[youtube=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSm2uafZq-8″] When SCANDAL transformed from high-school-aged rock band capable of hitting on a really good pop-rock hooks into boring AKB-lookalikes holding guitars, it was a sad day for Osaka rock bands and the idea that a group can make the leap to greater visibility without turning into marketing gimmicks. JinnyOops’! recent stylistic change – from…
[youtube=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKZCU2PeC3E”] Recently, I went to a music festival mere steps from my home in Osaka featuring a lot of artists I wanted to check out. The ones I caught sounded as good as expected – Nagoya’s Pop-Office wowed about 12 people who crammed into a recording booth converted into a stage, Hosome put on a…
Osaka’s JinnyOops! originally attracted attention from the teeny-tiny Japanese music blogosphere by introducing horns into punk-tinged rock. It was a cute little touch to a type of music always in surplus, a move bordering on gimmick-ness save for the group’s ability to not sound like a novelty. JinnyOops! easily could have held onto this clever…
Fall a little behind on your blog reading and, yeesh, you find yourself totally out of the loop. Both JPOP Lover and personal-recent-discovery Neaux Clicked On It (it’s good, read it) recently big-upped JinnyOops! I think two makes a trend, especially in the tiny universe of Japanese music blogging. This Osaka five-piece plays a punk-tinged…