Let’s just lay this one out in text first — combining Avex artists FAKY, Yup’in and FEMM into one special unit should result in something totally average given the pedigree of the individual acts involved. FAKY and Yup’in have had their moments, but overall neither artist is the sort you get worked up about in…
Tokyo five-piece Kikagaku Moyo has been kicking about for about three years around the capital, playing the sort of guitar-centric psych rock that thrills rock fans who see Japan as “Boredomes and some other nutty stuff.” But despite this potential pitfall — a lot of these avant-garde bands aren’t actually doing anything interesting! — Kikagaku…
Something that I personally have been struggling with lately has been the enthusiasm to seek out new music, both from here in Japan and outside of it. It’s probably something to do with simply getting older and watching that once youthful energy that drove me to stay up until 3 am SoulSeeking the night away…
Tension has always been central to the music Tokyo’s LLLL creates, the shadowy electronics giving way to moments of ecstasy and hope…although they never come easy. “Breathless” is a series of reflections and emotional bursts, moving from slower passages to split-seconds of silence bursting alive right after. The key, though, is a guest appearance from…
Of course Soutaiseiriron’s first full taste of their new album — out this week — is the final track. I mean, they did put out a trailer too. Over the last few years, Soutaiseiriron have proven to be one of the more influential Japanese bands of the last decade, lead singer Etsuko Yakushimaru’s near-whispered sing-speak…