This is a brand new video for "Devaloka," a song on the new Lillies and Remains EP Meru. This video doesn't have a lot going on in it, but I think it does a good job of reflecting the gloomy intensity of the song.
I've had the chance to hear the entire release (out in mid-June). It's a solid release and pushes the boundaries of the L&R sound just enough to make it a must-have for fans. If you're new to the band, you can read my review of their previous full length album Part of Grace here.
YouTuber BPtequila69 recently uploaded a bunch of clips from a live show at CLUB ASIA. The show featured a lot of pretty cool bands. I've pasted in a few of my own favorites here, like this one from Plazticzooms. The sounds quality isn't super great, but the video is good.
Hit the jump for a couple more highlights.
Psysalia Psysalis Psyche
I like the Andy Warhol wig.
The Mirraz
There's more or less an entire live show from De De Mouse here. It features some songs from his new album Journey to Freedom as well as some older stuff. It's only four or five songs, but the video quality is excellent!
Check out more of the songs after the jump.
"my favorite swing "
"journey to freedom"
"like your magic"
interview
July 1-4
May'n and Megumi Nakajima
Anime Expo - Los Angeles Convention Center
Source: Japanator
July 1-4
Mell
Anime Expo - Los Angeles Convention Center
Source: Japanator
June 10 - July 4
Miyavi
US/CA Tour
Jun 10 - House Of Blues - San Diego, California, US
Jun 12 - Club Nokia Live - Los Angeles, California, US
Jun 13 - The Grove of Anaheim - Anaheim, California, US
Jun 15 - The Fillmore - San Francisco, California, US
Jun 17 - Commodore Ballroom - Vancouver, British Co, CA
Jun 18 - Showbox - Seattle, Washington, US
Jun 19 - Roseland Theater - Portland, Oregon, US
Jun 23 - House of Blues - Chicago, Illinois, US
Jun 24 - Sound Academy - Toronto, Ontario, CA
Jun 25 - Harpers Ferry - Boston, Massachusetts
Jun 27 - The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza New York, New York , US
Jun 29 - 9:30 Club - Washington, Washington, US
Jul 01 - Masquerade - Atlanta, Georgia, US
Jul 03 - House of Blues - Dallas, Texas, US
Jul 04 - House of Blues - Houston, Texas, US
Source: MySpace
Time for another Explore the Unexplored column over on Hear Japan!
Once again, things start off with a healthy dose of metal. KNIGHTS OF ROUND, HEAD PHONES PRESIDENT and Luzmelt all bring different varieties of metal to the fore. From epic to screamy to visual, there's quite a broad spectrum to sample.
There is also some lighter stuff from Marsh Mallow and trico, some good old indie rock from LOSTAGE and some hardcore punk from HARDCORE FANCLUB, and more. So check out the full post now and discover some new music today.
If there's one thing you can always expect from 8bit, chiptune superstars YMCK, it's consistency. Every song sounds essentially the same and every video looks essentially the same as well. But that's not a bad thing! Everything YMCK does is of a very high quality. Their video for "Endless World" is no different. This one tells the story of an intrepid band of RPG characters as they travel the world, all in glorious 8 and 16 bits. It was the ending theme for the anime series Arad Senki - Surappuappupati.
00:00 iLL - Radio Radio - Force [BUY] 00:48 Dazzle Vision - VISION - to the next [BUY at JapanFiles]
GET THE NEW EPISODE AT JAPANATOR
04:02 Cinema Staff - Boys Will Be Scrap - Symmetoronica [BUY]
07:27 GO!GO!7188 - Fake World - GO!!GO!GO!GO!! [BUY]
12:14 BREAK: God of War III OST [BUY]
13:05 Asian Kung-Fu Generation - Ameagari no Kibou - Maigoniu to Ame no Beat [BUY]
16:41 Honeydip - Suicidal Summer Rider - Groovy Indian Summer [BUY]
21:31 Psysalia Psysalis Psyche - Act I Scene II Tremolo - Matin Brun [BUY at HearJapan and JapanFiles]
26:34 BREAK: God of War III OST [BUY]
Artist Spotlight: Midori
27:28 Midori - Yukiko-san - Aratamemashite, hajimemashite, Midori desu [BUY]
30:30 Midori - Bonyou vs Bou Hiroshi - Shinsekai [BUY]
33:36 Midori - Sayonara, Perfect World - Shinsekai [BUY]
36:15 Howling Jigoku (Feedback Hell) - Aratamemashite, hajimemashite, Midori desu [BUY]
39:40 BREAK: God of War III OST [BUY]
40:34 Aural Vampire - Mad Sports - Zoltank [BUY]
47:20 Boom Boom Satellites - Drain - To the Loveless [BUY]
52:42 Immi - Sign of Love - Single [BUY]
56:19 iLL - Radio Radio - Force [BUY]
This new one from girly pop-rockers Scandal takes objectification to new heights. Sure, they can actually play, but this video is all about fan-service. Oh, and selling bottled water, I suppose. Nothing says "buy our water!" like an up-skirt shot of a Japanese school-girl playing a guitar between her legs. But hey, you know it's what you want, and the Scandal machine is ready to deliver.
If this leaves you wanting more, the single comes with a couple more songs.
This new song from Asian Kung-Fu Generation, titled "Maigoinu to Ame no Beat," is the opening theme to the anime series Yojohan Shinwa Taikei. The show features character design by Yusuke Nakamura, the guy who has done all of the band's amazing album artwork. It's been a couple years since I've watched any anime, but this might just be enough for me to check it out.
Anyway, the actual video for the song is sort of a live-action representation of Nakamura's work, full of animal-headed people and slightly strange objects. I have to admit that I don't really care for the song, but I think it works really well as an anime opening. See below for both the full OP and a preview of the show. The song is available as a single backed with "Ameagari no Kibou."
There has to be a name for this effect where things are continually rushing toward the viewer in a video. It's sort of like the old school rave videos there were always flying through a never ending psychedelic cyber-tunnel.
Anyway, here are GO!GO!7188 doing the crazy roller-coaster graphics thing in "Fake World," with some street dancing mimes thrown in for some reason. The high contrast, almost black and white look works well with the raw, upbeat song. I always prefer my GO!GO! to be fast and upbeat, and "Fake World" delivers. I could do without the mimes, though.
The new album GO!!GO!GO!GO!! is out soon.
There's not much going on in this new video from Boom Boom Satellites. A big, dark room lit by a giant projector flashing a few black and white shapes. Pretty simple idea, but it's really all about the song anyway. "Drain" is BBS at their best, intense and dark and huge. Aimed less at the club scene and more for the fist pumping industrial enthusiasts. Still danceable, but pretty heavy. Let's hope the rest of the album follows suit!
May 26 - June 12
Electric Eel Shock
European Tour Summer 2010
(Peelander Z will support on all dates except Den Haag)
Switzerland:
5/26/2010 - Winterthur @ Gaswerk
5/27/2010 - Luzern @ Bar59
5/28/2010 - Dudingen @ Bad Bonn Kilbi (Festival)
5/29/2010 - Laufen @ Biomill
Germany:
5/30/2010 - Trier @ Ex Haus
6/1/2010 - Hamburg @ Hafenklang
6/2/2010 - Dusseldorf @ FFT
Netherlands:
6/3/2010 - Haarlem @ Patronaat
6/4/2010 - Sevenum @ Rumoer Fest
6/5/2010 - Kaderock, Den Haag (afternoon show, EES only) & Groningen@ Gideon Music Festival
France
6/7/2010 - Montpellier@ SECRET PLACE
Spain:
6/8/2010 - Burgos @ Estudio 27
6/9/2010 - Madrid @ Gruta 77
6/10/2010 - Barcelona @ Zac Club (Venue Change)
6/11/2010 - Valencia @ Durango Club
6/12/2010 - Vitoria @ Helldorado
Source: MySpace
Time for another Explore the Unexplored column over on Hear Japan!
This time around, there are a ton of great new heavy metal releases. Inugami Circus Dan, DELUHI and AREA51 all have top-shelf material.
If metal isn't your game, how about electro? There's a cool new Vocaloid album featuring Hatsune Mike from turnastudio, akiba-kei from MOSAIC.WAV and some genre breaking trance from Nanten and Kaaltechs.
But that's not all! Head on over and check out all the great new stuff available now.
July 4th
Inugami Circus Dan
A-Kon - Dallas, TX
Source: A-Kon
Oct 1 - Nov 6
Vamos
World Tour
Sep 26 - TWTC Nangang Exhibition Hall, Taipei, Taiwan
Oct 01 - AVALON HOLLYWOOD - LOS ANGELES, California, US
Oct 03 - Great American Music Hall - San Francisco, California, US
Oct 09 - ROSELAND BALLROOM - NEW YORK CITY, New York, US
Oct 12 - Sala Apolo - Barcelona, ES
Oct 16 - ESPACE GRANDE ARCHE - PARIS, FR
Oct 23 - SHANGHAI INTERNATIONAL GYMNASTICS CENTER - SHANGHAI, CN
Oct 24 - SHANGHAI INTERNATIONAL GYMNASTICS CENTER - SHANGHAI, CN
Nov 06 - Teatro Caupolican - Santiago, CHILE
Source: MySpace
May 13-18
Ling Tosite Sigure
The Great Escape Festival
5/13 - Volks / Brighton, UK
5/15 - Komedia / Brighton, UK
5/17 - South of the Border / London, UK
5/18 - Barfly / London, UK
Source: Site
[Thanks to Luke for the tip!]
August 1-14
Yoshida Brothers
US Tour
08/01 Washington DC
08/03 New York, NY
08/05 Boston, MA
08/07 Chicago, IL
08/10 San Francisco, CA
08/11 San Francisco, CA
08/12 San Francisco, CA
08/14 Los Angeles, CA
More info TBA
Source: Domo Music Group
May 18-19
Aural Vampire
Honolulu gigs
May 18
PipeLine Cafe
Honolulu, HI
http://www.pipelinecafehawaii.com
May 19
DJ RAVEMAN @ LOFT
Honolulu, HI
Source: MySpace
Mowmow Lulu Gyaban is a trio made up of two guys and a girl, playing fractured jazz pop and experimental new-wave electro-rock.
In a way, this wide range of styles makes it hard to really get into the band at first. All of what they do is high-quality, but the way styles jump around actually makes it a little tough to stick with the album as a whole. The jump from the frantic, playful chaos of "POP! Oolong-Hai" to the almost lounge-like feel of the much more serious "Contact" takes some work to follow. Then there's the old-school new-wave of "Kimi no Skirt o Mekuritai" that sounds as if it were pulled right out of the Plastics back-catalog. Well, if it wasn't for the total destruction the song undergoes several times. That's not to say there aren't music fans out there who can't appreciate sheer noise and solid song-writing at the same level. The somewhat unique mix of drums, bass and rhodes keyboard sounds goes a long way to keeping the disparate elements returning to a cohesive whole. If nothing else, there is no mistaking when you are listening to Mowmow Lulu Gyaban.
It's the band's live performances that really bring the songs to life. Seen in this context, everything starts to make perfect sense. While the songs on the album feature a more sonically diverse palette, their live presentation makes their crazier stuff much more digestible. Instead of being a zany, somewhat inscrutable collection of music, they become something almost like a normal rock band, sans-guitar. They keep their slightly arty-feel while pushing their harder rock sound to the fore.
Mowmow Lulu Gyaban is a band with many facets that seem to shift depending on the situation. From one song to the next, from live to in the studio, they present a new face at every turn. All of which makes the whole more understandable and providing a deeper level of appreciation. Mowmow Lulu Gyaban is no one-trick pony and it will be interesting to see how they develop.
BUY MOWMOW LULU GYABAN RELEASES FROM JAPANFILES, HEARJAPAN AND CDJAPAN
Official Site
MySpace
Members:
Gary Yajima - Drums, Vocals
MARU - Bass
Oie U-ko - Keyboard, Vocals
Releases:
Noguchi, Kutsukawa de Bakushi - 2010
May 11-22
Lillies And Remains
UK tour
11th May South of the Border, Old Street, London
12th May Flowerpot, Camden, London
13th May The Dublin Castle, Camden, London
14th May The Jam Clubnight, The Great Escape, Brighton
15th May Basement, The Great Escape, Brighton
19th May Windmill, Brixton, London
20th May Leaf Cafe, Liverpool Sound City, Liverpool
22th May Bumper, Liverpool Sound City, Liverpool
Source: It Came From Japan
June 27 - July 13
Versailles Philharmonic Quintet
World Tour
June 04 Sao Paulo / BRAZIL
June 06 Santiago / CHILE
June 09 Buenos Aires / ARGENTINA
June 11 Lima / PERU
June 13 Mexico City / MEXICO
June 27 Moscow / RUSSIA
June 29 Helsinki / FINLAND
June 30 London / UK
July 02 Baecelona / SPAIN
July 03 Montpellier / FRANCE
July 06 Amsterdam / HOLLAND
July 07 Cologne / GERMANY
July 09 Hamburg / GERMANY
July 11 Budapest / HUNGARY
July 13 Paris / FRANCE
Source: Site
Utada Hikaru is possibly the biggest pop idol in Japan today. With an estimated 50 million chart-topping albums sold worldwide, she certainly has the numbers to prove it.
Born in America to Japanese parents who were themselves steeped in music, Utada has a multifaceted appeal. While her American album releases have been a relative flop (Exodus selling only 55,000 albums and This is the One failing to chart well for the first time in 11 years) her Japanese fan base has remained rock solid. She isn't as traditionally Japanese sounding as some other R'n'B and pop acts. Her singing style, while not overly adventurous, has a deeper and more mature diva-like quality than, say, some of the more cutesy, pre-teen idols.
Her music contains much of the usual cardboard-box production heard in the pop world. (Is there really any reason that the biggest artist in Japan has to use fake strings and factory pre-set beats?) While her albums may disregard musical sophistication, they do a good job of focusing almost entirely on her stronger vocal skills. Her early releases have an R'n'B feel to them, but much of that seems to have changed as time went by. Today her production seems to conform to more traditional J-pop standards, leaning toward a darker, almost trip-hop feel at times, countered with dance beats, pretty twinkles and electro flourishes. Utada has occasionally experimented with slightly heavier rock sounds, but they feel a bit lifeless when compared to more experienced pop-rockers like Ayumi Hamasaki or even Mika Nakashima.
Despite struggling for an audience overseas, Utada Hikaru is an undeniable force. Still in her 20s, she has a lifetime to evolve as an artist and she's already well on her way in developing her own voice, both literally and figuratively. Whether or not she chooses to continue following that path, you can be sure she will have a million people in step close behind her.
Check out my band The Surfactants!
Visit our site and MySpace, and buy the album via Amazon and iTunes.
