New Japanator Radio is up! It's the special 3 year anniversary, episode number 150, show. You would think that with all that that I would have done something extra special to celebrate. Nope. Not a thing! Check it out anyway, I guess.
The October 2010 issue of Otaku USA Magazine is out an I've got a butt-load of new album reviews in it. Lillies and Remains' Meru, D'espairsRay's IMMORTAL, Dazzle Vision's to the next, Aural Vampire's Zoltank and Boom Boom Satellites' 19972007. Pfew!
And of course there are the usual anime, manga, cosplay and video game goods and much much more. Sorry for the delay in letting you know. Run and and see if you can still find a copy before it's too late!
Base Ball Bear are set to release two new albums simultaneously at the end of September, Detective Boys and Cypress Girls. For the past few months they've been releasing short clips of songs from the albums along with rough video of the band in the studio fooling around. This video for "十字架 YOU and I" is the first that features an entire song as well as a proper video. It's animated in a style that seems to cross bits of Evangelion, FLCL and classic Gainax imagery. There's also some nice water coloring going on. The song isn't spectacular, but along with the video it makes for an enjoyable few minutes.
It's too early to call Album of the Year, but boy, let me tell you, Seven Idiots by World's End Girlfriend is currently at the top of my list. Every song is challenging yet full of melody and infectious ideas. As soon as you think you know what's going on, they shift into some other space. This video for "Les Enfants du Paradis" is the prefect example. While it's the most user-friendly song on the album, it also makes people pay attention and stay alert for sharp turns. I'm no fan of modern dance, but Masako Yasumoto's performance* is perfect for the music. She seems to be some lonely spirit unable to stop herself from dancing, while at the same time longing for a partner to dance with. Of course, this being World's End Girlfriend, she never finds one.
September 25 - October 10 X-Japan North American Tour
Sep 25 - Wiltern Theater, Los Angeles, CA Sep 28 - Fox Theater, Oakland, CA Oct 01 - Paramount Theater, Seattle, WA Oct 03 - Queen Elizabeth Theater, Vancouver, BC CANADA Oct 06 - Riviera, Chicago, IL Oct 07 - Massey Hall, Toronto, ON CANADA Oct 10 - Roseland Ballroom, New York, NY
August 26 - November 20 Peelander Z * = with Tsushimamire US Tour
08/26 Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar 08/28 Cambridge, MA @ The Middle East 08/29 Providence, RI @ AS220 08/31 Hamilton, ON @ The Casbah 09/01 Toronto, ON @ Velvet Underground 09/02 Toronto, ON @ The Silver Dollar Room 09/03 London, ON @ Call The Office 09/04 Montreal, PQ @ Il Motore 09/05 Kingston, ON @ The Mansion 09/23 New York, NY @ Santo’s Party House w/ Guitar Wolf 09/28 Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar 09/29 Richmond, VA @ The Camel 10/01 Nashville, TN @ Grimey’s In-Store 10/02 Nashville, TN @ Next Big Nashville 10/05 New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jacks 10/07 Austin, TX @ End of an Ear In-Store 10/07 San Marcos, TX @ Triple Crown 10/09 El Paso, TX @ Chalk The Block Festival 10/11 Denton, TX @ Rubber Gloves 10/12 Oklahoma City, OK @ Conservatory 10/13 Lawrence, KS @ Replay Lounge 10/14 Indianapolis, IN @ Melody Inn 10/15 Detroit, MI @ Lager House w/ Birthday Suits 10/17 Minneapolis, MN @ Turf Club w/ Birthday Suits 10/18 Fargo, ND @ The Aquarium 10/19 Sioux Falls, SD @ Nutty’s North w/ Birthday Suits 10/20 Lincoln, NE @ Knickerbockers 10/21 Denver, CO @ Hi – Dive 10/22 Salt Lake City, UT @ Burt’s Tiki Lounge 10/23 Boise, ID @ Neurolux 10/24 Seattle, WA @ Fun House 10/25 Portland, OR @ Berbati’s Pan 10/31 Las Vegas, NV @ Double Down Saloon * 11/02 Albuquerque, NM @ Atomic Cantina * 11/03 El Paso, TX @ Low Brow * 11/05 Dallas, TX @ Double Wide * 11/06 Austin, TX @ Fun Fun Fun Fest 11/07 Austin, TX @ Fun Fun Fun Fest 11/09 Pensacola, FL @ Sluggos * 11/10 Tampa, FL @ The Orpheum * 11/11 Sarasota, FL @ Paddy Wagon * 11/12 Gainesville, FL @ Common Grounds * 11/13 Atlanta, GA @ The Earl * 11/14 Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506 * 11/16 Charlotte, NC @ Milestone * 11/17 Washington, DC @ Black Cat 11/18 Philadelphia, PA @ North Star Bar * 11/19 Bordentown, NJ @ Record Collector In-Store 11/20 Cambridge, MA @ Middle East
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
