Former Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman once said that Perfume were “the group which had the biggest influence on the Japanese music industry in 2008.” A year later and the former thrash metal man’s words still ring true – Perfume’s hyper-electro pop still looms large in 2009 thanks to the release of the well-selling Triangle, a…
Less than 30 people came out for this show on October 10 at Osaka’s intimate Knave music hall. It ranked mighty high on my all-time “small audience” concert list, and there were a few moments where an impromptu beer run could leave more people on stage than on the floor. As far as I’m concerned,…
Disclaimer: I do not own a high quality camera, thus these photos aren’t top notch. If you started a fund to get me an SLR, I wouldn’t object. I have no idea where Flake Records is or even what kind of music they actually sell, but based on their special “Tone Flakes Special” show at…
The most exciting aspect of Two Sunsets is that it’s indie-pop legends The Pastels first recorded material since a 2003 soundtrack. That’s not a stab at the album in question – Two Sunsets, a collaborative effort with Japan’s Tenniscoats, comes off as a deliberately laid back effort at times bordering on the ambient. It’s a…
Some upfront honesty: Lullatone are my favorite Japanese band going and new releases from them make me giddy to a point where objectivity completely melts away. I’m smitten with their self-described “pajama pop,” a child-like sound melding the conventional (guitar, keyboard) with the imaginative (drumming on bath water, snores). In a decade featuring scores of…