When the Tohoku earthquake struck, Takeshi Hosomi was in the studio recording with his band The Hiatus. “It was a hard experience because we had to face the real meaning of being a musician,” the singer says about halting work on their new album A World Of Pandemonium. “All I could do was go up north and help as a volunteer,” continues the frontman for alt-rock juggernaut Ellegarden, who are currently taking a break from activity. Hosomi helped out in Ishinomaki, Kesennuma and other locations. “I always want to say to people, ‘Hey wake up, do you think it’s going to last forever?’ I thought 3/11 might provide that moment, but nobody wants to listen.” Despite appearances, the album title doesn’t refer to the disaster. “This record is all about my perspective on the world,” explains Hosomi in English learned in a brief stint as a Silicon Valley software engineer. “To me chaos is kind of a good thing—it also means chance… opportunity.” Hosomi still hopes 3/11 can provide the ...