It was strange how I discovered this group (and nailed down the real way this band’s name is spelled). First the discovery. I first found out about Hoover’s Ooover by way of their side-band, Temp5. Their only song on YouTube, H, was a sad but lovely song. I found out about it via SparkPlugged. I was wondering if there was more music to be had from this band. Unfortunately, H was, and still is, the only song on YouTube. . On the official page for Temp5, I noticed the URL containing the words Hoover Ooover and the katakana on the page フーバーオーバー. After a moment, I realized that the singer and guitarist are from this band, and so I listened to their music. I was instantly hooked to the 70s sound that this band replicated. But what about the name? Well, that too was an odyssey. To cut to the chase, the official Hoover’s Ooover website had the official romanji spelling containing the ‘s after Hoover. *sigh* Anyway, enough stalling. Time to hear some music.

Hoover’s Ooover – Timer

Considering that this is the first song after hearing “H” and knowing nothing about this band beforehand, this song surprised me. But I was really sucked into the 70s, surf-rockish sound that these guys were going for. You’ll immediately notice how great Masami Iwasawa’s singing is. It’s actually slower than the other song’s Hoover’s Ooover has done (you’ll see in a sec). The guitarist is pretty badass, especially with the repeated motion done to him around 1:00. Overall both the video and the song’s got a lot of style.

Hoover’s Ooover – Hattenka

Now here’s a song that shows how fast Iwasawa can sing. You’ll also notice that the setting and mood is a bit more cheery than Timer. I really have nothing much to say about this. It’s bright, colorful, and uplifting.

Hoover’s Ooover – Tansansui (Carbonated Water)
Tansansui (Or Carbonated Water) is another song where Iwasawa sings slower. However, there is one moment, around 2:26, where she does actually singer faster. It’s… interesting though. It’s as if it is her solo. Like, how a guitar has a solo moment where the riffs are faster and technically more difficult. Here, she sings faster, like her voice is the guitar riffing fast. That’s an impressive choice in my book. The song itself is noticeably a more modern sounding than their 70’s sound. Not a problem though. The chorus has a great chord progression too. The video is pretty funny too with the antics of the guy with the mustache.

Temp5 – H
Finally, here’s the song that introduced me to Hoover’s Ooover. As stated earlier, Temp5 is a side band formed by singer Masami Iwasawa and guitarist Naoki Endo.You’ll notice, both in video and song, that this is a more somber song than what Hoover’s Ooover’s performed. The sound has a very sad vibe, yet sounds as if there is a glimmer of hope. You can hear small bits of her rapid singing style pop in when leading up to the choruses. As for the video, it’s an interesting concept, as the woman “plugs” in her headphones into the plant, and begins to break down as the plant begins to die. It’s almost as it she’s hearing the pain the plants are going through. However, she’s surrounded by the barbed wire, thus she can’t help. Unfortunately for this song, it’s actually pretty short. It’s sad too. It’s such a beautiful song too. Just when you think there’s more, it ends. Temp5, make longer songs!
Hoover’s Ooover Official Website
Temp5 Official Website