Today, we listen to Hi-Standard — a Japanese band formed in 1991, whose members clearly listened to a lot of American punk rock from the 1980s. They mostly sing in English, which doubtless makes them sound more American. But they just have the sound down. And they are great players. And they have a sense of humor with covers of Saturday Night and The Kids Are Alright and a great version of California Dreamin’. (Really. Listen to it. Click it. I’ll wait… Great, right?)

We are going to listen to “Maximum Overdrive” off their first album, Growing Up. Special attention should be paid to Akira Tsuneoka on the drums. He’s just amazing. I mean, they all are, but especially him. I love this band. They are the find of the week.