deaf and dumb

THE NOVEMBERS - Misstopia

2010-02-23T19:48:00.002+01:00

Blog revival! New song from the Novembers!
Love the sound of it, though it's undeniable that the melody is quite streamlined and poppy. It reminds me a lot of "philia", first track off their last release. Beautiful layers of sound~ The video fits the song perfectly. I love this band.

New album "Misstopia" will be released March 10th.

http://www.myspace.com/thenovembers11

SEBASTIAN X - Wonderful World

2009-11-18T00:25:00.015+01:00

1.　ツアー・スターピープル
2.　新世界によろしく
3.　ワンダフルワールド
4.　世界のガッシャーン
5.　ASO
6.　エイリアンズ
7.　若き日々よ
8.　食卓の賛歌

I was surprised to see SEBASTIAN X's name on the elbo.ws Hot Tracks list today. Apparently there's this thing called Music Alliance Pact which is this project of blogs which share tracks from bands from all over the world. For the November edition SEBASTIAN X's "Tour Star People" from their new album "Wonderful World" was elected as the Japanese contribution.

To be perfectly honest though, I think "Tour Star People" is probably my least favorite song on the album. It's just way too frantic and all over the place for my liking. Still, I like this band a lot. I don't have the record though, so I shouldn't be writing about it, but what the hell. I've heard the tracks on their myspace site. For some reason, "Wonderful World" is entitled as "their first mini album", but I'd say that the brilliant "Life vs Life" which was released last year is their debut? Anyways, I love their quirky indiepop which also has some rough, punk-ish moments. The lack of guitar which is substituted by playful piano works great. Manatsu Nagahara's vocal's might be a bit much to handle at times though, especially in the high-pitched parts. A more mellow tone would better suit the down-beat songs. Her intense voice works great on the more punky songs though.
SEBASTIAN X seems like a band with a really playful imagination and this creativeness which has no restrictions. Sometimes it would've been nice if they had toned down a notch, but at the same time it's that intensity which makes them the band they are.

The new album includes studio versions of long time live favorites "Aliens" and "shokutaku no sanka" which I've been impatiently waiting to hear the studio version of. Especially the last one is truly an amazing song (I posted the video in my previous post about SEBASTIAN X). The new album also features a new recording of "wakaki hibi yo", although I think the original version is perfectly fine. It is my favorite from their first album, so I can see why they would want to put it on this album too.

SEBASTIAN X - tour star people

from Life vs Life:
SEBASTIAN X - LIFE PLEATS
SEBASTIAN X - wakaki hibi yo
SBEASTIAN X - yuigon

www.myspace.com/sebastianx2008

Wonderful World:

tour star people:

sleepy.ab - メロウ

2009-11-01T20:11:00.005+01:00

New music video for the track "mellow" from sleepy.ab's upcoming album "paratroop". The album will be released November 25th, and it's the band's major debut. Personally I don't think this song is as exciting as the previously released song "Aquarium", but it's still fairly good.

【MyX 09.11】sleepy.ab / メロウ

MyX | MySpace Video

http://www.myspace.com/sleepyab

The band has also been selected as MyX's band of the month for november. An interview and a live clip will be added to the site later this month.
http://www.myspace.com/myxjp

sokabe keiichi band - present

2009-10-22T01:06:00.007+02:00

New single from sokabe keiichi band. I tell you, Keiichi Sokabe is one productive man. The band released their second album earlier this year, before that the single "hoshi", then the EP "minna no uta" then a live dvd. Plus various releases and remixes as a solo artist, playing solo, playing festivals with the Rendevouz Band, long touring with the band, reuniting with Sunny Day Service and doing some live shows with them, releasing a book (although only containing previously released song lyrics). He also runs a café in Shimokitazawa called City Country City, and the label Rose records etc etc. Plus he has a wife and at least 3 kids. I have to wonder how he finds the time to do it all?

Anyways, enough of my babble (rant continues below), here's the video for "present". The single was also released on a limited edition 7" vinyl. 500 copies personally decorated by Sokabe himself.

It's a cute and catchy song, but not unlike the latest album "happiness!" I'm starting to think that the songs have become a bit too soft. They don't make as much of a strong impression on me as the earlier songs have. I think it might be because it's become a bit too sunny and rosy red in the sokabe universe. By all means should the man be allowed his happiness, but I'm just saying... Not saying that the self-proclaimed "king of mellow rock" should be miserable, I love that feel good-atmosphere that sokabe keiichi band has, but if you compare to the first album of theirs "kira kira!" it simply has better songs, like the title track, "umi to autobai" or my favourite track "yume miru youni nemuritai". There's a stronger nerve in these songs, I think. Either that, or the problem is that I'm miserable.

"hoshi" got my hopes up for the second album, but it did not turn out to be representative of the rest of the album. "Pure & True" and "nagai yoru" are quite good though. I read in an interview that Sokabe wanted to focus more on the live aspect of the music for the second album, so that could definitely have something to do with the outcome. Their live shows are always incredibly fun. Also, he might be saving up some songs for the Sunny Day Service comeback. Who knows. At his rate there'll probably be at least 50 more albums released before he retires.

Speaking of releases, the cover album "Sokabe Sings" that was previously only available for sale at his solo tour around new years will be released on Dec. 4th, containing covers of the Beatles, the Pixies, the Velvet Underground and Madonna(!) among others.

This post got a bit longer than intended, so if you made it this far here's the video for "nagai yoru".

about tess + LITE

2009-10-21T00:29:00.005+02:00

I discovered this band called about tess through mixi. Twin drums, twin bass and twin guitars. Pretty cool.

http://www.myspace.com/abouttess

Kind of reminds me of LITE, although LITE seem to have shifted direction a bit since last time. From their new EP "Turns Red":

http://www.myspace.com/liteband

Psysalia Psysalis Psyche - Titan Arum

2009-10-07T01:36:00.005+02:00

Music video from their first album "Matin Brun" which will be released Oct. 21st, but which has already been released on iTunes. The single "midunburi", previously posted here, is also on the album.

View video here: http://psysaliapsysalispsyche.com/
(it might take a while to load)

To be honest, I have no idea what to make of this. That goes for both track and video. Their sound has changed. A lot.
I've listened to the samples of the album tracks on iTunes too, and except for a few tracks it sounds a lot different from their previous EP. In "Take Me Out" they seem to have kept that raw sound from before though. The album also features a new version of "Butch & Sundance Kid". I'm not going to make a judgement on the album based on 30 second samples, but I've become a bit sceptic...

http://www.myspace.com/psysalia

plenty - 「ボクのために歌う吟」

2009-09-30T17:02:00.008+02:00

New up and coming band called plenty. Apparently they're quite young (20y) and are just about to release their first album, but they've been invited to play as opening act, along with the Novembers, for Art-School on their "14 Souls Tour". Not bad at all. Art-School are pretty big on the indie scene in Japan. At least among the indie kids. Personally I'm not a big fan, but I think it's safe to say that a lot of people (read: everyone) who likes the Novembers also likes Art-School, and I think plenty will appeal to the same group. Indierock mixed with a good portion of melancholy. I quite like this song (called "boku no tame ni utau gin"). The album 「拝啓。皆さま」(haikei. mina-sama) is released on Oct. 21st.

Ogre You Asshole - Headlight

2009-09-25T01:57:00.003+02:00

New music video from OYA's upcoming album "Fog Lamp" which will be released Oct. 7th. Cool song. Very unusual for a single, I think, especially compared to "Pinhole" which was very poppy. This one's pretty catchy too though. Strange and funny video.

Karen - Enemy

2009-09-20T23:04:00.005+02:00

Music video for "Enemy" from Karen's 2nd album "Sunday Girl In Silence" which was released at the end of August. I have their first record "Maggot In Tears" and although I have to admit that it's not the most exciting album, I think it has a lot of good tracks. This video promises well for the new album too, although it doesn't seem like they've evolved a whole lot. I like the more experimental instrumentation.

The band includes members from Art-School and downy, but I think the vocalist, Achiko, deserves all the credit. I love her voice. A talented singer and she's really charismatic live.

http://www.myspace.com/KARENofficial

a couple of tracks off the first album:

andymori - s/t

2009-09-03T18:48:00.009+02:00

I had some problems getting into this band in the beginning. I mean, can you take a band whose songs are titled "Life Is Party" and "boku ga hakujin dattara" ("if I was a white guy") seriously? The answer is you can. The more I've listened to them the more I've come to like them. I've seen them live twice, but I think they lack that little extra to be a solid live band. Anyways, this album is awesome.

They remind me a lot about British rock a la The Libertines, The Fratellis etc. I used to be a huge fan of British music a couple of years ago. Recently I've haven't been up to date on music coming out of Britain, but I still enjoy a lot of the bands I used to like. andymori seems to be greatly influenced by this scene, and I think they're doing a good job incorporating into their own thing. They have catchy up-tempo tracks like "FOLLOW ME" and "everything is my guitar" with humorous lyrics about everyday life and situations. Slower tracks like "aoi sora" and "happy end" that could easily be written off as shallow attempts to be sensitive, but I must say I like their naivety. I think that's what Andymori wins on. Simpleness. Simple and catchy, but more important they're able to create a good atmosphere throughout the album which makes it perfect for a warm, sunny day.

I also believe they have a good portion of self-irony. They have t-shirts that say: "WE ARE THE GROUPIES". 'nough said.

http://www.myspace.com/andymori

andymori - everything is my guitar
andymori - mongoloid blues
andymori - bengal tora to whiskey
andymori - sugoi hayasa

(notice the video budget rise from the first video to the other...)

The Novembers, 八十八ヶ所巡礼

2009-08-19T00:23:00.014+02:00

July 24th, Shimokitazawa Club Que (old post, sorry!)

Club Que were absolutely ridiculous when it came to letting people into the venue. Everyone had to line up in a queue exactly according to ticket numbers, and they made lots of fuzz about it. My number was 159. Fairly late, I thought, but when I was finally allowed to enter the venue there were only two rows of people there AND an available spot at the first row. So much for nothing.

Similar to Basement Bar the vacant spot was at the far right side. Guitarist Kengo is apparently not too popular. It looked like most people were there to see the Novembers and not the other band. This time it was Quip Magazine’s anniversary event. They have an artist column were different people from bands write whatever they like, and Yusuke Kobayashi from the Novembers has this cartoon going on featuring among others an ugly dog and guitarist Kengo. Is it any good? Well there’s a reason why he’s a musician and not a manga artist..

For this show there were only two bands on the bill and even better, both bands got to play for an extra long time i.e. an hour as opposed to the regular 30 minutes bands get at regular events. Unfortunately that meant that I also had to endure an entire hour of the first band…

八十八ヶ所巡礼 (hachijuhakkasho junrei)’s vocalist/bassist is officially the skinniest Japanese guy I have ever seen. The Novembers are fairly skinny guys too, but they looked perfectly normal compared to this guy. Seriously, he looked like a stick man that could break any second. In contrast the other guys were a dude in black who looked like he enjoyed 80’s metal (he had his own fan on stage blowing at his hair maiking him look like he was in the cheezy video) and a buff drummer who played without a shirt. An interesting group of people. Ahem, now that I’ve got that out of the way, I was not too impressed by their music (which could explain why I spent most of the time staring at their looks). After a while the vocalist said: "we're not quite done yet. In fact we're only halfway". Oh no...

http://www.myspace.com/katsuyashimizu

The Novembers, again! Let's keep it short. The very end of “mer” moved me to bits. There are always a couple of girls crying under a Novembers concert, but I have never been moved in that way. Not to the point were I'm shedding tears. In Japan I get the impression that everyone cries though, and apparently it doesn’t take more than the Doraemon-movie. Anyways, tonight was special. “philia”, “mer”, and different from the other recent shows, “picnic” were beyond amazing. Also, the fact that this was my last time seeing the Novembers before I left Japan made feel sad, but at the same time incredibly happy that was able to see them so many times, because they are truly a wonderful live band.[/sentimental rant]

The Novembers, おとぎ話, Qomolangma Tomato

2009-08-19T00:14:00.004+02:00

July 12th, Saitama Heaven’s Rock

I always thought that Saitama was far, far away from Tokyo, but turns out it’s pretty close, and that Heaven’s Rock is a really good live venue. Heaven’s Rock lies a couple of minutes away from Saitama Super Arena which is as the name implies a huge arena. Today’s concert was a part of Qomolangma Tomato’s “Camouflage” album release tour, and on the bill they had Otogi Banashi and The Novembers. Otogi Banashi with their charming, sweet songs didn’t fit in anywhere musically, and the band themselves were really surprised to be invited to this event, but apparently Qomolangma were big fans.

I was a bit surprised to see that The Novembers were first up. Compared to Basement Bar with it’s cramped space and awful sound Heaven’s Rock was great. Spacious, no problem seeing the stage from far behind and an excellent sound. Crisp and clear sound quality from beginning to end. We were also able to stand further behind and see almost the entire stage without any problems. It could be because Novembers fans are surprisingly short. I'm so not kidding. There's something off when I feel tall.

I like Kengo’s guitar parts in “dnim”. Like calm waves in the background of an otherwise pretty violent song. They actually played all songs off Paraphilia. Another thing I noticed was that they didn’t play anything from their first self-titled EP at all.

www.myspace.com/thenovembers11

Otogi Banashi were super charming as always. I don’t think that many people had showed up to see them there, like I mentioned earlier they didn’t quite fit in. The crazy moshing from their oneman was nowhere to be seen except for a gang of guys during “Parade”. Regardless, Otogi were smiling as always and as always introduced “Neon Boys” as “a theme song we have made especially for YOU!” They played their cover of “hoshi ni negau wo” (the Japanese version of “When You Wish Upon A Star”. Can be found on the compilation album ”Disney Rocks!”), and afterwards they took two requests from the audience. One was the aforementioned “Parade”, the other “Classic” if I remember correctly. I guess I should mention that at concerts in Norway there’s always someone yelling requests during the show, but in Japan no one ever does that. It’s nice to not have to listen to some idiot who won’t take a hint who yell’s between every single song. And it’s even nicer when the bands ask the audience what they want to hear. Before one of the last songs vocalist Arima started playing a bit from the Pixies – “Where Is My Mind?”! Full cover next time, please!

www.myspace.com/otgbanashi

I listened to Qomolangma Tomato on Myspace some time ago, but I didn’t like them very much. Live however they pretty cool. I realize that this happens to me way too often… What I discovered live that I hadn’t realised before was that they have a killer drummer, a fairly cool guitarist and interesting vocals. I’m not sure I’d go as far as to call it rap, more like talking-ish? Not spoken word though (lord no). Let's just call it rap. Their sound is raw and energetic, and they have some good tunes.

Ironically, although this was the “Camouflage” tour their 3rd album, I’ve come to like the first album 「チョモと僕は柵の中」("chomo to boku ha shigarami no naka") a lot more. Especially the two tracks below are cool. On "Camouflage" the songs are more down-tempo and there's more singing. Quite frankly this guy isn't a great singer at all, and his way more awesome when he's energetic and screaming rather than sensible and dull. Obviously.

Towards the end the drummer says "You know, by coming here tonight you've missed out on Gackt who played at Saitama Super Arena tonight." Oh the loss.

Qomolangma Tomato - Through Your Reality
Qomolangma Tomato - Shoutengai

www.myspace.com/qomolangmatomato
http://www.qomolangmatomato.com/

Thai Kick Murph - telekinesis

2009-08-11T02:54:00.004+02:00

I've been listening a lot to this song lately.

Thai Kick Murph - telekinesis

Simple and catchy indie pop. I like the vocalists voice a lot, and the chorus gets stuck in my head all the time. They have released an album called "Olympia" and you can hear a digest on their myspace. I saw Thai Kick Murph when they played together with Video among others some time ago. They were so charming and sweet when they were playing, and afterwards during the other bands they were standing at the very front dancing and cheering. They seem like nice people.

www.myspace.com/thaikickmurph

The Novembers, Sister Jet

2009-08-07T16:21:00.039+02:00

I decided that I wanted to see The Novembers a couple of extra times before I left Japan which resulted in seeing them four times in a month. If you ask me it was totally worth it.

part 1.

June 30th, Shimokitazawa Basement Bar
Andymori's event. I found it odd that the Novembers had been invited to play at this event as the other band's playing this show were musically completely different. First up was actually a DJ from the club event Getting Better that played mostly brit-rock. That was unusual too as I believe a lot of people who listen to Japanese music don't listen that much to foreign music and vice versa. It was even stranger because the audience were standing completely still, waiting in front of the stage as they usually do before a concert, while loud club music was blasted out of the speakers. The DJ must have noticed, and towards the end of his set he apologized(!) for keeping people waiting: "The concert will start soon. It's not my fault." Poor guy.

First band Sister Jet looked like your average amateur high school band or something. I got the impression that they were inspired by music from the 60's, but they had problems recreating the good, old magic in their own music. In fact they didn't appeal to me whatsoever. Their songs were just ridiculously one-sided, taking the easy way out musically, "dance dance dance baby"-choruses and overall equally stupid lyrics. The funny thing though, they did some sort of cover of The Monkees - "Daydream Believer". I can't say that it was a great cover.

www.myspace.com/sisterjet

Apparently a lot of people had reserved tickets through the bands, but as I knew from previous experiences Basement Bar let reservations in last and tickets in first. I bought my tickets beforehand and got nr 8 and 9 which resulted in a front row spot. Sweet. I can't press enough how much getting a good view during a concert affects my impression of it. Good sound is of course important, but the combination of sound and visual is what keeps me going to gigs. The sound was in fact quite bad this time during The Novembers. We were almost unable to hear the vocals most of the time, although it became a little bit better towards the end. The guitar noise was perfect though. The sound tends to get noisy and grainy in small venues, but it fits the Novembers’ sound.

To me, the Novembers are a perfect live band. I know I’ll most likely sound like an infatuated fangirl, but their appearance on stage is so different from other bands. The atmosphere and the tension when they deliver those songs on stage is incredible. They say very little and although they come off as introverted there's something compelling about that. This is the first time I've been that close to the stage and I was amazed.

Lately the setlist has opened with “para” and ended with “hakuchi”. They also always include “dnim” and “philia”, so there are a lot of tracks from the latest mini album. I don’t mind considering it’s probably my favourite record of theirs. Whenever I hear the intro to “philia” my body starts tingling with excitement. I LOVE that song.

THE NOVEMBERS - philia

The Novembers - she lab luck

www.myspace.com/thenovembers11

After the Novembers we went outside for a while, and only saw about ten minutes of Andymori afterwards. The venue was packed and it was impossible to see anything from behind. Similar to the first time I saw them I wasn't too impressed with their live performance contrary to their CD which isn't half bad at all (I will write a review later on). We heard them play their 大-hit "Everything Is My Guitar", and then we left.

sleepy.ab - Aquarium

2009-07-26T17:45:00.008+02:00

Before, I didn't get the thing with this band, but I saw them live a couple of months ago, (they were playing with Karen among others) and I thought they were quite good. Still, I had not listened to them again until I stumbled over this video now. I think it's interesting how music that I did not have any interest in whatsoever before, suddenly sounds really good.

Some of the songs remind me a lot of Radiohead, others have a more post-rock style like Sigur Rós. I like the mellow, tender songs, and the vocalist's voice is beautiful. The songs might sound a bit too similar in the long run though, but I'm going to check them out more. "Aquarium" is their latest single I believe.

Psysalia Psysalis Psyche - Midunbri

2009-07-26T07:51:00.011+02:00

New music video from Psysalia Psysalis Psyche for their new single "Midunbri" which will be released on August 5th.

You can also hear samples of the other tracks on the single on myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/psysalia

edit: You can buy "Midunbri" at HearJapan.

I first heard Psysalia when they performed at an all night event in Shibuya. The sound was crap, and I wasn't overly impressed by their live performance, but I liked their energetic kick-ass rock. A pretty hard sound, I guess, but still melodic and cool.

I have theory that the reason they were a bit docile on stage might have something to do with the fact that they were slightly drunk. Japanese bands usually stick to good ol' water when they play, but because it was an all night event and all. They were at least dead drunk afterwards - but hey, all the more fun. The vocalist wrapped himself in Christmas lights and went crazy on the dancefloor.

Their mini album "Psysalism" which came out last year is really cool, and I think they have potential to get even better.

mp3: Psysalia Psysalis Psyche - Subway Killer

homepage: http://psysaliapsysalispsyche.com/

CLISMS - GO!!!!!

2009-07-26T06:43:00.004+02:00

I stumbled over this music video by CLISMS. It sounds really different from what I've heard of them before. Kind of post rock-ish? It's an instrumental track that lasts for over 6 minutes. Sort of slowly builds up and breaks out with a "GO!!!!!", then continues on in a very comfortable pace. Makes me want to listen to it over and over. I especially like the piano parts, and the fact that they have twin drums. The music video is nicely shot too.

Ogre You Asshole + nisennenmondai

2009-07-18T14:35:00.041+02:00

July 10th, Shibuya O-Nest

The first band out tonight was nisennenmondai. I saw them at Nest Fest in October, but I thought they were pretty bland and boring. Could be because I was tired, and not in the mood for that kind of music or something. This time I actually thought they were really cool.

nisennenmondai can be described as a sort of psychedelic drone rock, maybe? Purely instrumental, hypnotizing waves of sound that builds up and ends in wonderful noise. I had forgotten ear plugs this time though. My ears were ringing afterwards. Especially my left ear seems to be sensitive to noise these days... Anyways, like I said earlier, they made a much bigger impression on me this time. Could be because I was standing in the first row and could see the very energetic drummer during the entire show. She was seriously awesome.

www.myspace.com/nisennenmondai
http://www.nisennenmondai.com/

(pic from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/drwng/3708905026/in/set-72157621253591770/)

setlist:
shiranai aizu shiraseru ko
rail
advantage
katappo
pinhole
coin laundry
J.N
hitorinori
necktie

I've seen Ogre You Asshole a number of times the past year, more precisely about once every month (fangirl alert). I've come to realize that they're not the most amazing live band to watch if you were to compare them to f ex The Novembers' intensity, Otogi Banashi's charm, OWARIKARA's craziness etc. That's not to say that their bad live. Definitely not. They're solid from beginning to end, play really tight and most importantly they make me happy.

Since I reviewed them last time in February I've seen them at the tiny venue in Chiba Look, their "pinhole"-tour oneman final at Quattro and at the Tobu Ongaku Sai. The festival was a really nice experience. Outdoors venue, nice, warm weather and a great atmosphere.

This time it was back to good old O-Nest. One of the first times I saw them was here, and this was the last time in a while. I'm leaving Japan in August, and although I'm certain I'll come back one day, I'm not sure when that will be. So yeah I've been feeling all sentimental at concerts lately.

They played the key tracks from each cd, and then a whole lot from "shiranai aizu" this time. I'd still love to hear a couple of the older songs, but I guess that will only happen at onemans nowadays. I don't think I've heard "Rail" that much live before, so that was nice. "Necktie" with the swirly noisy guitars at the end are really cool.

I think Ogre's strongest point is the fact that they have so damn good songs. Great guitars, catchy melodies, unique vocals and good lyrics. They have a sound unique from all the standard Japanese rock bands, and although they're often compared to American indierock bands I think they sound different from them as well.

Apparently they've been recording new stuff this summer, so that means a new release is on the way. Also, Ogre will be opening for Sunset Rubdown on their Japan tour this fall. Pretty exciting.

www.ogreyouasshole.com
www.myspace.com/ogreyouassholemusic

mp3's:
Ogre You Asshole - Coin Laundry
Ogre You Asshole - Advantage
Ogre You Asshole - shiranai aizu shiraseru ko
Ogre You Asshole - mata ashita
Ogre You Asshole - ni dai

Btw, tonight's gig was part of a series of gigs presented by moools called "moools matsuri" (moools festival). They were headlining, and I like mools, but I ended up only seeing like ten minutes so no review this time.

"嘘が本当になる日" the Day When Lies Come True part 2

2009-07-04T10:19:00.025+02:00

june 28th, Shimokitazawa Daisybar

continued from part 1.
(ps. I've added mp3's to part 1)

Far France was the secret opening act at OWARIKARA's event in May. I had never heard them before, but I started to like them as soon as they started playing. Their sound is a bit harder than what I usually listen too, but it's also pretty melodic and they have awesome guitar parts. I don't really see any particular likeness, but in some way they remind me of the Blood Brothers. I think it's the energy and the mix of hardcore and more playful poppy tunes.

Their live performance was just as good this time. They're so full of energy and it's really fun to watch. I've come to notice that there are so many bands here in Japan who really give it all on stage. Obviously when you're a small unknown band you have to try and give the audience something extra to get people's attention, but I also believe that there are a lot of genuinely great bands here. The indie schmindie attitude I see in a lot of western bands aren't here in the same way. I mean, at the very end of Far France's set the vocalist started rolling around on the floor in front of the stage. AND he has moomin characters (hattifnatter!) on his guitar. Kudos.

Far France are a fairly young band ie the same age as me. Makes me wish I too had accomplished more in life than this blog. ahem. They've already released two albums (the first being a pure live album though). The latest one "AHYARANKE", their first studio album, was released earlier this year, and it's pretty cool. I especially like the latter half of the songs with lots of cool guitars, and more experimental stuff going on.

Far France - burebura
Far France - ayamachi
Far France - ame

www.myspace.com/ncnarfraf
home page: www.farfrance.com

Sebastian X were to me this gig's unexpected surprise. Their line-up consisted of keyboard, bass, drums and vocals. The bassist was actually wearing the aforementioned rose patterned jacket, but it actually looked really good on him. Whether that's a good thing or not... The vocalist was this cute girl dressed in a red traditional chinese-inspired top with her hair in two dangos, who was incredibly charming and sweet. Her voice might be a bit annoying in the high parts though. The songs were really sweet, melodious pop songs with bright and playful piano arrangements. It sounded a bit like nursery rhymes at times. I especially loved the last song "shokutaku no sanka" (first video below). I bought their album, but my computer is broken so I can't listen to it...

http://www.myspace.com/sebastianx2008 (their myspace music player refuses to work for me, but they've upped lots of youtube vids on their profile)

"嘘が本当になる日" the Day When Lies Come True part 1

2009-06-29T12:07:00.046+02:00

June 28th, Shimokitazawa Daisybar

Yesterday I went to a tiny venue in Shimokitazawa, where I think there were tops 50 people in the audience, or something like that. Apparently it was this guy named Hiroki's special event where he had invited all the bands? I wouldn't mind having my own event like that too. Anyways, I had no idea how Hiroki knew all these bands, but I wanted to see OWARIKARA and Far France again, and they were excellent this time as well.

First up was 神さま (kamisama). Girl on drums, dude on vocals wearing a reflex vest who spent the first couple of songs just yelling in to the mic. Afterwards came their 大hit "SEX". And if I'm not completely wrong, another song had the following lyrics "I AM HITLER/まったく友達できません (I can't make any friends)/I AM HITLER" Sweet. After a while the guy picked up a guitar as well, and during the last song he played on the floor in the middle of the crowd (not that where that many people there). You know you're doing well when you have to ask for applause.

Some of the other songs had a better vibe going on, sort of cute-ish melodies, but honestly, I had no interest in this band whatsoever apart from the bizarre entertainment factor. Before every new song the girl asked the guy "are you sure you know what song we're going to play now??". They were going to play a new song, but had to start over again like 4 times because the guy interrupts and says: "The beat's way too slow! You need to practice more!"
Girl: "No, you need to practice more!"
Guy: "We should practice together."
Yeah, maybe you should. I think that's what most bands too.
If they had been an all girl group and dressed in short school uniforms I'm sure they would have had lots of fans though. But not me.

Before I ask myself who the hell would want to release 神さま's music, I should probably say that ironically they're on Rose Records, sokabe keiichi's label...

http://www.myspace.com/camisama1980

Next up was 太平洋不知火楽団 (taiheiyou shiranui gakudan). Yup that's one long ass name with lots of kanjis. I think they even played a few of Hiroki's (dude mentioned above's) old songs too? The coolest song was the second though "Dancing Hell". Up-beat post-punk song which was pretty catchy and cool. The only problem I had with them was the vocals. The vocalist looked like he was 15 and his voice reminded me of the amateur band event that was arranged at my old junior high school. The bassist though, was something to behold on stage. He had really long hair, which he kept tossing around and headbanging and spinning around. He was wearing a rose patterned jacket, but I didn't think any more about that until later...

www.myspace.com/taiheiyousiranui

OWARIKARA were awesome the last time I saw them. They arranged an event called "one morning I woke up as David Bowie vol.2" in May at Club Goodman in Akihabara. (I was going to write about it in this blog, but...). All the other bands were splendid too; Far France, Mahiruno, YOMOYA etc. During the last song of their set OWARIKARA completely trashed the stage (mostly by throwing themselves everywhere). The vocalist handed his guitar to Far France's vocalist、and then he and the keyboardist was all over the place. Then the bass player decided to stand on his head on the drum set (drummer still playing though). It was hilarious. (more pics at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sato-mi/sets/72157618821026210/)

So one thing's for sure: they're one hell of a live band. So much energy and craziness. This time, vocalist Takahashi entered the stage in this really ugly turquoise top. Apparently OWARIKARA and 太平洋不知火楽団 had exchanged "clothes you're too embarrassed to wear" of which they had to pick one and wear it on stage. Hilarious. Hence the rose jacket that the other bassist was wearing. He didn't look as bad as this guy though (although without a turquoise top he looks pretty damn hot). On top of that Takahashi split his shoe in two during the first song, but the problem was quickly solved: "Does anyone have right shoe they can borrow me?" The guy on the first row took of his shoe faster than you can say "what size?" and handed it over. You know you're awesome when the guitarist from your favourite band has played a show wearing your shoe. At least if you ignore any images of sweaty feet.

OWARIKARA has released three demos so far, of which I have the two last ones. Really good stuff. Psychedelic rock, but with lots of energy and cool guitars, but most important to me I guess, they have some killer tunes. I love "door-tachi", "yukan naru biihiyanau" and "sunaba". The entire 3rd demo is great. Definitely worth 500yen.

The keyboardist Cameda went pretty crazy as well, and at some point he ran off stage and came back wearing a lovely flowery shirt. I think he was trying to outstage Takahashi. He only got it on one arm though, as the whole thing was way to little, and he had to play a little in between to, you know.

This dude behind me was really enthusiastic all the time during their set and he was even singing out aloud. One of the few times I've heard that in Japan, unless of course everybody sings, like at a Sokaban gig. And when everbody sways from side to side... Sheep anyone? Sheep aren't bad animals though. Not neccessarily...

mp3's:
OWARIKARA - doatachi
OWARIKARA - judaikara hajimeru kakumei koza
OWARIKARA - kaijin-san

http://www.myspace.com/owarikara

To be continued... Far France and Sebastian X!

おとぎ話－青春GALAXY ep + tour

2009-06-21T10:53:00.022+02:00

tracklist:
1. GALAXY
2. 青春 (seishun)
3. you
4. 火星 (Mars)

New EP from Otogi Banashi called "seishun GALAXY ep". They truly seem like the nicest people in the world, and they're so adorable in their own nerdy way. Add catchy melodies, cool guitars, lovely lyrics and what more can you ask for? I think Otogi Banashi are a band that you either think are incredibly charming or just they're downright lame though. I'm obviously in the first category.

(photo taken from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/otgbanashi/)

Otogi Banashi played a oneman show at Club Quattro, Shibuya on May 31st. Vocalist Kazuki Arima was wearing glitter on his cheeks. Apparently he had been watching Sigur Rós on YouTube and became inspired. It looked more goofy than cool. Did I mention that they're nerdy? It was a really nice concert though. Great vibe throughout the entire set. I especially enjoyed "new song", "NEON BOYS", "FESTIVAL EXPRESS" and "tobira akeru".

mp3:
おとぎ話 - BOYS DON'T CRY
おとぎ話 - ネオンBOYS
おとぎ話 - 火星 (Mars)

www.otgbanashi.com/
www.myspace.com/otgbanashi

CLISMS - s/t

2009-06-21T08:54:00.011+02:00

tracklist:
1. Running Future From Now
2. Love Me True Poor Boy
3. OK OK OK

I know that their name is looks like some kind of nasty disease, but apparently you're supposed to pronounce it kurisumasu (the japanese way of pronouncing "Christmas").

I saw CLISMS in February and I thought they were so-so, but afterwards I listened to them again and I realized that they are kinda cool after all. Their Myspace music-player is messed up though, so I decided to just by the damn cd. It was released last year, but you can only buy it at their gigs or at Disk Union. They don't play that often either, I guess partly because two of the members are pretty busy with Otogi Banashi.

This cd only has three tracks, but two of them are very awesome. 70's inspired rock with twin drums and twin guitars that sound catchy and are lots of fun. As for the lyrics, it's written on the disc: "Hello! My Girlfriends & Boyfriends, This Season For You." and that pretty much says it all, doesn't it?

CLISMS - s/t

Shugo Tokumaru - Rum Hee release tour

2009-06-04T17:08:00.017+02:00

May 15th, Kichijoji Star Pine's Cafe

Wen I saw Shugo Tokumaru in 2007 at his "EXIT" tour at Daikanyama Unit I thought the venue was way too big, and I was glad that he chose Star Pine's Café this time around. The venue had room for about 350 people, which was perfect.

Supporting act was OORUTAICHI, the guy who did one of the remixes on "Rum Hee". I'd never heard anything else from him other than that track, so I didn't know what to expect. I found his music to be a bit..strange. Sort of a crazy fusion of folk/psych. Some of it even reminded me of Animal Collective. I think Animal Collective are overrated though. Anyways, OORUTAICHI did some crazy vocal stuff accompanied by dance moves, so it was cool enough.

Shugo Tokumaru played the first track together with a band consisting of drums, keyboard/accordion, percussion etc, and then he did an acoustic set alone followed by another set with the band. When he plays alone you really get to see how skilled he is on the guitar, and also the more quiet songs sounds really beautiful. The new single "Rum Hee", "Green Rain", "Parachute", the songs that have lots of instrumentation serves their right better with the band. And it's more fun to watch.

Before playing "Parachute" Tokumaru asked if anyone had learned the song yet (the tabs are on the "Rum Hee" cd), and if anyone had they could come up on stage and play it. No one had. It might just be because I'm unexperienced with any instrument, but that songs sounds impossible to play. Did I mention yet that Shugo Tokumaru has some serious skills?

As usual Tokumaru was quite talkative. At the bginning the first thing he says is: "Last night I dreamt that I killed somebody and couldn't play tonight. That would have been a bummer."

He played to new songs. One up-tempo and a quiet one. Personally I liked the last one the best. I like the up-tempo songs too, but I also wish he would do more songs like the one's from his first album. Anyways, almost everything he makes is good, so I'm not complaining.

Towards the end they even did a cover. 「世界大好きな曲をやります」I have now heard "Video Killed the Radio Star" played on banjo and can finally die happy. It was hilarious. Tokumaru should definitely do more covers. Before he has done covers of Pete, Bjørn & John's "Young Folks" and M. Ward's "To Go Home" which can be downloaded from his myspace site.

Shugo Tokumaru is actually doing a tour in Europe in July, and he's even going to play in Norway! Wish I was at home so I could go. That would have been fun. Anyways you should go see him. Check out the dates here:
http://www.shugotokumaru.com/eindex.html
www.myspace.com/shugotokumaru

mp3:
Shugo Tokumaru - Rum Hee

Shugo Tokumaru - Such A Color

group_inou - ESCORT

2009-05-13T15:49:00.017+02:00

tracklist:
1. ESCORT
2. CHAIR
3. RIP
4. SOS
5. BOTTLING

New EP from group_inou. Following their brilliant debut album "FAN" from last year comes another cool cd entitled "ESCORT". It took me a while to really get into "FAN", but I've been loving this one since I first listened to it. I really think their mix of electro and hiphop is quite unique. There are both fun danceable tracks and tracks you can sit down and listen too. My favourites are "ESCORT" and "BOTTLING". I suspect that "SOS" is the song with "the worst lyrics in the world" that they were talking about during their oneman before christmas last year. They have a new oneman coming up at the end of the month, but I'm afraid I can't afford to go...

group_inou - ESCORT
group_inou - CHAIR

http://www.myspace.com/groupinou

noble showcase: kashiwa daisuke, kazumasa hashimoto, tenniscoats & secai

2009-04-26T16:25:00.036+02:00

April 21st, O-Nest Shibuya

The record label noble is home to artists such as World's End Girlfriend, Tenniscoats, kashiwa daisuke and Midori Hirano. Personally I was most excited to see kashiwa daisuke this time, but I was positively surprised by kazumasa hashimoto as well.

Tenniscoats & Secai
The first time I heard Tenniscoats was live in 2007. They were playing with an american guy (or was he french? He sang in French too, I think), and the songs were sweet indiepop tunes. They also got help from moools and Shugo Tokumaru played guitar, and all was good. The project called Tenniscoats & Secai however, I find a lot harder to grasp. It sounds very experimental, and live I felt that the songs dragged on without giving me much. I simply enjoy their poppier tunes a lot more.

www.myspace.com/tenniscoats
ww.myspace.com/secai

kazumasa hashimoto w/Gutevolk
I've listened to his latest album "euphorism" a couple of times at the record store, but it didn't strike me as anything special. For tonight's set however, I think the sound was more organic and melodious. Hashimoto himself played the piano, and he had help from Gutevolk on vocals and itoken on drums. Gutevolk was a real sweetheart. "Some of the people who left early might be listening to the promo CD right now. If there wasn't enough promo cd's for all of you I'll copy it and give it to you!" (check out the mp3s below)

www.myspace.com/kazumasahashimoto
www.myspace.com/gutevolk

kashiwa daisuke
Kashiwa's second album "program music 1" was in my opinion one of the best albums released in 2007. The album only has two tracks: "Stella" (almost 36 minutes long) and "Write Once, Run Melos" (26 minutes). Both sound amazing, but I especially love the first track. I'm not going to fail at describing it here though. Buy it.

This year he released his third album "5 Dec." which sounds a lot more progressive and violent. I have to admit that the first time I heard the track "Requiem" I was a bit disappointed, but I really like the the album as a whole. Where his previous albums have been leaning more towards post-rock, this time it's more about beats and more noise. I read in an interview that he wanted to make music suited for the dancefloor this time. The tracks definitely have a more upbeat rythm, there's even a hip hop-ish beat in there, but I didn't see too many people dancing at O-Nest. Personally I prefer just to sit down and listen to his music. There are all these interesting details. Lovely arrangements on strings and piano, electronic sounds, samples from real life, progressive beats etc. Kashiwa has really managed to create his own musical universe and it sounds pretty amazing. On stage he had help on guitar from GENTAROW and visuals were displayed on a big screen by Koji Nishida. Kashiwa's actually also going to be touring in Europe now in june. Dates are on his website.

http://kashiwadaisuke.com/
www.myspace.com/kashiwadaisuke

kashiwa daisuke - deepblue (original version)
kashiwa daisuke - April.#07
kashiwa daisuke - Bogus Music

noble showcase promo cd "EN-EI"
tracklist:
1. kashiwa daisuke - Silver Moon (kazumasa hashimoto remix)
2. Tenniscoats & Secai - Tengu (NSDMIX)
3. Tenniscoats & Secai - Flower Little Honey Well (DASMAN REMIX)
4. kazumasa hashimoto - Endless (kashiwa daisuke remix)
http://www.noble-label.net/

Shugo Tokumaru - Rum Hee

2009-04-19T10:01:00.015+02:00

The new single from Shugo Tokumaru includes 8 tracks, a DVD with live footage from the US tour plus all four music videos from his latest album "EXIT" AND guitar tabs for "Parachute". Although it seems like quite a nice package, I have to admit that I don't find everything that interesting. Remixes and alternative versions of old songs will only get you so far. The main focus is obviously on "Rum Hee", which is a playful and charming pop song. "Alaska" is a bit more mellow, but also in the same musical vain. The sound is very close to "EXIT" in terms of instrumentation and vibe, but this is maybe one step even more lush and vibrant. That is even more apparent in the alternative versions of the songs from his previous albums. They all (even "Parachute") seem to have been injected with a big dose of "EXIT" infectious pop magic. I like the alt. version of "Vista", but I prefer "Typewriter" to be more tone-downed as it is originally. The remixes are neither particularly interesting or off-putting. The remix by Deerhoof isn't too bad actually, but I prefer the original version by far.

Shugo Tokumaru has been booked to this year's Roskilde Festival. It would be very cool if he played in Norway as well. I'm going to see him live again soon on his Rum Hee release tour.

tracklist:
1. Rum Hee
2. Alaska
3. Inatemessa
4. Vista (alt. version)
5. Typewriter (alt. version)
6. Parachute (alt. version)
7. Rum Hee (Oorutaichi remix)
8. Rum Hee (Deerhoof remix)

Shugo Tokumaru - Rum Hee
Shugo Tokumaru - Vista (alt. version)

www.myspace.com/shugotokumaru

THE NOVEMBERS - paraphilia

2009-03-22T17:03:00.026+01:00

New mini album (EP) from The Novembers. The first time I heard The Novembers in 2007 I sort of wrote them off as merely another emoband (nothing wrong with emobands though), but they have evolved so much since then. Their shoegaze influences have been apparent before as well, but this time they've really accomplished a great sound. I particularly love the opening track "philia". The sound is light and lush, and it stands apart from all their previous songs. They still keep their characteristic screamo-ishness intact with the second track "dnim", but the arrangements are definitely more nuanced now.

As for the lyrics, vocalist Yusuke Kobayashi is still brutally honest. The contents are indeed emotional, but also dark and twisted, and the way he rips his heart open sure keeps your attention. Hearing "keep me keep me keep me" and "mer" for the first time I almost thought they were a bit over the top, especially the parts with high pitched vocals, but if you're in the right mood I think it works well.

I've been listening to this record almost non-stop since I bought it, and I think it's great. May 1st the band is doing a oneman show at Shibuya Quattro, and I'm excited to hear the new songs live.

tracklist:
1. philia
2. dnim
3. keep me keep me keep me
4. para
5. mer

THE NOVEMBERS - philia
THE NOVEMBERS - dnim

OGRE YOU ASSHOLE - pinhole

2009-03-22T15:46:00.025+01:00

With the release of "pinhole" Ogre You Asshole have been signed to major label VAP. It looks like they had a bit more money to spend on the music video, and the song will also be used as an ending theme for an anime tv series.

The song itself is up-tempo and catchy, and puts me in a happy mood. The video is cute too. Second track "necktie" is over 7 minutes long, and like "doughnuts" was on the "tanishi"-single this one's more experimental. But compared to the aforementioned this one seems more calculated, and I wish it was more spontanous and rough on the edges. It's still pretty cool though. Half-way through the track the tempo changes and I like the swirling guitars towards the end. Last song "boat" is slower and sounds like filler material to me. It's not bad, but it feels unnecessary. Overall I guess their sound is gradually becoming more polished and available to more people, but I try to ignore that as I fear the major-label-sellout-doom. ahem.

tracklist:

1. pinhole

2. necktie

3. boat

OGRE YOU ASSHOLE - necktie

If anyone can enlighten me on what the bassist is playing on in the beginning of the video, please...

Space Shower 列伝

2009-03-02T10:44:00.047+01:00

February 26th, Shinjuku LOFT

Space Shower is a music tv channel I sort of wish I had, but unfortunately. They host an event called "Space Shower retsuden". The bands performed on two separate stages at LOFT, the bar stage was so small that it was hard to get a good view of the stage, let alone be able to enter the room because it was packed with people. Fortunately they had set up a big screen and a couple of tv screens where all the performances from the bar stage were shown. Both bands I wanted to see performed at the main stage, so I was happy that I didn't have to run back and forth between stages. The bad part was that the bands only played for 25-30 minutes each.

おとぎ話. Otogi banashi opened. The band name literally means "fairy tale", and they're incredibly charming and sweet. I think their dream would be to play during the 60's with lots of screaming girls in the front rows. Arima is the sweet and funny vocalist, while Ushio is the cool guitarist. They're all super genki and a bit quirky too. I love the song "Neon Boys". Whenever I hear it it's impossible not to become in a good mood. They played a couple of new songs as well, which were also really nice.

andymori. Andymori is a young and energetic band, but it seemed like they still have a little while to go. The vocals are really quick, and sounds interesting on record, but a bit messy when done live. I'm not sure about the lyrical content either. One song had the theme "if I was a white guy...". They had a lot of energy, but in the end it became a bit frenetic and I lost interest.
Ogre You Asshole. Ogre probably did the shortest set of all the bands today:

Coinlaundry
Flag
Pinhole -new single-
Advantage
Lambda Lambda Lambda
hitori nori

They played their new single "Pinhole". It was pretty up-tempo, but melodious, and kind of had the same feel to it as "shiranai aizu shiraseru ko", but more playful. With the release of the new single they're switching to a major label. I'm not sure how much change is involved with that (other than their income), but here's hoping there won't be any big changes.

It disappointed me that they didn't play any other songs from the latest mini album other than "hitorinori". Instead they played it safe by doing "Coinlaundry", "Flag" and "Advantage", songs they almost always do. I have a feeling that "hitori nori" has become part of that group of songs too. When you play at an event where there's many people who's unfamiliar with your music it's of course safer to do that, but personally I'd like to hear all kinds of different songs from their discography.

Manabu didn't say much today, but I could tell that he tried to be a bit more open towards the audience. No hiding behind his hair anymore. I read in an interview that they now wanted to improve their live performances and connect more with the audience. I guess that's a good thing, but personally I've never had any problems with their past live shows. I'd like to see the crowd wake up for once though.

つしまみれ。tsushimamire is a band who frankly I don't get at all. People were going crazy in front of the bar stage, so I watched the show at the screens in the other room instead. What annoyed me the most was the leadsingers whiny, shrill voice who sounded awful, both when singing and talking/screaming. 「準備はよろしいでしょうか？！」And when she first started talking she went on and on forever. When they finally started playing again it didn't sound any better, and I was glad when it was over.

www.myspace.com/otgbanashi
www.myspace.com/andymori
www.myspace.com/ogreyouassholemusic
www.myspace.com/tsushimamirejp

I didn't see the last band, The Bawdies, because I left to catch the last train instead, but they're featured on Myx this month.

Earlimart, moools, toddle

2009-03-02T09:30:00.023+01:00

February 22nd, Shibuya O-Nest

toddle. The first time I saw toddle last fall they didn't make a big impression on me (other than having Neutral Milk Hotel as the opening song), and I actually left in the middle of their set. This time I realized that the noisy guitar parts of their music are actually quite good. The flat vocals however sound incredible uninspired. There's almost no variation, and the monotone, anonymous vocals became a complete turn-off for me. The two girls on vocals are also pretty boring to watch on stage. The bassist however was crazy, jumping all over the place, rocking out and not to mention looking like he was having fun on stage. Screw indie estethics, a good stage show makes a lot of difference. This guy was more into it than the entire band and the audience combined, and that made me have fun to.

toddle's drummer tonight was also the drummer for the next band moools. I've also seen moools once before about a year ago. They've been playing a while if I'm not mistaken, and they certainly seem like routined, skilled musicians. As with toddle I actually left halfway through moools' set last time, but this time I enjoyed it all the way through. They play indierock, which kind of reminds me of the Pixies. Also, the vocalist told funny stories between the songs, and the bassist's playing really impressed me.

Earlimart have been around for a while, but I've only recently started listening to them. This was their first tour to Japan, and they seemed super excited to be here. They had decorated their instruments with pretty lights too. I got their latest album "Hymn and Her", and I think it's quite good. Sort of quiet and nice indiepop. Live however, they seemed more interested in trying to make a lot of guitar noise, which, personally, I think didn't suit them much. I prefer their softer songs, and I enjoyed when they played songs like "Face Down In the Right Town". During one of the last songs the vocalist attempted to make the crowd wave their hands over their head from side to side. That was so out of place. It was a fairly good concert, but I guess I expected a bit more from them - or less depending on how you see it (right back to the indie estethics).

www.myspace.com/toddleto
www.myspace.com/moools
www.myspace.com/earlimart

The Novembers vs 6eyes

2009-02-25T19:06:00.025+01:00

February 21st, Basement Bar shimokitazawa

Basement Bar was tiny and crowded, but somehow I managed to get a perfect view from standing at the very back leaned against the wall. A rare moment for someone who's 160cm tall. Tonight was a 2-man (ie only two bands playing, ne). I had no idea which band was going to play first, and I did not want to stand in the front during 6eyes (more about that later). Turned out though, that there was an opening act as well.

Five guys in white shirts entered the stage, and it sure as hell were neither Novembers or 6eyes. At first I was convinced that they said "Christmas" when they introduced themselves (which would have been strange - and off season), but it was CLISMS. I recognized two off the members instantly as they were in fact the drummer and the guitarist from Otogi Banashi! I had no idea they played in a different band as well. They played sort of sixties(?)-inspired rock with simple vocals. Not exactly my cup of tea, but enjoyable. Kenta Ushio (from Otogi) is pretty great on guitar.

I was still uncertain about who was up next when the Novembers entered the stage for soundcheck. First thing that caught my attention: Vocalist Yusuke Kobayashi's blonde hair. It's not unusual for people to colour their hair (although now that I think about it I can't come up with a single person in a japanese indierock band who has), but Yusuke certainly does stand out. Before he usually would make his hair huge and fluffy and bird-nesty. I didn't see the link before, but he does love the Cure, so it might be slightly inspired by Robert Smith (minus the make-up). When I saw the Novembers in January it was colored brown, and as my friend predicted now it was blonde. And with the usual do, he looked like some kind of 80's poodle rocker. Lovely.

Anyways, I love watching the Novembers live. Both guitarists and the bassist are rocking out and headbanging like this is the last show they'll ever play, and it's incredible to watch. You can never see their faces, because their hair is always covering it, and frankly I don't think they mind not being able to see the crowd or vice versa. They're certainly introverted, but it suits their music. Shoegaze-inspired rock with emovocals and twisted lyrics. They also have catchy melodies, but live I think it's all about making a lot of noise. Especially the title track off their first album "picnic", last song on the album and last during tonight's set. It starts calm and then builds up towards the amazing final. Love it. Last time I saw them Yusuke hurt his leg and blood started gushing from his hand. This time it ended less dramatic, but the energy level was still pretty high. They played a couple of new tracks as well from their upcoming mini-album "paraphilia" due to be released on March 18th.

I saw 6eyes at a club event before Christmas and quite frankly I thought they were awful. I was going to give them a chance, but when you open with a cover of Michael Jackson's "Thriller".... They play rock/punk your supposed to dance to, but there was little in me that felt like dancing when I heard their dull, dull music.

Ahem, anyways, being the open person that I am I decided to give them another chance. Musically they didn't strike me as interesting this time either, but the vocalist was kind of entertaining. And a bit scary. He jumped into the crowd several times, and started passing the mic around. Thank God I was standing in the back. He also grabbed a water bottle from the stage and said: "I think this originally belonged to the vocalist of the Novembers. I'll take 3000yen for that afterwards". Funny! (the Novembers who said during their set that they loved 6eyes were nowhere to be seen)

They ended the show with their 大hit, which title escapes me, but I actually recognized it.

www.myspace.com/clisms

www.myspace.com/thenovembers11

www.myspace.com/6eyesdots

Marvins Revolt, LITE ++

2009-02-24T17:31:00.014+01:00

February 13th, O-Nest Shibuya

At first I was mostly keen on seeing LITE live, but when I saw that they were touring with a Danish band I had to ckeck them out too. Can't say that I've heard much about Marvins Revolt before, but my interest in Scandinavian music is mostly limited to the Swedish music scene (why are they so much better than the rest of us?). Anyways, it turned out to be a good night. They were a couple of other bands on the bill as well:

deepsea drive machine. They had a pretty nice sound. Sort of epic and dynamic with lots of electro sounds. Reminded me a bit of Supercar (can't say I'm too fond of them though).

LITE. Energetic rock music, with awesome dynamics. No vocals, and I don't think they need it either. Some of the songs reminded of Battles' more guitarbased tracks. Pretty cool. The bassist was awesome. I like it when the bands make a bit more of themselves rather than just standing there. On that note...

kamomekamome. Wtf? The vocalist enters the stage covering his head and body in a huge white scarf/blanket, does some metal screams in the mic, takes it off and starts doing dance moves that sort of indicated that he might have a second job as a proffesional dancer in an entirely different genre, and then he does sign language. I'm not qualified to say whether it was real sign language or just made up, but it looked authentic enough to me. In other words this guy was not your average rock band vocalist. But by all means. The music itself wasn't that exciting, but it sure as hell wasn't boring too watch.

the Spook of the Thirteenth Lock. More and more people had gathered in front of the stage during the other bands' performance, but when the first non-japanese band went on stage everyone went hiding in the back of the room. Spook plays a mix between traditional Irish music and rock. Not really like Flogging Molly, but I couldn't help but think of them. I don't like Flogging Molly though. Anyways. Spook's intro dragged on forever. I guess having no interest in the traditional bits didn't help much. The rock parts were a bit more interesting, but in the end I didn't find their sound very appealing. I think it's one of those cases where you either love it or hate it.

However, in the two last songs, the vocalist switched out guitar for banjo, and suddenly it became a lot more fun. Unfortunately it was over by then. Kudos to the drummer for walking up to the mic trying to speak japanese that he had written on a a little note: "konbanwa. yoroshiku onegaishimasu. nihon ni kitara, sugu ni............ganbarimasu!" It was cute.

Marvins Revolt. As people were still hiding in the back the vocalist actually asked people to come closer to the stage, and it worked. They pulled off a really good show. The entire band were full of energy and the post-punk music they play is both enjoyable and danceable. Their first album "Killec" was released in Japan before Christmas. They did all eight tracks off of that one plus a new song as well, but after that it was over. "We're sorry, but we don't have any more songs." Nice one. A short set, but a good one.

www.myspace.com/liteband

www.myspace.com/marvinsrevolt

Death Cab for Cutie japan tour!

2009-02-17T17:45:00.028+01:00

February 14th, Tokyo Studio Coast

It's been less than a year since I last saw Death Cab live, but it sure felt like a long time. Last time was in Sweden at the Arvika Festival. They were one of the headliners ie they played at the biggest stage and people were going crazy in the front. It was incredibly uncomfortable, so I moved further back where I could hardly see anything. Bummer.
This time however, I was just able to get the last spot at the front row where I did not only have a perfect view, but the crowd was fairly calm as well. Perfect circumstances, but did the band deliver? Of course.

Opening act was the japanese band Straightener. As DCFC have been labelled emotional rock, they sort of fit in the same category. The guitars weren't half bad, but the vocals and piano were more leaning towards straight-forward pop/rock. Especially the vocals kind of turned me off. Add to the fact that some of the songs were attempted to be sung in English, which basically means that it was nearly impossible to hear what was actually sung (except for simple frases like the chorus line "strike me with lightning"), and ultimately it became uninteresting. They only played for about 30 minutes though, although they seem to have quite a few songs in their back catalogue.

Immediately after they finished twelve people rushed on stage and started carrying out equipment faster than you can say "efficiency", and 20 minutes later the stage was ready for Death Cab. I've never seen anyone work that fast on a stage in Norway, especially not when there's only two bands on the bill. Of course it was better like this rather than waiting for one and a half hour while your being squeesed to pieces by the hungry crowd. Bless you, Japan.

Death Cab opened with "Bixby Canyon Bridge". The build-up towards the end works perfectly in a live setting, and it sort of set the standard for the rest of the concert. Studio Coast is not the best livehouse soundwise. In spite of being such a big place, the sound seems quite small, but luckily it wasn't half bad in the front. And for some reason I could hear Chris Walla's guitar incredibly well. The clear guitar sound made the impact even more raw than what I've seen before, and made songs like "Long Division", "the New Year", "I Will Possess Your Heart" and aforementioned opening track sound even more grandeur. In others words it was awesome. I guess the tracks off the latest album is more suited for a bigger format. It was an energetic show throughout the entire time though. I also have to add that Jason McGerr's drumming is impeccable.

They also played "Cath" and "Grapevine Fires" from Narrow Stairs. Personally I was hoping that they would also play a good number of tracks from their first albums, and sure enough, they played "Title Track" and "Company Calls" from We Have the Facts.. along with "Why'd You Want to Live Here" and "A Movie Script Ending" from the Photo Album. Their debut album Something About Airplanes was re-released last year, and they actually played two tracks off of it too.

They did all three singles from Plans. Fun fact of the day: During "Soul Meets Body" Chris Walla was on piano, and right in the middle of the song he added the piano part from Tegan and Sara's "Back In Your Head" (Walla produced their latest album the Con). He only played it once, but I'm 100% sure it was that one. Amusing.

They closed with "Transatlantisicm". I couldn't help but to be moved under that song (no tears though, mind you). It's truly a beautiful song. Enough said.

Admittedly I would have liked to hear songs like "Photobooth" and "No Sunlight" (which I know that they did in Nagoya and Osaka), but I guess you can't please everyone. I wouldn't have minded if they played for three hours though, and added "405", "What Sarah Said", "We Looked Like Giants", anything from Photo Album, some covers, Postal Service, Chris Walla's solo, Ben Gibbard covering Backstreet Boys...ahem. Anyways, it was a fantastic show.

http://www.deathcabforcutie.com/

Straightener's myspace: http://www.myspace.com/straightenerofficial

Lastly, this is a bit unrelated, but bassist Nick Harmer posted some stuff from Japan in his blog. Among other things he bought a gold suit at Tokyu Hands which has resulted in some funny pics.

I quote: "If you visit Japan and skip Tokyu Hands, I’d argue you missed Japan."

Read it here: http://colonycollapse.wordpress.com/

「トキメキNight! vol.3」

2009-02-11T16:30:00.026+01:00

February 4th, Shibuya Home

Tonight's event was called "tokimeki Night! vol.3 folk jamboree #1". Headliner was 曽我部恵一(sokabe keiichi), and he had invited some friends as well. It was my first time at Shibuya Home. The place was tiny and packed, somewhere between 100 and 150 people, I guess. I usually like standing in the front, but tonight's acts were all acoustic, which usually happens in a more quiet setting, so I grabbed one of the few barstools by the wall instead. I'm glad I did, becasue I probably wouldn't have been able to see much otherwise.

First up was 上野智文(ueno tomofumi) & CCC band. Ueno usually plays guitar with Sokabe, but he also works at Sokabe's café in Shimokitazawa called City Country City. That's where the CCC band also origins from, and I believe the other two in the band also works at the café. (it's a lovely place btw, and Ueno makes great pasta!) The songs they played were poppy and cheerful and I could almost feel that nice campfire feeling (minus the cheesy parts, mind you). The set ended with 「海の向こうで」(umi no mukou de) which is also on Sokabe Keiichi Band's album "Kira kira!".

Next up was 島津田四郎(shimazu tashiro) who's on Sokabe's label, Rose Records. He played these quirky and funny folk songs. Apparently he will release his second album this summer. He also played a track from his first album, which was a lot more mellow than the others, and where you could hear that he actually has a great singing voice too. There's this cool video here, where he sings with Sokabe:

Next up was 有馬和樹(arima kazuki) from おとぎ話(otogi banashi). Although it was announced as a solo set he did play together with Otogi Banashi's guitarist 牛尾健太(ushio kenta). They played some new songs, some from the latest album, and a couple I didn't know. I only have the latest 「理由なき反抗」("rebel without a cause"), but I need to get the first album too, because they really know how to write charming pop tunes.

This music video pretty much sums it up:

"Neon Boys" is a happy-fun-song too:

www.myspace.com/otgbanashi

Sokabe keiichi was up last. I've seen him play with the band a few times now, but this was my first tme seeing him play solo. The first thing that struck was how incredibly tired he looked though. At sokaban gigs they're all so energetic and happy. All of a sudden he was more calm and uhm, not smiling. The atmosphere was completely different, and the songs sounded more emotional and beautiful. He has a great voice too, although I reckon it has changed a bit since his Sunny Day Service days. I have two of his solo albums, "Blue" and "Love City", but I realize that I need to get more of those too.

Towards the end Sokabe called out Arima. Arima spoke of how he discovered Sunny Day Service when he was in high school, and that he really loved the album "24ji". After that Sokabe and Arima played 「月光荘」(gekkou sou) from that album together! Finally that big smile came on Sokabe's face, and Arima seriously looked like the happiest person alive. It was kind of a touching moment.

For the encore Sokabe was joined by Ueno, and they played "Stars". Sokaban always plays it at the end of the set or as the encore. It's a great ending song, I think.

Go to Sokabe's live blog for pic's and setlist: http://d.hatena.ne.jp/live-sokabe/20090204

After the show I bought Sokabe Keiichi Band's new single 「ほし」(hoshi). The sound is different from the other sokaban tracks, and it leans more towards his solo stuff. I like it a lot. By now you've probably realized that it's been impossible for me to be critical about anything this time around, but seriously, shows like this one is the reason why I love going to concerts.

Here's the music video for "Hoshi":

マヒルノ MAHIRUNO

2009-02-03T18:30:00.006+01:00

The more I listen to this band, the more I'm convinced that they're awesome. They were actually the secret guest band who played at Nest Festival last year. I didn't make that much of them at the time, but since then they've released their 1st mini album 「辺境のサーカス」(Circus In Frontier) which is pretty great.

They have 3 songs up on their Myspace. My current favourite is "composision, see-saw & lost child".

www.myspace.com/mahiruno

Stars + Ogre You Asshole

2009-01-27T17:43:00.020+01:00

january 10th, Shibuya Quattro

I didn't know quite what to expect from this gig judging from the last time I saw Stars at the Hove Festival in Norway last summer. They played early at the biggest stage (too big for them), the teeny boppers that had showed up were all waiting for the Kooks, and the band seemed to be uh, less happy. I enjoyed the concert because it was my first time seeing them, but in retrospective I've sort of realized that it was kind of terrible... But I do like their music, so I decided to give it another chance. This time indoors at a smaller venue. And hey, even if it wouldn't turn out good they still had the best support act.

I don't think anyone in the audience were familiar with Ogre You Asshole, but they seemed to like them (considering the fact that it was a japanese act warming up for a foreign act). Towards the end of the set people were clapping more than at your average Ogre gig. Not that that means a lot... They did a short set:

Coinlaundry
Flag
JN
shiranai aizu shiraseru ko

katappo
hitori nori

They had a new intro before "Flag" which was quite cool. I'm glad they played "katappo", off the new EP, because I really like that song. It's soft and mellow.

I actually saw Ogre the next day as well. They did an instore live at Tower Records Shibuya together with the Novembers. The Novembers were headbanging like crazy as always, even in the slower songs. It was quite a sight to behold on the tiny stage, but more about them later. I'm seeing them again later in February. Ogre played the exact same songs except that they added "Advantage" as well. The crowd was dead again. During Novembers the dude next to me was actually sleeping through the entire thing, standing upright. That takes some skills, I guess.

Anyways, back to Stars. They were so much better this time. First of all they covered the entire stage with white, pink and red roses, many of them which they threw out to the crowd (I managed to catch two!). Pretty~. Secondly, they seemed to be in a good mood, especially Torq.

Also, I could hear his voice a lot better now than last time. Amy's voice is always amazing, especially on the slower songs. I've read some japanese blogs about the gig, and litterally all of them commented on her weight. I guess she has gained some, but I don't really see that as an issue..? The rest of the band didn't make too much out of themselves.

They played many tracks from their latest album, but also from "Set Yourself On Fire" and "Heart". They also did one or two tracks off their latest release, the "Sad Robots" EP (which is more or less download only). I loved hearing "Elevator Love Letter" and "Look Up" from "Heart". "Your Ex-Lover Is Dead" was also great. They did a long encore, but I can't remember the setlist.

I had a good time, but there still something about Stars' attitude which puts me off. I can't explain it properly, but they seem to be a bit...conceited? I don't want to decide whether or not I like a band judging from their perosnalities, but this has kind of bothered me since the last time I saw them, and I'm still thinking about it now...

I'll never get tired of this song though:

2009

2009-01-17T07:54:00.010+01:00

I didn't get see that many foreign artists last fall, but I'm planning to see some soon including Death Cab, Of Montreal, Earlimart and so on. I'm also hoping that Okkervil River will come to Japan. They said that they would at the Øya Festival in Norway, but I haven't heard anything more about it yet. Other bands that would have been great: Wolf Parade, the New Pornographers and Someone Still Loves You, Boris Yeltsin.

Some upcoming releases I'm looking forward too:

A.C. Newman - Get Guilty 1/20
Matt & Kim - Grand 1/20
Franz Ferdinand - Tonight 1/26
Handsome Furs - Face Control 2/3
sokabe keiichi - hoshi 2/6
Asobi Seksu - Hush 2/17
various - Dark Was the Night 2/17
A great line-up of artists and it's for a good cause (http://www.myspace.com/DarkWasTheNight)
kashiwa daisuke - 5 Dec 2/20
Neko Case - Middle Cyclone 3/3
Ogre You Asshole - pinhole 3/4
the Novembers - paraphilia 3/18
the Decemberists - the Hazards of Love 3/24

Video about Neko Case's Middle Cyclone:

You can also download the first single off Neko Case's new album for free, and every time a blog reposts this track five dollars will be donated to the Best Friends Animal Society (read more abut it here). I think it's a really good track, so check it out.
Neko Case - People Got A Lotta Nerve

Concerts of 2008

2008-12-26T15:36:00.004+01:00

Including festivals, clubs, a couple of instores etc.
A total of 140 different bands.
My favourites are outlined.

6955
6 eyes
9 Goats Black Out
Advantage Lucy
aikuru
Ametsub
Ando
Aquarium
Assembler
B Club
Beach House
Beck
Black Kids
Black Lips
Black:List
Blonde Redhead
Blood Red Shoes
Boris
Brian Jonestown Massacre
the Brunettes
chariots x3
Crystal Castles
Custom Noise
Cut Copy
Dead by April
Death Cab for Cutie
Devastations
Dio
the Dodos
Doktor Kosmos
Dosh
Duffy
Duné
d.v.d
E’m
Efterklang
Emperor Tomato Ketchup
envy
Familjen
Foals
furukawa miki
the Go! Team
Goldfrapp
Grand Island
Adam Green
group_inou x4
Growing
Hariss
hasunuma shuta
the Hellacopters
Hercules & Love Affair
Hot Chip
Håkan Hellstrøm
I am Robot and Proud x2
In Flames
Interpol
Jaguar Love
Jay-Z
Jordan
kaji hideki
kashiwa daisuke x2
Kaya
Kent
Kicell
the Kiddie
the Kissaway Trail
kojima mayumi
the Kooks x2
Les Savy Fav
Like Absolute Myself
Lukestar
Luminous Orange
Lupe Fiasco
Mahiruno
Maps
Masquerade
matenro Opera x3
matsu & take
Matt & Kim
Midnight Juggernauts
MGMT
miyauchi yuri
My Brightest Diamond
Kate Nash
the National
the National Bank
Nega
Silje Nes
nhhmbase x2
nisennenmondai
the Novembers x2
Now We’ve Got Members
O’Death
Ogre You Asshole x4
Okkervil River
Overground Acoustic Underground
ôya yuusuke session
-OZ-
Pacific!
Panic at the Disco
Pop-a-long Cassidy
PPP x2
Psysalia Psysalis Psyche
the Raconteurs
Rentrer en Soi
Riddim Saunter
Robyn
Rumble In Rhodos
Sel’m
shibusa shirazu seven
Shing02
Sigur Rós
Slagsmålsklubben
sokif
sokabe keiichi band x3
sokabe keiichi rendevouz band
Sonic Youth
sôtai seiriron
Sparta Locals
St Vincent
Stars
Sufjan Stevens
Sugar
Takuma
the Ting Tings
Tingsek
toe
toddle
tokumaru shugo x4
Tommy Tokyo & Starving for My Gravy
Truls & the Trees x2
Vampire Weekend
John Vanderslice
Versailles x3
the Wombats
Woodhands
World’s End Girlfriend & Poltergeist Ensemble
Yeasayer
YO-MA
the Young Knives

Best of 2008

2008-12-19T06:19:00.034+01:00

And so it's that time of the year again. For some reason I found it a lot easier to choose my japanese favourites than the non-japanese ones. There's been many good non-japanese records, but recently I've found myself almost only listening to japanese artists. I think one of the reasons is that I get to see a lot of the japanese bands live all the time here. Also, I think it's more difficult to stay updated on new western music here. Another interesting thing is that I had to listen to most of the non-japanese albums so many times before I started liking them whereas for the japanese ones I almost instantly liked them. Anyways, here goes..

Best japanese albums

sokabe keiichi BAND - キラキラ！
group_inou - FAN
YO-MA - Sparks In Winter
the Novembers - picnic
Ogre You Asshole - しらないあいずしらせる子 (mini-album)
kaji hideki - Lollipop
PERFUME - GAME
キセル - Magic Hour

Best non-jap. albums

Wolf Parade - At Mt. Zoomer
Someone Still Loves You, Boris Yeltsin - Pershing
Okkervil River - the Stand-Ins
Of Montreal - Skeletal Lampin
Destroyer - Trouble In Dreams
Foals - Antidotes
Conor Oberst - s/t
Late of the Pier - Fantasy Black Channel
Beach House - Devotion
Tokyo Police Club - Elephant Shell

"PR vol. 3" group_inou oneman!

2008-12-17T08:06:00.048+01:00

Dec. 7th, Daikanyama UNIT

This day started out with nothing less than the Japanese Language Proficiency Test Level 2. I think it went okay, but I was pretty tired afterwards. It was more tempting to go home and get some sleep than going to a concert. A Quarter Ponder and a coffe cup later though, I was good to go.

I had been worried about the number system for this gig, because mine was G-71. Usually when they have letters before the ticket number it means that A 1~100 goes first then B 1~100 etc. Luckily that wasn't the case this time. Actually G-tickets were the first to be let in! I'm guessing they just put the G there for group_inou. At the door I got a nice sticker too. They had new t-shirts with the egg from the flyer. Limited to a 100 shirts, each one numbered bla bla bla. To me it was just an egg. I can however imagine how comic it would be if two people with the other group_inou tees were standing on each side of an egg shirt. Breakfast, yum.

Special guest was Matsu & Take. In spite of the name it was only one guy. He played this cool electronica that, if played at a club, I would be dancing. In this setting however, it became a bit onesided and for some reason (JLPT) I became incredibly tired and sleepy during his set.

group_inou are like the nerdy guys at school who didn't have any friends, but who stayed at home making music in their bedroom. And now even though their first album has sold lots of copies and their fan base has grown, they're still the nerdy guys. Imai commented at the beginning of the show that they had gone to a kombini as people were being let in, but even though they walked past the entire queue no one noticed them. Also, this event wasn't supposed to be a oneman, but they didn't have any friends that would play with them. Imai told this story about how he went all alone to Kyoto because he didn't have any friends, and there he met Matsu & Take, which became his only friend, and thus the only guest tonight. Hilarious. I didn't mind it being a oneman though as it meant that I could watch the entire show and still take the last train home.

The bands usually play longer sets as well at onemans. That wasn't the case with group_inou though. After 6-7 tracks, imai announces that they only have three songs left! I guess the main reason is that CP becomes incredibly tired when he's performing. The guy's literally ghasping for air between the songs. No wonder when he's as active as he is on stage, but I'd rather see him pace it down a bit and do a longer set. Or maybe not. It's too fun to watch him dance and walk in circles on stage.

They did play many of their best songs though, including "Coming Out", "Ship", "PR", "Maybe". People are always going crazy on the last one. When I think about it they were going crazy from the very beginning this time. I think it's uncomfortable when you can't move freely because people are pushing so much. Before I used to bear up with it, but I think I'e been to so many concerts now that I don't think it's worth it. Another thing I've noticed at japanese gigs is that people in the first 5 rows or something, sway simultanously from side to side. Like you would when the sing-a-long pop-ballad comes on and everyone grabs their lighter and throw their arms up in the air. It's strange to see that at a hiphop/electro gig.

Before a new track Imai announced that this song had the worst lyrics in the world. I think CP writes all of them though. "Nude" was also introduced as a song with crap lyrics. Hmm..「NUDEに持っていくMOOD」

They had a really impressive stage show. A screen in the background showing these crazy videoes (provided by VJ Heart Bomb) and laser lights (by Yama-Chang). Yep, you read right, lasers. If I didn't know these guys beforehand I'd say it was some kind of trance/rave party going on. Just to top it off they also had a neon sign at the side of stage (the one in the pic above). More eggs.

The only bad part about the show was the sound. It was actually kind of terrible. Good sound is usually kind of crucial, but I guess the lasers made up for it...

For the encore they did the 'System Kitchen' (remixes of 'Foods' their 1st EP) version of "Status" together with Matsu & Take. Best part of the the entire show.

曽我部恵一BAND「カントー的!」

2008-12-15T17:58:00.020+01:00

nov 21st, Chiba Look
nov 30th, Shibuya Quattro

Because the last sokabe keiichi band gig was so fun I decided to see them twice on their Kanto tour. First at the local club (well 30min away by train, but at least a lot closer than Tokyo) in Chiba, and later the tour final in Shibuya.

[pic from http://d.hatena.ne.jp/live-sokabe/20081121)

「ヤバイヤバイヤバイ！」

sokabe was really impressed by the crowd in Chiba. Basically because everyone was crazy and so much into it. It was sokabe keiichi band's first time in Chiba, so that explains a lot. Although I don't really see that people in Chiba would have much trouble going to Tokyo. Nonetheless it was fun to be at a gig where everyone were so excited. Sokabe also said that he wanted to live in Chiba. Ahahaha. haha....ha..(why would anyone live here rather than Tokyo?)

I've never been to Look before, and it turned out to be a tiny club with a capacity of maybe no more than 200 people. The "bar" was really just the other end of the merch table, and instead of lockers they had a shelf where everyone would put their stuff. I love small venues, so this place was pretty sweet. The only bad thing was the washiki ie a Japanese toilet ie a toilet in the floor. I really hate those things.

Anyways, the gig was so much fun. The entire band really give it all, and they're always in a good mood. Happy and so energetic. They're btw also one of the few Japanese bands I've seen who drink alcohol (beer) on stage. I guess most japanese people would get drunk in an instant and be unable to play, hehe.

They played a long set, 24 songs. The entire setlist and more pics can be seen at their live blog: http://d.hatena.ne.jp/live-sokabe/20081121
They played four new songs, all which where pretty good. Tomo, the guitarist, has written and sings on one of the new songs as he does on 「海の向こうで」 (umi no mukou de). If I'm not mistaken they're currently recording new songs. At least a new single will be released in February.

They played a few Sunny Day Service songs to, and I was really glad that they played「恋におちたら」(koi ni ochitara). Before "Telephone Love" sokabe told this long story about falling in love and eating peanuts. Apparently Chiba is famous for peanuts. I've never seen any Chiba-peanuts though... After "mellow mind" everyone thought that the gig was over, but suddenly the band came back out and did another song! I like to believe that it was because they thought the crowd in Chiba were awesome.

They had new t-shirts this time with artwork from the tour flyer. It's cute. I got a purple one. And after deliberating over it a long time I bought a sokabe keiichi rendevouz band vinyl. The reason I was hesitating a bit is because my record player is in Norway, so I won't be able to listen to it here in Japan. That, and the fact that I'm always incredibly slow at making up my mind. By the time I'd finally bought the thing though, the entire band had come out and were packing their gear on the stage. I got sokabe to sign my vinyl.

(pic from http://d.hatena.ne.jp/live-sokabe/20081130)

The gig in Shibuya was more or less the same, but I mean it in the sense that it was great too. In the beginning I was standing in the front, but people were pushing so much that it became so uncomfortable that I moved further to the back. The stage was bigger this time though so I had a perfect view. They played a couple of other new songs. Sokabe failed a bit at the story before "Telephone Love" this time. I think he was running out of ideas, but it was still funny. Setlist and pics in sokabe keiichi's live blog here:
http://d.hatena.ne.jp/live-sokabe/20081130

Sokabe keiichi is currently doing a solo acoustic tour around the country. The show in Chiba was unfortunately sold out under less than two hours(!). I'd love to see him solo sometime. Apparently he's playing 「あじさい」(ajisai, another Sunny Day Service song). Would've been great to hear live.

OGRE YOU ASSHOLE oneman!

2008-11-27T14:41:00.019+01:00

nov. 20th, Club Quattro, Shibuya

Ogre You Asshole did like three onemans for the release of their latest EP "shiranai aizu shiraseru ko", and of course I had to go to one of them. I was still bummed out that I missed their oneman in January. It was their first oneman ever, and I could've gone but it was at a little club in shimokitazawa and it sold out way too fast. According to an interview I read the other day though, the audience in Tokyo were pretty lame. The audience this time was no different, but more about that later. They played at Shibuya Quattro which is quite small, but still pretty big for a band of their size I suppose. I've seen the likes of Sufjan Stevens and the Shins there before, and they definitely would've played at a bigger venue in Norway. The show was sold out this time as well, but not until like one day before or something. Nonetheless it got pretty packed in there.

The new record is great. I guess I like them too much to be objective though, but even so. The new songs are more pop-inspired and they sound a lot more lush and melodious. At the same time they still have their trademark guitars (or more precisely Built to Spill/Modest Mouse trademark guitars - which is exactly why I like this band so much). The lyrics are also, as far as my japanese knowledge goes, pretty good. My favorite tracks are "katappo", "nadaraka nanda" and the title track.

This is probably really insignificant, but I'll go ahead and write it anyhow: Before the gig they always play music over the speakers right? The day before I had the pleasure of hearing the same four Bowerbirds songs played on repeat for the entire evening, and at Crystal Castles it was the latest Cut Copy album on repeat. I don't mind those bands at all, but hearing the same songs over and over again makes waiting even more boring. This time someone had made a playlist and it was really good. Modest Mouse, Death Cab, Wolf Parade, Built to Spill, Band of Horses etc. More or less, it sounded like something Ogre would've picked it out, but do bands usually do that?

Anyhow..

Deto said that they were planning to play the longest set they'd ever done and they played around 20 songs. Which isn't bad for a band who has a total of maybe 30 tracks. The setlist went a little bit like this (after my memory so it's not entirely correct):

ひとり乗り
しらない合図しらせる子
なだらかなんだ
どっちかの角
カポ
J.N
ロボトミー
フラッグ
バックシート
コインランドリー
おまじない
サカサマ
かたっぽ
アドバンテージ
ラムダ・ラムダ・ラムダ

En.1
マスク
ドーナツ

En.2
辺りはここ
また明日

I love how "nadarakananda" builds from the bridge and out. The same with "sakasama". I guess it was during the first that I realized that the five rows in front of us weren't moving an inch. Not even nodding their heads, nothing. The people behind us were a little bit better, but all in all not much enthusiasm to spot. I'm not the one to say that everyone in the crowd should jump around like crazy, and I honestly think that people have different ways of enjoying music. Just because your not moshing doesn't mean that you're not having fun. But I did find the crowd here a bit strange. And ultimately, boring.

Also, in Norway you clap when the song is done, even if you don't know the band/liked the song you can always muster up a halfhearted applause. In Japan, the land where they give applause all the time in any other situation they don't clap after the songs - unless the band says "thanks" in the mic right after the song is finished. Maybe it's just me who is unacustomed to this, but it becomes these unbearable silences between the songs. Are people being too polite, or what's the deal here?Shouldn't the crowd give the band some kind of response? No wonder they always have anquete's at gigs, when it's impossible to get a hint of what's going on inside people's heads. It's usually better when it comes to more popular bands, or at onemans because everyone's there to see the same band, and they all like the music - one would assume. But no, not at Ogre apparently. There were some clapping at the beginning, but it gradually stopped. If I were the one playing I'd think "great, they're already tired of us. Let's get off this stage". In fact, upon commenting on their first oneman Ogre thought the audience was so quiet that they were almost wondering if people had really come to see them or not...

Not that Ogre You Asshole make a lot of themselves either. They're pretty much just doing their own thing up on the stage. Not everyone can be B-Club, I guess (and thank God for that). Deto was actually a bit more talkative than usual, although he claimed to be the opposite. The entire show was broadcasted live on tv, so apparently there were "lots of things he wanted to say, but couldn't". He did however manage to talk about meeting an old friend at the super market, changing wheels on the van etc, and don't think he has said that much before ever.

They did two encores. "mask" is probably my favorite song on their second album, but they haven't played it live recently so I was happy to hear it. "doughnuts" is the b-side from the tanishi-single. 7 minutes long, perhaps a bit more experimental, and very awesome. For the second encore they played two fairly mellow songs "atari wa koko" and "mata ashita". I was disapapointed that they didn't play more songs from the first EP. "pullring" is one of their best songs, but apparently they've only done it live once. I'm really curious to know why they don't play it. "mata ashita", the first track off the first album, a great opening track and also a great ending to this show.

Ogre You Asshole definitely deserves all the attention they can get, but I have to admit that I like to be able to see them play small venues like this, or even smaller (O-nest ftw). I already have a ticket for a show in January where they will play together with The Novembers. That should be awesome.

I found a live clip from the concert on youtube:

OGRE YOU ASSHOLE - カポ (live)

Ogre You Asshole - しらない合図しらせる子 (PV)

"Melting Pot Special" - kaji hideki, group_inou ++

2008-11-23T17:18:00.017+01:00

november 19th Club Quattro

I originally wanted to go to this concert just to see group_inou, but after checking out Kaji Hideki I discovered that his sweet shibuya kei influenced popsongs are great and I became excited to see him as well. The first band to perform tonight however were unexpected and, uh, interesting.

My first thought when B Club entered the stage: "The reason why men in hotpants and pink tights does NOT look good." The three members all wore matching outfits which included denim shorts (vocalist in hotpants), colorful tights and sunglasses. I'd wear sunglasses too if I ever wanted to show myself in public again. Basically their show was a bit like this: Simple electropop tunes, stupid lyrics (「東も、西も、北も、南も」with appropriate handmovements of course) and ridiculous dance moves. I find it hard not to just write them off as a comedy band, but at least they were entertaining. At the end they did a coordinated dance and encouraged the audience to join in. The interesting thing is that the vocalist has a solo project where he also plays electric cello, but in a lot more serious setting.

B Club - "beauty butterfly" the guy on the bike (the only one watching, is kind of hilarious)

group_inou are always incredible live. CP seemed a bit tired maybe, but he was still jumping around on stage dancing like insane as he always does. Highlights were "Coming Out", "PR" and everyone went crazy on "MAYBE". During the MC they started talking about their forthcoming oneman live at Unit. Apparently thay had invited lots of bands but no one said yes. Imai was all like "We know it's because they don't want to play with us!!".

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/groupinou
Website: http://g-a-l.jp/group_inou/

group_inou - PR (u.u.o. mix)

Next up was Riddim Saunter. I wasn't familiar with their music before to the gig, and they seemed fair enough at first. Super feel goody pop songs, and they were really popular among the crowd. The girls around me all started acting like 14-year old screaming teeny boppers. Yayness. After a while I got tired of them, but they just went on and on... Kudos for cowbell though.

Kaji Hideki came on stage wearing shorts, knee socks, a shirt and tie. He looked like a little school boy despite the fact that the man is 41 years old, and on top of that the teeny boppers were screaming "kawaiii!!!!!111". He had a band, and they opened with "amai koibito" from his latest album, Lollipop. Before the gig I actually only had that album, but I bought his first(?) album Miniskirt afterwards. That one's also great. Kaji certainly has a talent for making incredibly sweet and lovely popmelodies. When the song was finished Kaji turned to the amp where he had a comb to fix his hair. Kawaii indeed. I think he only did two other songs from the new album, "Holy Night" and "Too Much Too Young". I always skip the last one when I listen to the album.. It's a sort of very straight-forward post-punk(?) song, and Kaji Hideki sounds ten times more interesting when he has lots of samples and fun instrumentation in his songs. He lacked that in his live performance as well and I though it was a bit disappointing. Nonetheless he has good songs and lots of charm. Og sjarm er alt vettu.

myspace: http://www.myspace.com/hidekikajiofficial
website: http://www.hidekikaji.net/

kaji hideki - "amai koibito"

カジヒデキ - ラ・ブーム～だってMY BOOM IS ME

~future butterfly~ Elliott Smith tribute show

2008-11-05T14:25:00.014+01:00

I love Elliott Smith and I had been looking forward to this concert a long time, because I also love both Shugo Tokumaru and Kicell, who were the ones playing tonight. It all went down in a small cinema in Hiroshima called Yokogawa Cinema on November 1st. There were about a hundred seats, but it quickly became packed so people were sitting in the stairs on the sides as well. Before the show started they showed pictures of Elliott on the screen and played his music which was nice, but I was more than anything looking forward to hearing the other artists play his songs. Unfortunately I realized that that wasn't going to be the case. A woman came up on stage and introduced the event, she seemed shit-nervous, and she said something about difficulty with doing covers, and sure enough they didn't play a single one. I've never been to an Elliott tribute show before, but as for those I've heard of, they only do covers. Even if it were crappy covers, I would have preferred that.

Elliott Smith official website: http://www.sweetadeline.net/
myspace: http://www.myspace.com/elliottsmithnewmoon

For the first half og Shugo Tokumaru's performance I was too disappointed too really pay attention to him. He didn't mention a single word about the tribute show either. As I started to accept the facts however I tried to enjoy it as a regular concert. Tokumaru had a girl with him tonight who played the harmonica and toys. Yes, she had a box with lots and lots of little toys that made funny sounds. That was pretty funny to watch. There was a chicken, that you can wind up and then it jumps forward while making this clicking sound. I have that one in the penguin version. Tokumaru said that he just came home from his US tour and that it felt like playing a live show at 7am in the morning. He played good as always though. This was his first ever gig in Hiroshima, but it was my 5th time seeing him. Again he played a variety from all albums, but in this small setting when there was only two people om stage it was a lot more intimate and nice.

website: http://www.shugotokumaru.com/

myspace: http://www.myspace.com/shugotokumaru

Kicell are two brothers (Takefumi and Tomoharu Tsujimura) from Kyoto who play sort of folkpop-ish music, which has a really nice vibe and lovely atmosphere to it. They released a new album early this year "magic hour", and at this show they sold a new EP only called "kicell EP". The highlight of their set tonight was definitely「君の犬昆」(kimi no inu). I love that song. Acoustic and simple, and so beautiful. In the middle of the show Takefumi said that he had thought about doing an Elliott cover, but he thought that it was probably impossible, and sort of gave up. Ironically they ended their set with a cover by another artist, whose name I couldn't quite grasp. Tomoharu played on a saw though. That was cool. They were called out again by the audience for two encore's. When they came out afterwards I said that it would have been great if they did an Elliott cover, and Takefumi answered surprised "oh, you like Elliott Smith?". Yeah, that's sort of why I came in the first place...

website: http://www.nidan-bed.com/index.html

キセル / 君の犬（LIVE）

Nest Fest' part 2

2008-10-26T18:13:00.011+01:00

It disappointed me a little bit that Ogre You Asshole didn’t play the title track from their upcoming EP 「しらないあいずしらせる子」(shiranai aizu shiraseru ko). However they opened with another new song 「ひとり乗り」(hitori nori). It’s rather slow-paced, but I like it a lot. I think the new tracks lean a lot more towards pop than before, and it sounds more polished maybe? I like catchy songs, but I also like some good guitar noise. Here’s hoping the new EP has both. It has actually been released in the iTunes Music store, but I’m waiting patiently for the cd. I’ve realized that if you hear albums in advance it takes away some the excitement when you finally have the physical cd in your hands. Anyways, their performance was good. I think they played a rather short set, and I’m looking forward to their oneman in November.

Ogre You Asshole - ひとり乗り live

Although the audience didn’t seem that into Ogre You Asshole it felt as if everyone left the stage area after they had finished. They sold merch, cd’s and tickets in the hallway and food on the second floor. I got my ticket for group_inou’s oneman in December. My ticket number was 71, but after a closer inspection I realized it was G-71. Usually it means that they call the A 1-100 tickets first then B 1-100 etc. In other words I’m like nr 700? Oh man.

Nisennenmondai was next in the lineup, but after half a song I came to the conclusion that I have very little interest in them. They’ve played in Norway at least twice this year, and I’ve read that they’re a noise band which is supposed to be influenced by Sonic Youth and similar bands. They were totally different than my expectations though. They didn’t really have any structure in their songs, no apparent melodies and it sort of dragged on forever and yeah, we went to eat some curry instead. I don’t like Japanese curry.

The stage area was packed during Shing02 set. Again, hip hop is not my thing, and in contrast to group_inou this was more mainstream hip hop which I found it really hard to get anything out of.

Next followed I AM ROBOT AND PROUD, an electronic act from Canada. I’ve seen him before at O-Nest. His music is likeable, but a little one-sided in the long run. I think his sound is a lot more organic compared regular electro music and I like that a lot.

We saw toe and dosh from the second floor. About that time I was extremely tired, and seeing many other people sitting against the wall sleeping, I say I wasn’t the only one. Toe mostly have instrumental songs, but I believe they had vocals on a song they played towards the end of their set? I’m afraid I was half asleep at that point. Sorry. Dosh was kind of cool though. They were the second foreign act of the day, and they had some interesting tunes. Not that I remember them very well. Sorry again.

Finally it was Shugo Tokumaru’s turn to perform. Tonight he performed together with the Magic Band and they were 8 people on stage on percussion, synth, contrabass, toy instruments etc. They played a variety of songs from all three albums and a couple of new ones as well. The songs from his first two albums, f ex “the Mop” and “Mist” sounded a lot bigger when performed with the band. Tokumaru’s voice is kind of light and timid and in the beginning it drowned a little bit in the music, but it soon became better. They new songs sounded pretty similar in sound with the songs from EXIT – playful and beautiful at the same time. I was really hoping that they would play “La La Radio” from Exit because it sounds amazing when performed with the Magic Band, but unfortunately.

All Japanese bands usually say thanks for coming, next live is then and then, thank you again etc during their live set. Last time I saw Tokumaru with the Magic Band he started talking after the first song and the man went on forever talking about everything and nothing. It was interesting the first five minutes. Tonight however, probably aware of his tendency to talk way too much, he did a little speed talk. Funny. The set ended with a great version of “Green Rain”. I wished they had played longer though, but it appeared that they weren’t the last act of the day after all.

Shugo Tokumaru – Green Rain

Secret act!
マヒルノ(mahiruno) played one song at the little side stage. Hardrock with pretty cool guitar sounds. The vocals and lyrics were a bit crap though. But it was a good ending to a long day.

Nest Festival part 1

2008-10-24T19:29:00.010+02:00

Last Sunday (10/19) was an event presented by O-Nest which didn’t take place at O-Nest, but O-East which is a bigger venue. The line-up however was entirely made up of typical O-Nest bands.

First up was d.v.d which apparently means “drums visual drums”. One drum set on each side of the stage and a big screen in the middle. There was also a third guy who made electronic sounds, but mostly it was just drums AND one hell of a cool visual animation on the screen which responded to the drum sounds. Very cool.

Website: http://www.dvd-3.com/

Newt up was 相対性理論 (soutaiseiriron) which means “relativity”. I’ve never heard them before, and I became suspicious when the female vocalist walked on stage seemingly against her will with the sulkiest face ever. She sat down on a chair and didn’t move an inch or say much through almost the entire set. No wait, she did stand up towards the end. It was probably an image thing, but at the same time as it was more interesting than other plain bands, it was kind of distracting. The music itself wasn’t too bad at all. Pretty catchy indiehooks, and charming quirkyness. I however spent most of my time wondering what was up with the singer. Did her boyfriend ditch her? Was she recently told that she only had one month to live, and as much as she wanted to go travelling around the world, the band forced her to finish the tour? Did the band originally kidnap some random woman off the streets and forced her to be their vocalist? Was she only allowed to come out from the basement when they were doing liveshows? Ahem. Anyways. They have an EP out. I think I need to get that one.

相対性理論 - LOVEずっきゅん

The two first acts played on the main stage, and I had no idea there was another, but suddenly the curtains went up on the right side of the stage and nhhmbase appeared. 「こんにちわ。サイドステージです」Funny. I was only able to see nhhmbase for a short while last time, but this time I really got to see how great they can be. After a couple of songs they became so energetic and crazy. Loved the vocalist. He was awesome. Performing after miss non-karisma didn’t hurt them either I suppose… Although they released their first full album this year it was the old songs like “ANA”, “PL” and “9/8” that made the audience and the band really go off.

9/8 live

Next performers were 渋さ知らズセブン (shibusa shirazu seven). I had no idea who they were either, so I was really surprised when they turned out to be an impro-band. I’m not into that kind of music at all, so after a few moments I quickly lost interest. By all means, they were talented musicians and every one of them had a solo. Except for the white guy who played the tuba. I wanted to see a tuba solo. The funny thing with impro though is that it seems that you can take a break whenever you want to, because there’s no fixed structure in the songs. The band also had some scary-looking dancers on stage. One was wearing a gigantic skull mask, which was creepy as hell.

After that group_inou performed at the side stage. Hip hop is another thing that doesn’t interest me much at all, but group_inou’s mix of hip hop and electro works perfectly. Their live shows in particular are amazingly energetic and so much fun. I think they were the act that made the audience dance the most this day. “Coming Out” and “Ship” are my favourites from their album, but all songs work well when they play live.

group_inou – COMING OUT

To be continued...

nhhmbase + sokabe keiichi band

2008-10-15T18:15:00.010+02:00

The day after YO-MA, and a long night out in Tokyo, I came back to O-Nest Sept 21. to see nhhmbase and sokabe keiichi (曽我部恵一)band.

I had seen sokabe keiichi once before, but that was sokabe keiichi rendevouz band, which is a different band, and that performance was more mellow and soul-ish. Sokabe keiichi band however was all about rock'n'roll. From the second they came on stage to the very end it was a riot. In a very happy, super optimistic kind of way. I've never talked to the man, but I'm convinced that sokabe keiichi is one of the nicest people in the world. He's always smiling and his songs gives the term feel-good a whole new meaning. At times the songs are almost too cheezy, but you have to have a heart of stone not to be charmed by those pop-hooks and sweet lyrics. You know you're good when you can get away with song titles like "telephone love", "let's get married" and "let's ride the magic bus". I think it had a lot to do with their energy and presence on stage though, 'cause damn, they were awesome. Besides that one other gig I was completely unfamiliar with his songs, but I was immediately taken in by their performance. They were jumping all over the stage, and at one point the bassist and guitarist went out in the audience, while the drummer was hanging fom the ceiling. Fun! I also loved the new version of "seishunkyousoukyoku" (青春狂走曲), and old Sunny Day Service song, which is sokabe keiichi's old band.

I wanted to buy some cd's after the gig, but I had no idea what would be the best record to start with. I looked clueless at the merch stand, and so the guy standing there recomended me their new live record "tokimeki LIVE!". It really captures the essence in their live shows. "Okay," I said, "can you recommend one more?"."You want one more?!" The guy was shocked. Funny. Needless to say that I'm going to see them again, twice in fact, when their doing their Kanto tour in November.

myspace: http://www.myspace.com/sokabe
website: http://www.sokabekeiichi.com/

I had heard that nhhmbase was an awesome live band, and I wanted to see them live for some time. Especially after watching the youtube video they have on their myspace site were one of the band members ends up in an ambulance. Unfortunately though I had to leave early to catch the last train home, so I only got to see the first 15-20 minutes. It was 15-20 good minutes though. nhhmbase released their first album "hamon cross" (波紋クロス) this year, which I bought before I left the venue, but similarly to the self-titled ep I think they're interesting to listen to, but I rarely listen to the cd for some reason. They have a really interesting and slightly strange sound. At the gig they played a lot of songs from the first record, and I enjoyed it a lot. I'm seeing them again on Sunday. They'e playing at Nest Fest where lots of bands I like are playing. Hopefully I get to see their whole set this time around.

myspace: http://www.myspace.com/nhhmbase

website: http://www.nhhmbase.com/ja/

YO-MA ~Sparks In Winter~ release tour of 1st album

2008-10-15T16:53:00.008+02:00

YO-MA is a new band from Nagoya that are signed to Ogre You Asshole's label OYA. I could try to describe their sound - or I could just call them the Arcade Fire of Japan. 'Nuff said?

I discovered this band through Ogre You Asshole's myspace site, and because mp3's were slightly impossible to get hold of, I've been listening to the three tracks they had on their myspace site all summer. I wasn't kidding when I said that they sound like Arcade Fire. At least I get the same good feeling when I listen to them as when I hear Arcade Fire's most up-beat songs. Basically it's beautiful, melodic indiepop with enthusiastic vocals, glockenspiel, piano and handclaps. It's impossible not to be happy when I hear their songs. My favorite tracks are "Rumin", "Flower King" and "宇宙環状線", but honestly, all tracks on the album are great.

YO-MA's debut album "Sparks In Winter" was released in September, and I went to see their show at Shibuya O-Nest September 20th. O-Nest is a small venue, and I love going to liveshows there. The smaller shows the better, I think, because you get to connect more with the bands.

Opening acts were Ogre You Asshole and Emperor Tomato Ketchup. Emperor Tomato Ketchup are a pretty straight-forward indie post-punk band. They were pretty good, but somehow they failed to leave a great impression on me. Maybe it was simply because the other two bands were so incredibly good in comparison?

I've seen Ogre You Asshole a couple of times before and they never disappoint me. They have a new record coming up in November "shiranai aizu shiraseru ko", and I was excited that they played a couple of their new songs. More about them later on though.

YO-MA turned out to be an amazing live band. They were five people on stage, and all of them were in good spirits. They were so energetic and enthusiastic on stage that they totally blew me away. The vocalist was jumping all over the stage. I think they played about all of the songs on the album, and maybe a couple more? "Rumin" was one of my favorites. I definitely have to see them live again.

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/yomajp
Website: http://music-space.ddo.jp/~yoma/top.shtml