Japanator Radio 120

Just like clockwork, it's time for ano...What? Oh. We're a day late? Hm.

Just like a pretty reliable clock that's right most of the time but slips from time-to-time, it's another episode of Japanator Radio!

Tons of new stuff this week from Polysics, Gackt, Capsule and more, as well as Halcali in the Artist Spotlight. 

Let's makeup for lost time and get right to the good stuff. Enjoy!

DOWNLOAD EPISODE 120 AT JAPANATOR

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Random updates via Twitter.

Track-list and links after the jump!

0:00:00 iLL - Radio Radio - Force [BUY]

0:00:58 Polysics - VIVA! - Bestoisu!!!! [BUY] (Check out the US tour!)
0:03:53 Abingdon Boys School - Siren - Abingdon Road [BUY]
0:08:37 Versailles - Catharsis - Jubilee [BUY]

0:14:38 BREAK: Super Mario World

0:15:36 Gackt - Stay the Ride Alive - Single [BUY]
0:20:05 alis del lotton ROY' symphonica orchestro - SPARK - NEW MORNING [BUY]
0:23:34 Chara - Gift - Carol [BUY]

0:26:28 BREAK: Super Mario World

Artist Spotlight: Halcali
0:27:49 Halcali - Endless Night - Single [BUY]
0:32:52 Halcali - Twinkle Star - Cyborg Oretachi [BUY]
0:38:05 Halcali - Electric Sensei - Bacon [BUY]
0:41:35 Halcali - Marching March - Ongaku no Susume [BUY]

0:46:38 BREAK: Super Mario World

0:47:14 Capsule - Love or Lies Liar Game - Single [BUY]
0:52:26 Saori@destiny - Ethnic Plante Survival - Single [BUY]
0:56:21 irara & Urara - Cent Metal Boy - Techno Ca-Yo Vol. 3 Cosmic Surfin'

1:00:00 iLL - Radio Radio - Force [BUY]

Explore the Unexplored 21

Some interesting things in this week's Explore the Unexplored post, but then again, that's the whole point, isn't it?

Things are a bit more experimental and quirky this week. alis del lotton ROY' symphonica orchesto is a cool mix of shoegaze, indie rock and piano soaked ballads. Marsh-mallow is a chorus of women singing childlike songs with more serious overtones. wash? is a straight up throwback to '90s era grunge. And there's punk, folk, electro hip-hop and more to check out.

Head on over to the post on HearJapan and see (and hear) for yourself!

Calendar 2010 - GPKISM - US Tour

Jan 28-Feb 8
GPKISM
US Tour with Seileen

Jan 28 - Cure Shop - In store event - Los Angeles, CA
Jan 29 - Bootleg Theater - Los Angeles, CA
Jan 30 - Atomix- San Antonio, TX
Jan 31 - The Middle East- Cambridge, MA
Jan 31 - Tokyo Kid -In store event - Cambridge, MA
Feb 01 - Santos Party House - Manhattan, NY
Feb 03 - Digital Ferret - In store event - Philadelphia, PA
Feb 04 - Tainted Reality Special Radio - Philadelphia, PA
Feb 05 - Polaris - Philadelphia, PA
Feb 06 - Jack Rabbits - Jacksonville, FL
Feb 07 - Quimby’s Bookstore - In store event - Chicago, IL
Feb 07 - Subterranean - Chicago, Illinois
Feb 08 - El Corazon- Seattle, WA

Source: MySpace

Calendar 2010 - Mouse on the Keys - European Tour

March 4-13, 2010
Mouse on the Keys
European Tour

03/04 - Wiesbaden, Germany - Schlachthof
03/05 - Metz, France - Emile Vache Art Cafe 
03/06 - Kassel, Germany - Galerie Loyal
03/07 - Duisburg, Germany - Djzz 
03/08 - Leipzig, Germany - tba 
03/09 - Gdynia, Poland - Ucho Club
03/10 - Poznan, Poland - Pod Minoga Club
03/11 - Krakow, Poland - Club Re
03/12 - Wroclaw, Poland - Firlej
03/13 - Chemnitz, Germany - Weltecho

Best Japanese Albums of 2009

Commenter ramenfreak was asking whether or not I'd be posting a write up of my picks for Best Albums of 2009. Well, in a way I have, but it wasn't written out. Of course you should already know about my pick for album of the year. I also produced two Japanator Radio shows a while back that highlighted my picks for the second half of the year. You can listen to both of those shows here and here.

Before that I did write up two posts covering my best album picks for the first half of the year. Those appeared both here on the A-Z and over on Japanator.

For a quick look at all 33 (Top 10? Ha!) of my picks, see below. But if you want to learn a bit more about them, make sure to read the full posts and listen to the shows!

Oh, and hey, what do you think is missing? All of these are just my own personal opinion. Please feel free to comment in any of these post (this one included) and let me and everyone else know what you love!

8bit Project - Spicy Innovator vs Superior Marionette [BUY it at HearJapan]
Art School - 14SOULS [BUY]
Avengers in Sci-fi - Hyper Space Music - Jupiter Jupiter [BUY]
Ayumi Hamasaki - Next Level [BUY]
Boom Boom Satellites - Back on My Feet [BUY]
Buck-Tick - Memento Mori [BUY]
FLOPPY - Kami Hikouki - Deus Ex Machina [BUY at JapanFiles and HearJapan]
Hosome - Jakamashi Jazz [BUY at HearJapan]
iLL - Force [BUY]
Kanon Wakeshima - Shinshoku Dolce [BUY]
Karen - Sunday Girl in Silence [BUY]
Lillies and Remains - Part of Grace [BUY]
Ling Tosite Sigure - Telecastic Fake Show - Just A Moment [BUY]
Mass of the Fermenting Dregs - World is Yours [BUY it at HearJapan]
Matryoshka - Coctura [BUY]
Molice - Doctor Ray [BUY]
Mono - Hymn to the Immortal Wind [BUY it at HearJapan]
Nirgilis - RGB [BUY]
Ogre You Asshole - Fog Lamp - Fog Lamp [BUY]
OMODAKA - Plum Song - Plum Song EP [BUY at HearJapan]
People in the Box - Tuesday / Sora Shitsu - Ghost Apple [BUY]
Plasticzooms - The Sonnets - Charm [BUY]
Polysics - Fire Bison - Absolute POLYSICS [BUY]
Qomolangma Tomato - Camouflage [BUY it at HearJapan]
sgt. - Capital of Gravity [BUY at JapanFiles and HearJapan]
Shiho Fujisawa - Funky Girl [BUY]
Straightener - Nexus [BUY]
Susumu Hirasawa - Tenko Suru Wakusei [BUY]
Various - 8bit Prophet [BUY it at HearJapan]
Viridian - Sangenshoku [BUY]
Vola & the Oriental Machine - Dead or Dance!! - Sa-Ka-Na Electric Device [BUY]
Winnie - Headquarter [BUY]
YMCK - Family Cooking [BUY]

Otaku USA Magazine - February 2010

Oh hey, looks like I forgot to mention this earlier. So here you go.

The newest issue of Otaku USA Magazine has been out for a while. This time around I've got a big interview with HIGH and MIGHTY COLOR! We talk about their change in lead singer, as well as the new album and much more. And speaking of the new album, I've got a full review of swamp man along with the interview. This is a must have issue for any H&MC fan!

Of course there's also a ton of anime, manga, film, video game, cosplay, figure and other fringe Japanese otaku culture coverage. This really is the best magazine anywhere if you want to know what's really going on. Check it out!

Calendar 2010 - Lite - US Tour

Feb 3rd-12th
Lite
US West Coast Tour

03/04/10 The Blue Lamp,Phoenix
03/05/10 Bootleg Theater,Los Angeles
03/06/10 The Casbah,San Diego
03/07/10 Muddy Waters Coffee House,Santa Barbara
03/08/10 The Blue Lamp,Sacramento
03/09/10 Bottom Of The Hill,San Francisco
03/11/10 Dante's,Portland
03/12/10 Chop Suey,Seattle

Source: MySpace

Explore the Unexplored 20

My new list of best-bets is up over at HearJapan.

This week there are some great new releases from XodiacK (vis-kei) AZRAEL (epic metal), plenty of Hatsune Miku fronted Vocaloid and a great new single from inspire:tion, a shoegaze group that I am very much looking froward to hearing more of. And that's only the beginning!

Jump on over and do some browsing. You're sure to find something great.

Japanator Radio 119

That's right. After a break that was just a little longer than expected, Japanator Radio has returned! Welcome to the future, friends!

And wouldn't you know it, but the future looks an awful lot like the recent past. This week, we've got music from 9mm Parabellum Bullet, The Pillows, Fantastic Plastic Machine and a look at Lite in the Artist Spotlight. Go figure!

You know the drill. It's like riding a bicycle. Just click the links, close your eyes and go!

DOWNLOAD EPISODE 119 AT JAPANATOR

RSS Feed

Random updates via Twitter.

Track-list and links after the jump!

(OP/ED iLL - Radio Radio - Force [BUY])

MOWMOW LULU GYABAN - POP! Oolong-Hai - Noguchi, Kutsukawa de Bakushi [BUY at JapanFiles and HearJapan]
Recoride - Neko Night - Zekkyo Midare Rally Land [BUY]
Fantastic Plastic Machine - If You Do, I Do - FPM [BUY]

BREAK: Powerglove - Mute City - Total Pwnage [BUY]

9mm Parabellum Bullet - Inochi no Zenmai - Single [BUY]
Straightener - Man-Like Creatures - Single [BUY]
toe - After Image - For Long Tomorrow [BUY]

BREAK: Powerglove - Power Rangers - Total Pwnage [BUY]

Artist Spotlight: Lite
Lite - Human Gift - Live in New York [BUY]
Lite - Ghost Dance - Phantasia [BUY]
Lite - Phantasia - Phantasia [BUY]
Lite - The Sun Sank - Turns Red [BUY]

BREAK: Powerglove - Birth of a God - Total Pwnage [BUY]

Winnie - Who's Dreaming Deep - Dye Myself Black [BUY]
Ryuichi Sakamoto - Ambiguos Lucidity - Nord [BUY]
The Pillows - Beyond the Moon - OOPARTS [BUY]

Album Review: Ling Tosite Sigure Just A Moment (Album of the Year 2009)

Just A Moment is the third full-length album, first on major label Sony, released by Ling Tosite Sigure. They are a band that often plays with convention (even the Romanization of their name is sometimes written as Rin Toshite Shigure,) and they push that role to new heights on Just A Moment.

All of the song writing, lyrics and production are handled by the band's front-man Toru “TK” Kitajima. The fact that they are on a major label like Sony, yet maintain their extremely independent spirit, is a testament to the powerful range of skill that the entire trio brings to the table. Indeed, it's easy to forget that this is just three people playing in an otherwise conventional guitar, bass, drums and vocals set-up.

It's that lethal and obsessive production style that sells the album. Allowed that creative freedom, every phrase seems to get a slightly different sonic treatment, with echoes extended to the breaking point, reverb and delays swirling in and out, voices booming, then reduced to radio static. Every note is injected with a massive dose of aural steroids, crushing the air with unrelenting compression and rage. Yet at the same time it's impossible to forget that this is a warm-blooded group. Their lyrics are filled with poetic passion and evocative images. Of course the signature shared male/female lead vocal style is still prominent, most notably on the album's first single “Telecastic Fake Show.” While both TK and bassist Miyoko “345” Nakamura continue to flaunt their disregard for pitch when screaming in their their incredibly high-range voices, they both dial it back much more often than on previous releases to actually sing with great skill. Both “Seacret CM” and “Moment A Rhythm” are full of soft subtlety while still being wrapped in a warm wall of noise.

True to the title, the most precious and beautiful passages often last for a single short moment before being subsumed back into the frothing waves. While all of this intricate attention to detail would seem to make Just A Moment the perfect headphone experience, it in fact works much better when propelled through the air. When allowed to fill a room at full volume, it's as if the entire place begins to whirl with energy. If ever there was a band who could project their inner turmoil into a telekinetic tsunami, it would have to be Ling Tosite Sigure. Just A Moment is an incredible album that will not allow itself to be ignored, a high–water mark for all rock records of the future.

"Telecastic Fake Show"


"Jpop X-File"