Despite what the band wants you to think via their moniker, Africaemo sounds neither like they hail from Africa or like emo music. Geographically, this four-piece draws inspiration from two islands – England and their native Japan, specifically the NME-hyped “indie-dance” outfits of the prior mixed with the more unique voices of the latter. The…
I ventured out to Osaka’s Fandango live house on a warm Saturday afternoon to see an opening band. The risks involved in going to a concert just for the undercard go deep – chance of wasting money, hating the other bands slotted above the one you actually wanted to see, in the case of Fandango…
The big buzz surrounding De De Mouse’s latest album A Journey To Freedom has nothing to do with the music inside, but rather the artwork on the outside. The cover, featuring four fantasy-role-play-meets-steampunk youth playing instruments as they walk in front of some weird double-mooned world, comes courtesy of Final Fantasy art designer Akihiko Yoshida….
One important fact must be addressed when talking about Perfume, whether in discussion of the trio’s music, the group’s commercial ventures or Ayaka Nishiwaki’s hair – every Perfume song generally sounds the same. The pop-outfit aren’t artistically bankrupt so much as they have stuck to a winning template…wall-to-wall electro-sweetness, digitized vocals and an insanely good…
“How many of you saw saw us in Osaka in the ’90s?” Pavement’s Bob Nastanovich asked between songs during the group’s April 10th show at Zepp Osaka. He was greeted with a decent-sized wave of cheers. I, along with the majority of the crowd, did not “woo.” Though I’m hesitant to make blanket statements about…