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 instantly hype you up just by listening (41–50)
Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)Journey
Journey, the band that revolutionized the American rock scene, formed in San Francisco in 1973 and evolved from progressive rock to a style that incorporated pop elements.
With Steve Perry as lead vocalist from 1978, they achieved their greatest success in the 1980s.
Their signature songs are ones nearly everyone has heard at least once.
They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017, and their musical range spans from album rock to soft rock.
They have sold over 100 million albums worldwide.
Known for powerful vocals and smooth melodic lines, they were ranked the fifth most popular rock band in America in a USA Today public poll.
Cool Western music bands. Recommended overseas bands that will boost your mood just by listening (51–60)
JoannaKool and The Gang
A U.S.
No.
1 hit in 1981.
In the dance/R&B realm, there are many solo acts and not that many truly cool bands, but among them Kool & the Gang stand out as a hugely popular and excellent band.
Their mainstay is upbeat disco sounds, and when it comes to ballad hits, songs like “Cherish” and “Too Hot” come to mind—both with a minor-key feel—but “Joanna” gives off a slightly different vibe.
It’s a good old-school R&B mid-tempo ballad.
The fact that they can pull off a song like this so well speaks to their strength as a band.
Greatful when you =’re deadKula Shaker
I still vividly remember the shock I felt when I first listened to this song.
It was so insanely cool I nearly lost my mind.
And as a side note, Crispian’s looks were like a prince’s.
I’m sure even young people today would think it’s absolutely cool—this was their debut single.
Alive And KickingSimple Minds
It reached No.
3 in the U.S.
in 1985.
Riding the momentum of “Don’t You,” which had topped the U.S.
charts that same year as the theme song for the film The Breakfast Club, it climbed up to No.
3.
They’re a very good band and I think Jim Kerr’s vocals are excellent, but I can’t help feeling both the merits and drawbacks of having Steve Lillywhite (who worked with U2) as producer.
It’s said that Bono of U2 and Jim are good friends, and there are rumors that the producer switch was made at Bono’s suggestion.
Maybe that’s why it kind of feels U2-like.
White LiesStereophonics
Stereophonics are an alternative rock band from Wales.
Formed in 1992, they drew major attention as one of the defining British rock bands of the 2000s, achieving five consecutive UK No.
1 albums starting with 1999’s Performance and Cocktails.
The band’s sound is characterized by powerful, energetic vocals and a weighty, full-bodied guitar tone.
In 2000, they won the BRIT Award for Best Newcomer and went on to receive numerous other music awards.
They are also known for dynamic live performances, including concerts staged at Welsh castles.
Highly recommended for listeners seeking breadth and depth in their music.
Bad LiarImagine Dragons
Imagine Dragons is an alternative rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada.
They skillfully blend pop and rock, achieving both artistic and commercial success.
They are also known for using distinctive percussion instruments—such as taiko drums—in addition to a standard drum kit.
Vocal ID of Love In ASiouxsie And The Banshees
A British female punk singer.
She used to be part of the Sex Pistols’ inner circle, and I think she was a style icon in every way—makeup, fashion, attitude, hairstyle—so much so that lots of punk girls imitated her.
This song was one of her early big hits, and it’s insanely cool.