tracks that feature collaborations with others. One track in particular caught our attention. “Ryugakusei” (meaning, foreign exchange student) is a track with Okazaki Taiiku, who we’ve featured here before.
In it, Taiiku utilizes soramimi, a type of homophonic interpretation of lyrics. To speakers of English, it can sound like your typical love song. In Japanese, it can sound like a foreign exchange student singing about his experience. And if you’re bilingual, well… good luck.
If you’re new to Monkey Majik, take a walk down memory lane with us and listen to one of their first tracks, fly.
Like what you hear? You can find more of their music right here. Monkey Majik is also on Twitter and Facebook. And be sure to check out our other Music Monday picks.
April 9, 2019 at 7:55 am
I think Pretty People is still my favorite song I’ve heard of theirs, but they have a fun sound in general.