Beat Crusaders
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1997 |
| Founder | Tōru Hidaka |
| Defunct | 2010 |
| Headquarters | Tokyo , Japan |
| Products | Music albums, singles |
were a Japanese rock group active from 1997 until 2010, distinguished by their performances featuring faces obscured with dot-matrix printer-inspired artwork.
History
Beat Crusaders, often shortened to BECR, was established in late 1997 by Tōru Hidaka as an experimental U.S. Lo-Fi Indie Rock project. Following a series of experimental shows in Tokyo's Shimokitazawa area, additional musicians joined the lineup. Their sound, which combined analog synthesizers, an old Casiotone keyboard, and influences from bands such as Weezer and The Rentals, gradually transformed into a melodic guitar-centric style. By the end of 1998, the band had built a reputation for their dynamic live shows.
In June 1999, their single "E.C.D.T." entered the Japanese independent CD charts, soon followed by the mini-album Howling Symphony of..., which garnered favorable media reviews. This success enabled them to perform alongside notable figures within Japan’s alternative and indie music scenes. Early in 2000, they released their second single "Firestarter" and their debut full-length album "All You Can Eat," as well as contributing to four compilation albums including the EP WXY, which they shared with punk group Captain Hedgehog.
August 2003 saw the departure of three founding members who went on to create Anita Chili Peppers, prompting Hidaka to bring in four new musicians. The separation seemed amicable, with Hidaka paying tribute to his former bandmates in the music video for "Sensation."
Their song "Hit in the USA" was selected as the opening theme for the anime series BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad, significantly increasing their visibility in mainstream Japanese markets. They later released a cover album titled "Music Crusaders," featuring tracks originally by American and British artists. The single "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight" became the fourth opening theme for the anime Bleach. In 2006, Beat Crusaders made their U.S. debut when "Hey x 2 Look x 2" was chosen as the theme for Nicktoons’ animated show Kappa Mikey. Additionally, their single "Winterlong" was used as the opening theme for the anime Hero Tales.
On May 30, 2007, they released the full-length album EPopMaking, which included 19 tracks. This was followed by another album titled Popdod on June 4, 2008.
In 2010, Hidaka announced that Beat Crusaders would be disbanding but intended to issue one final album. The last release, Rest Crusaders, came out on October 6, 2010 and featured 22 songs combining new compositions with previous singles such as "Windom," "Let It Go," and "Situation."
Members
- - vocals, guitar
- - bass
- - guitar
- - drums
- - keyboard
- Former members
- umu (real name ) - bass, vocals
- araki (real name ) - drums, vocals
- thai (real name ) - keyboard, guitar, vocals (deceased 2011)
- yukio Iwahara (岩原幸夫) - vocals, guitar, bass, drums, programming
Studio albums
| Title | Year | Label |
|---|---|---|
| All You Can Eat | 2000 | Lastrum |
| Foresights | 2001 | |
| Sexcite! | 2002 | |
| MUSICRUSADERS | 2005 | DefSTAR |
| P.O.A. -POP ON ARRIVAL- | ||
| EpopMaking: Pop to no Sōgū | 2007 | |
| popdod | 2008 |
Singles
| Title | Year | Label | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Firestarter" | 2000 | ||
| "Handsome Academy" | |||
| "Capa-City" | 2002 | ||
| "Girl Friday" | 2003 | Captain Haus | "Follow me" featured in BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad. |
| "Sensation" | 2004 | ||
| "Hit in the USA" | DefStar | Theme song for "BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad." | |
| "Feel" | 2005 | ||
| "Love Potion No. 9" | |||
| "Day After Day/Solitaire" | |||
| "I Can See Clearly Now" | |||
| "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight" | 2006 | Used as the fourth opening theme for the 'Bleach' anime. | |
| "Hey Hey Look Look" | 2006 | Opening theme for the TV show 'Kappa Mikey.' | |
| "Ghost" | 2007 | ||
| "Chinese Jet Set" | 2008 | ||
| "Winterlong" | 2008 | Opening theme for 'Juushin Enbu' (Hero Tales). | |
| "'Arienai Kurai Kiseki' (ありえないくらい奇跡) 'Much Impossible Miracle'" Collaborated with Ayano Tsuji |
EP/Misc
| Title | Year | Type | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 'Never Pop Enough' | '1999' | 'EP' | \Lastrum |
| 'Howling Symphony Of...' | '1999' | 'EP' | |
| A PopCalypse Now: Jigoku no Pop Shiroku' (A PopCALYPSE NOW ～地獄のPOP示録～, A Poppukaripusu Nau ~Jigoku no Poppu Shiroku~)' | '2004' | 'EP' | DefSTAR |
| 'Compi Crusaders '68-'77 vol. 37' | '2005' | 'Compilation' | |
| 'LOST CRUSADERS' | '2010' | 'Live album' |
Compilations
| Title | Year | Type | Label | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BEST CRUSADERS | 2003 | Best of | Lastrum | Collection of tracks from their original lineup released under Lastrum. |
| VERY BEST CRUSADERS | 2009 | DefSTAR | Selection of singles issued through DefSTAR starting in 2005. | |
| REST CRUSADERS | 2010 | Includes singles, B-sides, and rare tracks. | ||
| LUST CRUSADERS | 2010 | Lastrum | Features rare and previously unreleased songs from their indie period. |
Split albums
| Title | Year | Split With | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| WXY | 2001 | Captain Hedge Hog | Lastrum |
| Diggin' in the Street | 2002 | Rude Bones | |
| Ozzy!! | Sk@ymate's | ||
| Booootsy | 2006 | Your Song Is Good | DefSTAR |
| Cell No.9 | Tropical Gorilla | ||
| Night on the Planet | 2007 | Asapragus |