For the deathcore band from Spain please fix your tags to TheBandApart.
… Read Full Bio ↴For the deathcore band from Spain please fix your tags to TheBandApart.

the band apart was founded in 1997 by Arai, Kawasaki and Kogure, (with Arai on bass) former middle-school classmates sharing a common interest in metal, especially Metallica and Megadeth. They initally were a metal cover band, and named themselves after Quentin Tarantino's production group A Band Apart. However, with no clear musical direction aside from covers, Kogure withdrew as a result of internal discord.

After discovering Hi-Standard and other melocore bands, the band apart had a renewed focus and reformed with Arai returning on bass and former highschool classmate Hara joining on guitar (the two would later switch instruments) in 1998. Thereafter the group began working on original material while remaining a cover band, this time for melocore groups.

Between 1999 and October of 2000 the band apart released three demos, finally cutting their debut single Fool Proof in October of 2001. The single showcased the band's emerging eclecticism with a bossa nova style that segues into energetic pop-punk. Also rare for Japanese bands, all of the lyrics were written in English. This would become standard for all of their future songs. According to the band, Arai is better at working with and singing in English than Japanese.

2002 saw the release of the follow-up single Eric.W with the band using a stronger jazz influence than their previous work. The following year was extremely busy with the release of their debut album K. And His Bike just after splitting from their old label to form their own, Asian Gothic.

The band's overextended schedule took a toll on live performances. The first few shows after the new album were under-rehearsed and did not proceed smoothly. Furthermore the band admits their on-stage personalities are somewhat meek and they frequently wish "for something to happen" on stage. Nevertheless, the members are working tenaciously to improve their live image.

the band apart released a new single in December just after finishing their "smooth like butter" tour with bloodthirsty butchers and labelmates Mock Orange. This was followed by their second full album, quake and brook, in May 2005, which delved deeper into their more laid back and jazzy style hinted at on K. And His Bike. To finish off the year, the band apart put out a two DVD set, the title being an amalgamation of past release names. The DVDs include a live set almost entirely comprising the band's repertoire.

In 2006, the band apart released an EP split with American labelmates Mock Orange, with their third full album alfred and cavity coming in October, and in May 2008 released their 4th album, Adze of Penguin.

website: http://www.asiangothic.org/the_band_apart/
shop: http://handlshop.com/agl/item/list.php?artist=1

K. and His Bike
the band apart Lyrics

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Go a ride on my bike
White in a blue pool shining Sun
A can on the wayside barking dog
Go trough my neighborhood to a strange land

Beautiful green kids in a park
Baseball after school A boy on a bench
Notes of cicadas soda pops

A lady puttin sunshade up
I see many things with my bike

Always there for me. No one else but you
Always there for me. In my memories

Go a ride on my bike
Somebody's broiling a fish. A man drinks a beer
Hip hung pants twilight SUN
Girls on a bycicle
I see many things with my bike

Always there for me. No one else but you
Always there for me. In my memories

Running down with my bike
Take me to place I never know
And spin out of the way

I'm walkin down Zizou street my bike is waitin'

Overall Meaning

The song "K. and His Bike" by the Band Apart is a nostalgic tribute to the joy of bicycling as a child. The lyrics describe the experience of taking a ride on a bike, from the sights and sounds of the neighborhood to the freedom of exploring new places. The song opens with the singer describing a sunny day, riding through a blue pool, and encountering a barking dog on the wayside. The second verse paints a picture of children playing baseball in a park, with the sounds of cicadas and soda pops in the background. The final verse has the singer seeing more of the world, including someone broiling a fish, girls on bicycles, and a man drinking a beer.

The song evokes feelings of nostalgia and a yearning to relive the carefree days of childhood. The repetition of the lines "Always there for me, no one else but you, always there for me, in my memories" emphasizes the importance of the bike as a companion and source of freedom in the singer's life. The use of sensory detail, such as the sound of cicadas and the sight of a lady putting up a sunshade, creates a vivid impression of the world as the singer sees it while riding his bike.

Line by Line Meaning

Go a ride on my bike
I am going to ride my bike

White in a blue pool shining Sun
The sun is shining brightly in a clear blue sky

A can on the wayside barking dog
A dog is barking next to a can on the side of the road

Go trough my neighborhood to a strange land
I wander through my familiar neighborhood and into unfamiliar areas

Beautiful green kids in a park
Children are playing in a pretty green park

Baseball after school A boy on a bench
A boy is sitting on a bench after playing baseball

Notes of cicadas soda pops
The sound of cicadas mixes with the fizz of soda

A lady puttin sunshade up
A woman is putting up a sunshade

I see many things with my bike
I ride my bike and see many things

Always there for me. No one else but you
My bike is always there for me when no one else is

Always there for me. In my memories
My bike is a constant presence in my memories