Cool Western music bands. Recommended overseas bands that will get you pumped just by listening.
There are foreign bands with irresistibly captivating sounds you can hardly hear in Japan! From powerful, energetic vocals and satisfyingly heavy sound production to dynamic stage performances—there’s no way to sum it all up in a single phrase.
This time, based on reliable feedback from music fans submitted to our site, we researched popular Western bands.
Among them, we carefully selected especially well-regarded rock bands—both classic and contemporary—along with their staple songs.
If that’s your thing, be sure to check it out!
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Cool Western music bands. Recommended overseas bands that will boost your mood just by listening (101–110)
Death DiscoPublic Image Ltd
Public Image Ltd, a band that epitomizes the UK post-punk scene, was formed in 1978 around former Sex Pistols member John Lydon.
Their debut single Public Image and the album Metal Box received high praise from critics and are regarded as classics of post-punk.
Their 1980 U.S.
tour also drew attention for the heated verbal exchanges between Lydon and the audience.
With their experimental sound and provocative performances, they have continued to influence many artists.
If you’re drawn to their distinctive world, this is a highly recommended track—give it a listen!
UnsaintedSlipknot
Slipknot is one of the most famous heavy metal bands in the world.
All nine members wear distinctive masks, creating a strikingly macabre visual impression.
Their musicianship is excellent, and among heavy metal bands, they’re relatively easy to listen to.
I am OneThe Smashing Pumpkins
Smashing Pumpkins are undeniably cool.
This song is an early masterpiece.
Their first album, which includes this track, bursts with a sense of speed, a magma-like heat coursing underneath, and James Iha’s guitar is insanely cool—just the epitome of cool.
Suspect DeviceStiff Little Fingers
Formed in Northern Ireland in ’79, at the tail end of punk, this classic punk album delivers a ferocious punch with heavily distorted guitars and near-screamed vocals.
The Clash’s influence is obvious, but their songwriting stands out.
The band has since reunited and is still active.
SusiStormbringer
A Swiss B-grade hard rock band featuring the virtuoso guitarist Angi Schilirò.
Their melodies are marked by European lyricism and wistful melancholy.
They drew modest attention in Japan at the time, and have since become a little-known, almost mythical band among those in the know.
Cool Western music bands: recommended overseas bands that boost your mood just by listening (111–120)
Since YesterdayStrawberry Switchblade
Strawberry Switchblade is something I really want today’s young girls dressed in Gothic Lolita fashion to know about and see.
There were already cool girls in the ’80s dressing like this.
Even back then, many girls admired them.
Their style was stunningly, mind-blowingly cool.
Runaway BoysStray cats
It reached No.
9 in the UK in 1981.
The Japanese title is “Namida no Runaway Boy.” They’re a three-piece American neo-rockabilly band.
Released in February 1981, it’s included on their debut album “Namida no Runaway Boy (Stray Cats).” “Rock This Town” and “Stray Cat Strut” were hits in the US, but this one wasn’t released as a single there.
Brian Setzer, who was something of a troublemaker, went on to lead a big band and is now a major figure.
In any case, his guitar playing is outstanding.