What About It? Canata Records Release New Compilation What About Tokyo?

“This album is the 2nd of a series of compilation albums introducing young Japanese artists, this time with a focus on noise pop. However, this focus does not mean confinement to a single style.”

Canata Records isn’t kidding. The What About Tokyo? comp finds five bands with five very different styles…some more noisy than others…and puts them on display for all to hear. High-schooler Orange Grass weaves in vocal samples (including one of Steve Jobs talking about calligraphy) alongside a barely there guitar line and, eventually some mumbly singing. Secret Space spends all seven minutes of “Free Your Mind” also sounding sparse, but dude also delivers the charging “Summer.” Elsewhere, Spicy Drive leans towards twee, Never Knows Best comes off as the most traditionally “J-Rock” (or, on the jagged “Emotional Defect,” like Bloc Party), and then there is this (NSFW, also sorta disturbing!) which…yikes. They deliver the loudest track of all. Listen below, or get it here.