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April 30, 2005
Karaoke Kalk Night
I went to this Karaoke Kalk show last night at Unit. I was really really tired, so I only actually caught one of the three live performances, (even the first of which started around 2 AM) which was Pluramon.
About 2 years ago he came out with a very shoegazey album, Dreams Top Rock which I must admit I listened to quite a bit, despite the fact that the sound was something any My Bloody Valentine fan was familiar with years ago. It seemed like another part in some laptop/shoegaze revival/crossover thing happening around the time it was released. Morr Music’s Guitar was another good example. Anyhow the thing that put Dreams Top Rock over the top was the vocal by Julee Cruise which hits you immediately on the track Time For a Lie, like you haven’t been hit since Slowdive’s Shine. That is to say, it kinda sounds the same, but it’s still very very nice.
So moving onto the live performance, it consisted of Mr. Marcus Schmickler, one guitar, a mic, and a laptop. I truly appreciated seeing him do those songs solo, but it kind of had the feel of a guy who was more of a behind the scenes / producer type acting in lieu of an actual front man (or woman). If he toured with himself, and Julee, I’m quite sure it would make an excellent show.
As a general comment, I’m quite into the idea of labels taking over a club to do their own night, with multiple bands. I think the first time I heard of this was Tomlab at Super Deluxe a year or two ago. So please, let’s bring on Flyrec night or something...
Posted by shane at 08:38 PM
April 25, 2005
Mas / Asana / Hood
Last night’s show was fucking great. Mas was in full effect and better than ever. Honestly I haven’t seen another live band like them. Live drums, live sax, live chinese violin, live bass, and laptop textures pulling it all together: With five excellent musicans at all of those positions it’s a recipe for success.
I had never heard of Asana before, but their show was right on par as well. Off the top of my head I’d call it a kind of folk-post-rock. Their setup consited of 1 or 2 guitars and sometiems a ukelele, live drummer, keyboardist, xylophonist, and there was probably a bassist in there. Anyhow there wasn’t a flaw in their performance of beautiful crescendos and soothing textures. Highly recommended. I ran out of money and didn’t buy their cd, but if the live is any indication I’m sure its good. Here is their website, and there are song samples in the discography section.
Hood sounded good but to be honest I was up in the bar and didn’t really catch their performance.
Here’s a shitty Asana live photo (actually it’s a screenshot from a 320X240 movie):
I had forgotten there was a flute in their instrumentation as well. I’ve got their album Kupu Kupu and I’m listening now. The title track is sounding particularly nice on this warm spring day where I should be chilling in a park, but am instead working in a basement.
Posted by shane at 11:24 PM
April 23, 2005
Four New Albums
I’m going to divide this into two categories. I guess I’d call the first avant-pop with Japanese female (and english male in the case of Fleckfumie) vocals. The second isn’t so much of a category as it just doesn’t fit in with the first. heh.
Category A :
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1. Fleckfumie / Starcloud Moonsky And Ocean
Do you ever hear something for the first time and just get pissed that you didn’t know about it already and then feel mad at all your friends because there wasn’t a single one of them that knew about this band that clearly they should be listening to? This isn’t even the first album by Fleckfumie, so I’ve got to go buy their previous stuff now as well. Their website explains it all, and there are some song samples as well, though perhaps not from this newest album.
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2. Gutevolk / Twinkle
This is basically a solo project by Hirono Nishiyama (music+vocals) with guest musicians. It’s pop, it’s sweet, it’s childlike, it’s poetic, it’s melodic, it’s Gutevolk’s Twinkle :D. It’s on 12K’s side/sub label Happy, which I actually just heard of for the first time. It seems the only artits on it so far are Gutevolk and World’s End Girlfriend. This is available outside Japan through Frank Stofer’s label, Sonore, who I might add also distributes our W+KTokyoLab releases. Here is a link to one of the songs from the album.
Category B :
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3. Caribou / The Milk of Human Kindness
The artist formerly known as Manitoba. The signature sound is still there, and it sounds like a logical, well-composed, and beautifully produced progression from Up In Flames so I’m not sure why the name change... Maybe it’s a sneaky way of avoiding pressure of having to live up to or surpass the last Manitoba album. If it’s a different band name, then it’s easily a smash debut album. So developed for a first release! Theorizing aside, I’ve only listened through this once, but it sounds very good. My first impression is that it is still very much sylisitcally recognizable as Manitoba, but touching on a wider breadth of musical genres and less of the shoegaziness of Up In Flames. Time will tell if it really sticks with me.
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4. Piano Magic / Disaffected
(Sorry it’s a shitty image) I always liked Piano Magic. I often thought of this band as the new This Mortal Coil. So then it seemed fitting (or disturbing maybe) when Writers Without Homes showed up on 4AD. I think I feel more comfortable with them back on a nice indie label like Darla. Of course the album’s good. Here is a nice synopsis as well as MP3 sample.
Posted by shane at 07:24 PM
HOOD Japan Tour / Mas / Origami Live
This show I am supposed to be going to Sunday (tomorrow, the 24th) nite, but apparently it’s sold out. So if you’re going, congratulations, it’s going to be fucking good. I hope Tatsuya can get me in :D
Posted by shane at 06:03 PM
Kakurenbo
Not that anyone is paying attention to this site buuut...Kakurenbo premeire tonight at Cinema Rise, Shibuya. I will be there at 9pm. Hopefully we will meet up with Morita, of Yamato Works afterwards. He is a really good guy.
Posted by shane at 05:44 PM
April 19, 2005
I’m 25
I almost forgot. It was my birthday on Sunday. I am now 1/4 century old. As the shoot was too tiring, there was no partying. Perhaps later this week. Super-Deluxe, I’m looking at you on Wednesday.
Posted by shane at 12:24 AM
This Past Week
Or weekend rather. Two Hifana shoots in one twenty-one hour day. The previous day was a 16 hour day of work and various prep. The rest of the week before that was much the same. Thus I haven’t updated this site at all. Here are some photos from the shoots (and one of Meguro-gawa hanami from last weekend for good measure). The videos are gonna be GOOD. Seriously.
Posted by shane at 12:14 AM
April 09, 2005
Obligatory Sakura Photo
This is just in front of my guest house, next to Toritsudaigaku station.
As I’m sure there will be Hanami this weekend, there are many more to come...
Posted by shane at 03:16 PM
April 05, 2005
This One’s for Tatsuya
I was looking through the archives and found these movies of a Mas live performance somewhere in Shimokitazawa, circa September 2003. Check the movies here.
Posted by shane at 11:15 PM
April 03, 2005
Three Albums I Bought Today
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1. Mice Parade / Bem-vinda Vontade
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2. Luke / Nurse and Amaze (Can’t find a photo)
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3. The Radio Dept. / This Past Week
The Mice Parade I always knew was good, but had never gotten into before, but there’s something about this one that’s quite nice. Maybe it is the mood I am in as well. Maybe it is also the guest vocalists. The second track, Night’s Wave, for example is a duet with Christine of Múm. I’m not a big Múm fan, but I always thought her voice was their chief asset (refer to their cover of Slowdive’s Machine Gun on Morr Music’s Blue Skied and Clear compilation).
The Luke album is something I bought on a complete whim because it was released by Pop Biz, and beacause it had great artwork, and a label on it describing itself as pure Scandinavian acoustic pop mixed with electronics. It is very poppy. It actually borders on mainstream cheesiness at points, but hey, I bought it, and it’s still quite nice.
The Radio Dept. is something I heard on the listening station. It sounds just like Vitesse. Which I always said sounded just like The Magnetic Fields (or at least one face of the myriad musical personalities of Stephen and co, but carried out over multiple albums). So I guess that means The Radio Dept. also sounds like Magnetic Fields? I don’t know but it’s highly melodic, simple synth sounds with a dreamy, droney male vocal, a nice element of shoegaze, and a tinny sound with no low-end. It’s very listenable and I like it a lot, even though I kind of just ripped it didn’t I...
Posted by shane at 10:19 PM