From smooth, bossa-tinged, ultra fashionable tracks to dreamy yet solid electro pop, the duo of Maiko Mogi and Naoya Yuda navigate through all sorts of twee bedroom grooves as Red Sun.
Formed around 2000, the duo has released a number of albums over the years. They mostly blend singer Maiko's mid-range, smokey voice with the equally muted and organic synths. If it wasn't for their total reliance on electronics, Red Sun might be almost bluesy or have a hint of a lounge vibe at times. They definitely like to work a groove rather than show off a bunch of flashy tricks or frantic tempos. Instead they just let the songs float along at their own pace.
The do ramp up the volume from time to time though, as seen most clearly on their newest mini-album Escape, Please. Three of the album's five tracks are indeed on the soft side, but the album opener "笑う泥棒" has a real stomp to it, and the title track is an instant hit that will glue itself to your brain after the very first listen. If ever you needed proof that good things can sometimes come in small, unassuming packages, then look no further than Red Sun.
In case you've been wondering where all the daily content has been here on the A-Z, well, what can I say? Life is busy and Zac is lazy.
But that doesn't mean that I've been totally dormant! Just in case you didn't already know, I am also a regular contributor to Japanator. A few of the recent Japanese music related things I've done over there include:
- A review of sorts of the newest Perfume album called Triangle. I don't exactly give it high marks for originality, and I think that raised the dander of some of the more hardcore fans...
- Another somewhat snarky review of the new album from the crazy vis-kei band Mix Speaker's Inc. called Monsters Junk in My Pocket. While I don't really find anything interesting about the music, you really need to check out their totally over-the-top (even for vis-kei!) style.
- An exclusive interview with American songwriter and performer Becca. She's managing to make a name for herself in Japan. She also just recently played at Otakon 2009.
Something else that I had nothing to do with but that I know readers will be interested in is the coverage of Kanon Wakeshima's recent stop over in LA for a live show and autograph session. Ace0fClub5 once again managed to get some amazing photos of the event.
So, things may be a little quiet here from time to time, but I'm certainly not slowing down. (Oh yeah, there's all that new stuff for Otaku USA Magazine too...) Maybe just choosing my battles a little more carefully. But never fear! More is on the way.
Also, show 100 soon. Tell me what you want me to do in celebration because I've been sitting out in the sun too much to think the brain stuff about the things.
0:14:12 Matryoshka - Niedola - Demo [BUY] 0:18:25 Mono - The Battle to Heaven - Hymn to the Immortal Wind [BUY] 0:31:00 Ling Tosite Sigure - mib126 - Just A Moment [BUY]
I was originally going to post one of my favorite videos of all time, "Strobolights" by Supercar, when I ran across this. It's the entire song created using one KORG EMX-1, and it's pretty amazing! It might help if you're familiar with the song (or, like me, have listened to it at least a million times...) but even if you're not, I think you can appreciate this.
More after the jump!
Sex Machineguns "Pride"
Relatively new stuff from Sex Machineguns. Not nearly as funny or as crazy as most of their past videos, but at least there's a lot of fire! What's all the weightlifting about?
Immi "Wonder"
Here's the video for the new EP from Immi. I guess I can't really say very much about it. It looks nice, but really doesn't do anything very interesting. The dancing star people are a nice touch.
Denki Groove "Mononoke Dance"
Going back just a bit for this one from Denki Groove. This one features some crazy yokai action and "animation." Make sure you watch all the way to the end for a special twist! :D
This one has been making the rounds, and with very good reason. It's incredible! This is video from the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium in Japan. If you can, make sure to watch this on the HD setting at full-screen. Try not to fall in!
That's it for this week. Do you have anything cool to share that you've seen lately?
There's that old saying as to how writing about music is like dancing about architecture. If ever that sentiment were true (and obviously I disagree to a certain extent) then there was never a better example than the music of Merzbow. Not that most people would dare call any of his hundreds of releases "music" or even "experimental." They are, quite simply, noise. Static. Sounds pushed well beyond the normal limits and distorted into new forms of sonic abuse.
That's not to say everything he does is purely idiot white noise. Quite the contrary. While the end result my be difficult to wrap one's hard around, it's obvious that the process of making his tracks hold great meaning Masami Akita, the man behind the machines. One can quickly see how his music could hold the same meaning as a lead vocalist shouting about injustice at the top of his lungs. Plus much of Akita's work revolves around short loops of much more recognizable sounds like drums synths and other, natural sounds, a tendency no doubt due to his early beginnings with analog tape. These simple sounds are then run though the Merz-machines and transformed into stark, shrieking soundscapes.
Akita has found a large wealth of support outside of the noise world. Perhaps most notably he's worked closely with Mike Patton, vocalist for Faith No More, Fantomas and many, many other projects. Massive rock band Boris is another group that has collaborated with Merzbow, several times in fact. Two personal favorites have been his Satanstornade collaboration with Russel Haswell and the epic live show he performed with the Finnish duo Pan Sonic which was later released as V.
When it all ends, it is the silence that is deafening. His work is at times beautiful, at other times awful, and that's exactly his point. Perhaps his approach is best summed up with this quote: "The effects of Japanese culture are too much noise everywhere. I want to make silence by my noise."
Sep 22 Houston,TX - Walters on Washington Sep 23 Baton Rouge, LA - Spanish Moon Sep 24 Atlanta, GA - Masquerade (Hell Stage) Sep 25 Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506 Sep 26 Washington, DC Rock and Roll Hotel Sep 27 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church Sep 28 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom Sep 29 Brooklyn, NY - The Bell House Sep 30 Cambridge, MA - Middle East Downstairs Oct 01 Montreal, QC - La TuLipe Oct 02 Toronto, ON - Lees Palace Oct 03 Detroit, MI - Magic Stick Oct 04 Chicago, IL - Bottom Lounge Oct 05 Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock Social Club Oct 08 Vancouver, BC - Biltmore Cabaret Oct 09 Seattle, WA - Neumos Oct 10 Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge Oct 12 San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall Oct 13 Los Angeles, CA - El Rey Theatre Oct 14 Tucson, AZ - Club Congress Oct 16 Denton, TX - Hailey's Oct 17 Austin, TX - The Mohawk
Aug 15 - @ PEACE PLAZA MTV IGGY STAGE - 12 noon to 6 pm - FREE SHOW - Japantown Aug 16 - @ YOSHI'S - San Fransisco - show start 8 pm Aug 17 - The Roxy Theatre - West Hollywood
0:14:18 Kago Ai - Children of the Night - No Hesitation [BUY] 0:17:41 Akeboshi - Kamisama no Shitauchi - Faerie Punks [BUY] 0:21:05 Mouse on the Keys - Ouroboros - An Anxious Object [BUY]
With that in mind, let's jump right to the videos...
The Telephones "Monkey Discooooooo"
New music from The Telephones. This video reminds be a little of the Vola and the Oriental Machine clip I posted last week. This one isn't quite as awesome as the Vola vid, but it's still a lot of fun to watch.
Ogre You Asshole "Pinhole"
The newest single/EP from Ogre You Asshole. I have a feeling this would be really cool to see in proper HD. The stuff with the trees in the dark at the end is great. It's just a really nice song.
Mix Speaker's,Inc. "Innocent World"
All I can really say about this new video from Mix Speaker's,Inc. is that it's absolutely hilarious. At least that damn "Turtle God" guy (Seek, formerly from Psycho le Cemu) and his damn turtle dance. So funny...
Red Bacteria Vacuum "Roller Coaster"
Japan Nite recently announced a few new US shows coming up in August. I hadn't heard of the all girl punk band Red Bacteria Vacuum before, so I looked them up, and this is what I found. Impressive! Sounds like the could give Guitar Wolf a run for their money.
"IDM Kid"
This week's non-Japanese video is this. Some little girl making random noises that are then cut-up and mixed in a sort of IDM style. It takes a while to really get going, so make sure to watch all the way to the end. Cute!
Welcome the Best Japanese Albums of 2009, Japanator Radio edition!
Just in case you missed, we recently took a look back at the last six (or so) months of Japanese releases, compiling them into two separate lists. The list on Japanator was a little bit pop, the one on here on my blog was a little bit rock and roll. Together they are a 20 album list of fury!
This week on Japanator Radio, we take 13 of those 20 and smoosh them all together for your listening enjoyment.
What are you looking forward to hearing in the second half of the year? Me? The new Vola and the Oriental Machine and Polysics albums top the list. How about you?
0:25:42 Break: Gackt - Blue Lagoon - Ghost (Single) [BUY]
0:26:54 Mono - Ashes in the Snow - Hymn to the Immortal Wind [BUY] 0:37:47 Matryoshka - Sink into the Sin (World's End Girlfriend Remix) - Coctura [BUY] 0:47:30 Susumu Hirasawa - Oudou Rakudo - Tenko Suru Wakusei [BUY] 0:52:40 8bit Project - Ghibli Medly - Spicy Innovator vs Superior Marionette [BUY]
0:57:36 Break: Gackt - My Father's Day - Single [BUY]
0:58:40 Nirgilis - Chick Chick Chick - RGB [BUY] 1:02:55 Shiho Fujisawa - Funky Girl - Funky Girl [BUY] 1:07:33 YMCK - Song of the Three Star Chef - Family Cooking [BUY]
1:11:44 ED: Shiina Ringo x Saito Neko - Sakuran (Terra ver.) (Inst.) - Heisei Fuuzoku [BUY]
Well, looks like this is quickly turning into little more than a video blog! I assure you, I'm doing all I can to get be to some sort of normal schedule. But until then, hey! More videos!
[UPDATE: Shoot, looks like it was already taken down. Well, just imagine one shot on a white screen with three girls mouthing the lyrics and not moving much.]
Here's one of the new videos from Perfume from their new album/DVD Triangle. I did a quick review of it for Japanator, and I didn't exactly give it a thumbs up. I want to make it clear that I don't hate the album or them. I simply don't think it's a very good album and that the group, on the whole, is sort of played-out. If you like them, great! If not, well that's good too.
But seriously, look at that video. I mentioned it on Twitter yesterday:
How does the biggest pop group in Japan make a video? They rent an HD camera, some lights and a fan for 5 minutes: http://is.gd/1vyY5
Benu, one of my Twitter friends, took me to task for hating on them, and I basically said the above. Also this:
@Benu Oh, and I'll admit that it does look like they put at least twice as much thought and time into the blocking. :D :D <3 <3
All I'm saying is that a little more effort would be nice. That's all!
I must admit, I lost my shit when I first saw this new video from Vola and the Oriental Machine. There are far too many incredible things going on in it...I can't even begin to go into it all. Suffice it to say that I want to immediately fly to Japan after watching it. I'm sure it's like this all the time, right? I cannot get my hands on their new album soon enough!
Here's an example of how to make a simple and cheap video, but also a very interesting one to watch! I think it also helps that the music is crazy good. The best bit? The parts where the drummer is moving his hands fast enough to see the pictures projected on his sticks! It's subtle, but amazing.
I've been waiting for something a little more ass-kicking from these guys, and there's some pretty interesting stuff going on in this song. The video, not so much. But hey, it's certainly orange!
Here's a brief clip featuring the new Abingdon Boys School single that's the opener for the new anime series Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 (as pointed out over on Japanator). Not too much to say about this one other than it's not the greatest thing ABS has done, IMO. All of their recent releases seem to be a little on the weak side. On the other hand, I just might have to check out the anime!
A Plus D - "Stanky Whip"
I love everything about Bootie Blog. This video should be explanation enough.
We have hit the half-way mark on 2009 (well OK, we've gone well past it, but still) so that can only mean one thing. Time to take the first look back at the best Japanese albums of the first half of 2009!
This year, I'm trying something a little different than the past two. Instead of posting one giant list of albums, I've broken it up into two distinct parts. Here at the A-Z you've got the more rock, post-rock, post-punk, post-whatever and indie oriented bands. Over at Japanator you've got the more electro and pop stuff. Neither one is totally one genre or the other, but I thought it would be interesting to see how one list works against the other. So, once you are done soaking up the harder-edged stuff here, make sure to head on over to Japanator for even more.
First off, while none these picks are in any sort of order, I will say that the first three all fall into my own "album of the year" category, each for different reasons. First up is Part of Grace by Lillies and Remains, which I reviewed in full here. The self-produced album is a fascinating mix of darkness and light, with its gothic post-punk guitars and reverberations alongside some very lovely melodies. KENT's deep vocal style is also unique, adding to the swampy mystery. Factor in the all English lyrics, and these guys should have no problem making it big around the world.
On the opposite end of the spectrum lies Just A Moment, the self-produced album from Ling Tosite Sigure. If Part of Grace is a dark, brooding fog, Just A Moment is a violent hurricane. Full of explosive noise as well as equally quiet and calm passages, Just A Moment is a constantly shifting volcanic landscape.
My final pick for unofficial album of the year is Hymn to the Immortal Wind by Mono. The instrumental post-rock group has made a true masterpiece with Hymn. The expansive, lengthy songs all move through several stages, from silence to a roaring clash of guitars, drums and a full string section. Through it all runs a very strong sense of melody, with many painfully beautiful passages. Much like Sigure Ros, Mono provide the listener with all they need to imagine their own personal and/or otherworldly stories.
The song "Little Soldier" on Viridian's debut album Sangenshoku is well worth the price of admission in its own. The rest of the album is more quality indie rock, with singer Sano Hitomi's voice being a stand out, as her tone is more mature and deep than many other female singers. She stays well away from any cutesy flash and instead focuses on simply singing both well and with passion. It's a great album that will both lighten your mood and get you ready to kick a little ass.
Mass of the Fermenting Dregs continues to be one of the most exciting all girl (or, these days, almost all girl) indie-rock bands out there. They manage to pump out some really frenetic rock, while also maintaining their calm, cool and collected demeanor. While World is Yours is really more of a mini-album that a proper full release, it still proves that their ability to produce pulse-pounding anthems is no fluke.
With a healthy disregard for vocal perfection as well as a sometimes loose grove, it might seem like Qomolangma Tomato is falling off the rails from time to time, but rest assured that it's all part of the act. Camouflage is full of otherwise tuneful songs pushed to the brink of self-destruction. They actually aren't as rough as some of the individual songs might make them out to be. Overall, Camouflage is a multifaceted album full of surprises, provided you give it the chance.
At first listen, the new album from rock veterans Straightener is rather unassuming, maybe even little laid back. While they've never been a very extreme rock band, Nexus feels even more mild in temperament than usual. Upon closer inspection, however, the songs really open themselves up and reveal some very solid tunes.
Winnie blends lead male and female vocals just as well as they blend their slightly pop rock sound with much more listenable heavier rock textures. Their swirling guitars and danceable beats set them apart from the regular rock crowd just as their weighty guitar moments set them apart from the typical feel-good dance-rock bands.
While not actually a new album, but rather a remix album, Matryoshka's new release Coctura is nevertheless something totally new. The songs get both the standard remix treatment from the likes of World's End Girlfriend and Headphones Remote, as well as more of a cover song thing with guest vocalists and producers working together. All of this serves only to add even more atmosphere and a sense of reverence to Matryoshka's already moody and muzzy style.
This one is a bit of a cheat, since Back on My Feet is really just a glorified four song single or maybe an EP. Regardless, it's a great little release, worthy of inclusion on the list. While the group's previous album was pretty up-tempo and had a bit of a good-times party vibe, the material on Back on My Feet is darker and more subtle, much like their very early work. The songs take more time to develop and have greater depth. The use of piano and strings along with the usual batch of pounding cut-up drums, guitars and synths adds to the overall more mature and serious mood. Let's just hope we get an album in this style as well.
That's all for now. There's already a list of potentially great releases for the rest of the year, so I'm already excited about things to come!
See something missing? Then by all means write up your own best of list in the comments. Together we can bring all the best music into the light it deserves.
I must admit, some weeks I just let the random shuffle machine put together the show. Oh sure, I'll shift things around a bit to make it a little more listener friendly, but let me tell you, when in doubt, shuffle is an awesome thing to have around. I guess what I'm saying is that this isn't always rocket science, people.
OK, I had just set the previous Videos of the Week post to go live when Jonathan Coulton (who is featured in that post) tweeted this:
@jonathancoulton Amazing video, 64 fans on webcams: http://bit.ly/o9Rcp (via waxy.org)
It all seemed too coincidental, so I just had to post it here as well. Oh, and it doesn't hurt that the video is not only absolutely amazing, but from a Japanese band! The video is from the band Sour. Here's the description of just what the hell is going on:
This music video was shot for Sour's 'Hibi no Neiro' (Tone of everyday) from their first mini album 'Water Flavor EP'. The cast were selected from the actual Sour fan base, from many countries around the world. Each person and scene was filmed purely via webcam.
First off, sorry for the marked lack of updates this week. A combination of work ramping up at, er, work, and some very nice summer days have made it tough to want to sit around inside. I know it goes against the blogger code or something to want to actually spend time in the sun,. but I think I make up for it during the other nine months that we northern dwellers live under a blanket of snow and darkness.
So anyway, things should be picking up soon. Until then here are some new videos!
Aira Mitsuki "Plastic Doll"
First up is this cool new one from picopico pop sensation Aira Mitsuki. This video is full of eye-candy, and the song it actually pretty hard hitting. This whole Auto-Tune fetish-pop movement has gotten totally out of hand, but every once in a while something listenable comes out of it.
OK, let's get more serious after the jump!
Boom Boom Satellites "Back on My Feet"
Back on My Feet is the new single/EP from BBS, and it's a fantastic little collection. I haven't been too into their recent releases because they are all a bit too happy and party-centric. I like that they seem to be getting back into their more atmospheric and darker side on Back on My Feet. It reminds me of early Hybrid as well, what with all the strings and cut up drums. More like this, please!
Versailles "Ascendead Master"
I don't think I've really understood much of what goes on in Versailles videos, and this one is no exception. Something about a girl that the singer is all hot for? And a TV crew is filming them in a church for some reason? Whatever. I'm sure it's all part of some long-running story that I've been missing out on.
School Food Punishment "Butterfly Swimmer"
Here's the new one from SFP. Definitely more pop and mainstream than their previous releases, but then again it's not like there were ever that far-out to begin with. Still, they are on a major label now, so there you go...It all feels just a little too bland to me.
Puffy "Dareka Ga"
New song from Puffy. I really like their very early music, and this is almost along those lines. Still, it's super pop-rock like way too much of their recent stuff. I think if the music matched the video a little more that it might be a better song!
Gackt "Flower" (Karaoke)"
Here's a TV clip of Gackt laying down some karaoke for his newest single "Flower." Hijinx ensue! It's always nice to see Gackt in a less-than-serious mood. Of course all his serious stuff is actually just as silly. It's all a matter of perspective, I guess.
Jonathon Coulton - Live on local NY TV
And finally, for your non-Japanese pick of the week, here's a clip from a local New York news broadcast featuring Jonathon Coulton. It's pretty short, but at least there's a bit of talk with the man.
That's it for this week. Let me know what you're watching!
J-Pop and J-Rock are only the beginning. The modern Japanese music scene is just as vibrant and varied as any other music scene in the world. I'm Zac Bentz, writer, musician, designer and all around Japanese music fanatic. Here I hope to share with you a comprehensive (!!) list of Japanese artists and bands (with a strong focus on underground and indie acts) that you may or may not have heard of, in the hopes of expanding our mutual awareness of Japanese music.
I don't mean to suggest that everything I listen to is great. Quite the contrary, I hope that you will take the time to recommend your own favorite artists in the comments so that we can all learn a bit more about the huge range of Japanese music that's out there.
"The best Japanese music blog in the world." - Door Slam "Definitely a must-visit for J-pop and J-rock fans!" -The Otaku "Zac Bentz loves music. A lot." -Japanator "Very cool!" -J-ENT "...one of the foremost blogs and information centers on all J-pop and J-rock...the top source for tour information on Japanese bands in the US..." -YankeeOtaku "Wer mehr darüber wissen will, der sollte sich mal hier umschauen, ein sehr gutes J-Music Blog übrigens." -CommandSheep "...very well-written, and there’s an excellent range of artists...a useful resource." -International Wota "не плохая энциклопедия японских исполнителей/групп" -Diary.ru "Great resource for Japanese music fans who want to explore today's J-rhythms beyond Johnny's Entertainment bishonen music and anime music. XD" -Kaishi "If you are a J-Rock fan, [ZB's A-Z] is a must see." -Crunchyroll community "Otaku USA magazine finally got wise and hired Zac Bentz as a J-music contributing editor."-Radicalpatriot "Reviews practically every Asian band that has ever created a recording."- Zallie "Gewährt spannende Einblicke in die japanische Musikszene." -Laut.de
