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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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