Yoshimi P-We’s OOIOO project has a new album on the way and here’s a first taste of the madness sure to be contained on the desk. The Muppet-like chanting going on throughout this all-over-the-place track becomes surprisingly catchy after a few spins, though you need to give this a few listens to catch all the…
I passed what appeared to be a bowling alley in Osaka this morning when I noticed a bulletin board holding a bunch of fliers advertising various bands. I grabbed one and have since started researching the various groups pictured on it. The very first group I Googled turned out to be a winner – Cubismo…
I like Passion Pit’s Manners, but I understand why a lot of people would be turned off by their everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach to music. These guys didn’t waste any of their label-allotted studio time, cramming their debut with all sorts of synths, drum beats and children’s choirs. I think Passion Pit’s enthusiasm and heart-on-sleeveness saves them…
Unlike most American “future pop” though, which relies on minimalism coupled with the occasional satellite radio shout-out, Hiroshima electro-pop trio Perfume go full cyborg and spare no artificial flourishes. The music this J-Pop group (or, more accurately, noted J-Pop producer Yasutaka Nakata) creates sounds completely robotic, all traces of humanity buried under layers of drum…
What better way to start my journey into the Japanese music scene than just going to a random concert and hoping for the best? With nothing else to do on a Sunday night, I checked out last.fm and settled on a show in Osaka at a venue called 2nd Line. I got directions and away…