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.
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
April 30 - May 15
It Came From Japan
UK Tour
Featuring Lillies and Remains, Natccu, Sunset Drive and Sputniko!
April 30 + 1 May - BRIGHTON
Moshi Moshi Sushi
outdoor festival
Natccu (both days), Sunset Drive (both days) and Sputniko! (May 1)
Free entry! Japanese stalls and food, etc
2 May - LONDON
The Camden Crawl
@ The Fiddler’s Elbow
Natccu, Sunset Drive and Sputniko!
Compere: Rock’n'roll comedian (and Electric Eel Shock’s manager) Bob Slayer. Daytime show! Free sushi! Free entry with festival pass
3 May - BOURNEMOUTH
Solid Air: Mayday! Mayday!
@ The Winchester
Natccu, Sunset Drive
Free entry! Plus other bands from around the world
7 May - LIVERPOOL
Zanzibar
Sunset Drive
8 May - LONDON
Terracotta Film Festival
afterparty @ Slug & Lettuce, Soho
Sunset Drive
12 May - LONDON
Dublin Castle
Sunset Drive
13 May - BRISTOL
Mother’s Ruin
Natccu, Sunset Drive
Free entry! Plus local bands
14 May - LONDON
White Light
@ The Lexington
Natccu
15 May - BRIGHTON
The Great Escape
@ The Basement
Natccu, Sunset Drive, Lillies And Remains
Compere: TV/radio presenter and Japanese music buff Iain Lee. Daytime show! Free sushi! Free beer! Free entry with festival pass
Source: itcamefromjapan.co.uk/
Plasticzooms is a dingy goth rock band from Japan. Much like Lillies and Remains (more on them in a second) the band blends late '70s and early '80 goth punk with more modern-day post-punk with electro flourishes (My Bloody Valentine, Bauhaus etc...) Their production seems to be intentionally gritty most of the time. Both Sho (male) and back up vocalist TIF (female) sing entirely in English, though it's so heavily accented as to make it virtually another language.
Speaking of bandleader and front-man Sho, he is also the support bassist for the aforementioned Lillies and Remains. Both bands a quite similar, so it's safe to say that if you like one, you'll like the other. In fact, Sho even sings in the same low register as L&R singer Kent. The main difference is that Sho is much more likely to scream and screech. Plasticzooms is also more abrasive and raw, again due in no small part to Sho's performance. Unsurprisingly, the two bands often play live shows together.
Sho also seems to be the band's visual designer. He has a selection of art on their MySpace page, (the band doesn't seem to have any other web presence as of this writing) including the album artwork and t-shirts. As for albums, they have only one mini-album out so far. The five original songs are supplemented with five remixes by other artists, including the current buzz-band Selfish Cunt. A coup, indeed. Unfortunately, the remixes only detract from the album, as the band's own work is very good. On their own, the five originals make a spectacular debut devoid of the need for any embellishment. Keep your eyes on these guys.
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.
OK, on with the list!
Lillies and Remains - Part of Grace [BUY IT]
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.
Ling Tosite Sigure - Just A Moment [BUY IT]
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.
Mono - Hymn to the Immortal Wind [BUY IT]
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.
Viridian - Sangenshoku [BUY IT]
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 - World is Yours [BUY IT]
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.
Qomolangma Tomato - Camouflage [BUY IT]
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.
Straightener - Nexus [BUY IT]
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 - Headquarter [BUY IT]
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.
Matryoshka - Coctura [BUY IT]
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.
Boom Boom Satellites - Back on My Feet [BUY IT]
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.
There are two lines on Part of Grace, the first full-length release from Lillies and Remains, that basically sum up the entire album for me. The first is from the second track, "The Fake." The song itself is a dangerous, throbbing slab of post-punk doom. In this context, the line "The more I heard your song / The more I wanna write my own songs" could be construed either as inspirational or confrontational. This ambiguous split between positives and negatives seems to be exactly what Lillies and Remains is all about. They are constantly riding the line between sin and virtue, darkness and light. Their music follows suit, one the one hand bring raw and stark, frenetic and somewhat lethal, while on the other hand being incredibly beautiful at times, showing a soft and vulnerable underbelly under the scarred carapace.
The other stand-out line (and, it should be noted, all of the lyrics are in English) is on their very first single "Moralist S.S.," a song original released on their debut EP of the same name. Chanted several times is the line "Obeying my steady view / I bring you down." Again, this rather ominous statement could be seen as coming from either the protagonist or from an outside source, being a positive or negative idea. Either way, it's an obvious show of superiority through a sort of silent intimidation. Something almost vampiric.
[Hit the jump for more]
"Moralist S.S."
The fight between these dark and light feelings runs throughout Part of Grace. The biggest contributing factor has to be front-man KENT's baritone vocals. His low-register delivery is something unique not only in Japanese singers specifically, but in most modern post-punk styles in general. He doesn't croon in that mid to high falsetto so often seen in arty, beard wearing young bands trying to prove their emotional fragility though some sort of coquettish, effeminate boy. No, KENT plays the dark, brooding, well dressed mysterioso to a "t." The album's production follows suit, itself being raw and devoid of artifice. This is likely due in no small part to the fact the KENT produced the entire album, as well as writing all the words and music. The music sometimes echoes in a damp cave, sometimes creeps right up into your ear, but its intentions are always a very clear "beware."
All of this isn't to say that the band is crushingly brooding or always serious. They come for them school of "fun" goth right, if there can be such a thing in these post irony days. Everything they do has a definite pulse, a life that makes the songs infectious and groovy. Some more than others, like the swaggering "Unmade Schemer" and the desert-washed "Grind." There are also the pop-tinged "Wreckage" and "Part of Grace," the latter of which is an actual ballad of sorts. The album is bookended with two hidden gems, the opener "ARGO" and closer "Upsetter." Again, that theme of dark and light are in full force, with both songs full of very pretty melodies surrounded by a smoky darkness and melancholy. Both songs hint at an urgent need to "be let go," of misunderstanding and of being trapped. Of a feeling that there must be something more to life.
"Wreckage"
Perhaps it's this unbalanced feeling, the thought that what you know is wrong and that there has to be something, not necessarily better, but something "else" that helps make part of Grace such a fascinating work. Of course KENT and his band are working in a certain genre, but at the same time they manage to avoid all of the clichés, both in tone and production. The astonishing thing is that Part of Grace is only their first full album after being together for only a couple of years. It is a tremendously strong first step toward what we can only hope will be a long and prolific career.
You can buy Lillies and Remains CDs here and get all of their releases from iTunes.
Just now, just as I was about to start on this, I realized that it has officially been one year since I started writing for Otaku USA Magazine. What? It also turns out that with the June 2009 issue, Otaku USA itself is two years old. Sure, that probably doesn't amount to a hill of beans in your world, but to me it's pretty alright.
Anyway, the new issue is out, and it's also pretty alright. I've got an exclusive interview with the founder of Japan Nite, Audry Kimura. Did you know that the tour was eleven years old this year? I think it's safe to say that Audry is the hardest working woman in the already daunting business of bringing bands from Japan to the US.
I've also got a couple albums reviews: The VORC compilation Squarewave Surfers: memory of 8bit, and the incredible Moralist S.S. EP from Lillies and Remains.
But that's just the music section. There's also a massive feature on the new Street Fighter IV game, tons of film and anime coverage, way more manga stuff than you can handle, cosplay, toys, news...the list goes on and on for 128 pages. I'm sure you're sick of me saying it, but Otaku USA Magazine really is the best, most diverse and most open minded otaku-lifestyle magazine around. (Oh yeah, and also the only one around.) I really hope you check it out!
The new single from the great new gothy/post-punk band Lillies and Remains is up on iTunes (as is their first E.P.)
"Wreckage" is the first single from the band since their very first release, the superb Moralist S.S. E.P. Much of that debut is full of very dark, yet rather energetic goth/indy-rock ala Bauhaus (their namesake) and other early, angular acts. "Wreckage," the first look at what the band might be gravitating toward on the next album, is much softer and tame by comparison. It still has that slightly muffled and brooding atmosphere, rife with reverb and delay, but the melody is very pretty and gentle, as opposed to the more confrontational tone on Moralist S.S. It's very much like Bloc Party's softer ballads, with its heavily delayed and clean guitars and thick chorus of sighing vocal harmonies. It's not lethargic by any means and still retains the band's danceable groove, but all of the rough corners have been rounded off.
It's obviously too early in the game to say that the rest of the next album from Lillies and Remains will fall in line with the softer tone set by "Wreckage." It could simply be that they are putting their more palatable foot forward before revealing the ax behind their back. Let us hope that is the case.
You can listen to the song on their MySpace page, and buy it for $.99 on iTunes, which I highly recommend.
Once you know that "Lillies and Remains" is originally the title of a Bauhaus song, the pieces very quickly fall into place. Well that, and the fact the front-man Kent is the spitting aural image of Peter Murphy (at least in his lower/more monotone register) both come together to give you a pretty fair image of the band.
Having been formed in the middle of 2007, Lillies and Remains are still a bit of an unknown equation. They've released one one six track EP and a single video go along with it. Their sound, aside from he above influence, is almost bluesy at times, though the old-school goth vibe chases most of the blues away in favor of its much more stark gloom. Their use of guitars is similar to Bloc Party and other modern post-punk outfits, namely tight and quick. They are also generally bass and groove heavy, letting the lower end really drive both the rhythm and melody of the songs. Their cover of Love's "Alone Again Or" is typical goth tongue-in-cheek, transforming a rather vapid psychedelic soft rock hit from the 60's into an epic doom rock song that all the girls (and guys) in black-lipstick will all be dancing to at their own special proms for years to come.
Again, the band is still very young, so it will be interesting to see how they develop from here. They could easily fall into the usual trap of dropping the more interesting aspects (the darkness, the raw goth elements) in favor of reaching out to a broader audience with a lighter "bad-boy" image. Most notably, their live performances fall short of their namesake. They certainly aren't as theatrical, and Kent's voice doesn't seem up to the task of maintaining his lower recorded register in a live setting. Still, these are minor details that will hopefully be worked out as the band matures. Apparently they are already working on a new album, so we'll all just have to sit tight until it's released.
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