So I didn't think of going for the show, actually.. Didn't know it was the release show.. The Wild Gun Crazy guy always posts a lot of things on twitter, so I knew there was some kind of show going on, I didn't know it was the release show.
Anyway, it turned out to be like a festival kind of thing. 32 bands that were on the CD playing in 3 different live houses in Shimokita: Reg, Mosiac, and Cave-Be. (I didn't know that, I thought it was only Cave-Be).
And alsoooooo, the thing that bought me though, was that they gave away the compilation with the ticket for the show. SO! That's a great deal! 2000 yen for a show (or THREE if you went to all three venue), from 2pm to 10pm and you get a free CD on top of that! Great deal no??
Anyway, I chose Reg because........................... maybe it's the only live house of the 3 that I've not been to before, but there was no specific band I was going to see. Besides The Masahiko, Flight Egg, and Hot Cake, I didn't know the other bands.... Though I missed all three of those bands' set, actually, coz I didn't know the show started so early, and even if I did, I think I'd have been too damn lazy to wake up to get to the shows on such a rainy day.
Band 1
Jazzy rock.. If I remember correctly. I actually quite liked them and wanted to buy their CD (but I didn't in the end).. Maybe I didn't buy the CD coz their sound fluctuated too much from the power rock I like to funky sounds... Actually, they sounded like The Masahiko (whose guitarist was rocking out at the front).
Their lead guitarist was really, really into the whole show, though. He was definitely rocking out, and actually, in retrospect, of all the 4 bands I saw, this band pulled in the largest crowd.
So I guess, I have no taste. ahaha!
Band 2
I actually wanted to leave for the second band to buy some stuff in Shimokita. I actually left the livehouse when the band was sound checking because they suddenly turned really, really like HARD PUNK ROCK... But then suddenly, the second song they sound check was really cool... So I decided to go back in check them out.
And really, their set was like that... The first song was instrumental, very funkish. Second song was TOTALLY punk rockish, third song dropped into those mellow driving haunting rock tune and third was back to a mixture of funk and rock.
I was sold for this band because the drummer was damn cool (mannnn... If singer/guitarist weren't song writers, I'd totally go for the drummers, hands down!). And also, they announced that their CD was 300 yen.
300 yen for anything is awesome enough for me.
So yes, I went to get the CD after their set. The vocalist said I could have a sticker of any of the band members and asked me which one I wanted. Of course I wanted the drummer, but you can't say that to the vocalist, right?? It's gonna hurt his feelings! ahahaha... So I said "Dare de mo ii.".. And he gave me the bassist's... And I asked him why the bassist, he laughed and said that's coz the bassist is a kick-ass guy.
Nuff said! hehe... Let's see if the CD grows on me.
Band 3
Hmmm... Of the 4 bands, I thought this band was quite the weakest of the 4.. They also looked like they're barely out of high school, though!!!
They had some good rock tunes. Very Japanese rock tunes.
They were cool in the sense that they had girls on drums and keyboards. I think with time, this band can definitely grow their sounds and come up with something unique to offer the scene.
Band 4
HMMMM!!!
Actually I wanted to go for this band's show a few weeks ago because Kinoshita was DJing for their show at Shimokitazawa Garage. But I never made it because I had classes scheduled that night.
They have one of those band names that conjure the image of a jazzy rock band, but they were totally not like that!
They had very, very low, driving rock tunes, and the band didn't waste time in talking, haha.. They just dove into one song after the next. The bassist was quite cute, and it was nice buying the CDs from him, though he asked me "which band did you come to see?" and I said "no one in particular". But actually, I did stay to see their set because I had wanted to check them out since the whole Kinoshita thing.
But they had very nice songs live. Not TOTALLY power packed, but definitely very driving songs, which I hope, translates well in the recorded version.
But anyway, when they were playing, I said to myself that I'd definitely pay 1500 for their songs, maybe 1800...
So when I went to check the CD out, they had 3 CDs out... all three were demos, two of them were 500 yen each, and one was 300 yen. Hell yeah!!!!!! So I bought all 3, which, actually, totals to less than 1500.
Rock on!
Anyway, I thought of the 4 bands
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Friday, March 18, 2011
Tsubaki Friends - Shimokitazawa Club Que Charity Event update!
BANNER CHANGED ON CLUB QUE'S SITE! woah! That was fast!!!
Apparently, we collected quite a large sum of money from the show!!! As Ogawa-san reported in Tsubaki's blog, from the donation of the audience we managed to get 384,373円!! That's about 4000 dollars!!! Yay to everyone!! Here's to everyone up north in Tohoku!!
But I really hope our money would make a difference... sigh...
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Tsubaki Friends - Earthquake Acoustic Charity Show - Shimokitazawa Club Que 03/19/11
SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO many bands played this day, I have no idea who was in which band. srsly.
Here's the people:
But actually, Tsubaki did not play at all. Since it WAS an acoustic show, Ogawa-san could not play his bass, so there was actually no actual Tsubaki set.
It's sad, I'd love to have heard Iwasaki-san sing a Tsubaki song... I think I am secretly in love with him, ahahaha!
Anyway, everyone played one song. Most didn't know what to play... haha.. but I think a lot of the defaulted back to their own song...
Except one guy, I have no idea who he was but he's not in any band, apparently... So, in his set, he came out with Mr. Angel... We were like "eh? Dis not Sekaiichi" ahaha.. Anyway, he was really cool coz he jumped into the pit and sang there instead... and the song he chose to perform, actually, was a cover of Sekaiichi's Step On... I swear, so confusing... Sekaiichi's guitarist playing Sekaiichi's song but, no this is not Sekaiichi's set, it's another guy's set.. hmm.. wha?
Anyway, Sekaiichi played next... Well not much of "Sekaiichi" played next, it's just that Iwasaki-san came out instead. He's funny, I like him.. hmmm ehehe.
They did Time Machine.
The other set that was VERY VERY incredibly notable was FREENOTE, whom, I think decided to just go with the set they've been practising, which is Tsubaki's Haru no Arashi.
I tell you, it is NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT easy to take Isshiki's song and do the song better than Isshiki but DAMN, sorry Isshiki but FREENOTE wins HANDS DOWN. I mean Isshiki watching the DVD MUST think so too!!
She was just AWESOMELY FANTASTIC in her cover and rendition of Haru no Arashi. She turned it into a Jazz/Rap version which I must say, is just frigging AWESOME!!!!! C'mon, seriously, Isshiki watchign the DVD must feel like "DAMN! She got me beat!!!" seriously. I was in awe!!!
Anyway, for Lunkhead's set, since it was an acoustic set, I was wondering which song they may play... Few choices maybe... I was hoping for Tsuki to Tenohira, of course... But I thought, more, most likely it would be Sangatsu because it's a really encouraging slow song, and I think Yoshitaro being Yoshitaro would probably choose a song with more meaning and REALLY! I was right!!! They played Sangatsu!!! They played it with a much quicker tempo, though, but just 1 guitar and Yoshitaro singing, so that was great!
After that, Yoshitaro launched into a longgggggggggggggggg depressive monologue about the earthquake but ah, it's him after all.
Then the Lunkhead duo did one more Tsubaki song, Kuru Asa Moeru Mirai.
For the final song....... ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLL the bands came on stage.
Even those that didn't get to perform (since it was cut into an acoustic set) and friends from other visiting bands (D.W. Nicols)... So they all came up on stage and sang Tsubaki's Taiyou, which has, since the Nagoya show, been dubbed the Tsubaki Friend's theme song, hahaha.. Coz everyone has their parts...
They did the song a little different this time. Yoshitaro sang all the verse parts and EVERYONE ELSE joined in for the chorus.
But seriously, there were at least 20 people on stage, singing... Like 4 people to a mic!!!
Iwasaki-san was reallllllllllyyyy funny.. a frontman will always be a frontman :)
He and Yoshitaro was standing side by side, reallyyyyy awkward.... AND THEN SUDDENLY Iwasaki-san just grabbed Yoshitaro and hugged him, like buddy-buddy... HOW CUTE!!!!! Yoshitaro said Iwasaki-san looked like Choppa of One Piece.. hahahaha.. Yeah okay, with his hat and stuff, kinda! But Iwasaki-san is Iwasaki-san and that's him... hehe... ^_^
Here's the people:
つばきフレンズ
［小川博永＆岡本奈穂子（つばき）+ 秦千香子＆坂本昌也（FREENOTE）+
小高芳太朗＆山下壮（LUNKHEAD）+渡會将士（FoZZtone）+大迫章弘（e-sound speaker）+
高森ゆうき+上野啓示＆成瀬篤志（カミナリグモ）+青木拓磨＆岸部大輔（パウンチホイール）+
岩崎慧＆中内正之（セカイイチ）+ナガオタツキ（nano sound museum）+
関谷謙太郎（UNDER THE COUNTER）+グローバー義和（Jackson vibe）+
大平伸正（ghostnote）+菊地佑介（plane）+山岸賢介＆ピストン大橋（ウラニーノ）］
［小川博永＆岡本奈穂子（つばき）+ 秦千香子＆坂本昌也（FREENOTE）+
小高芳太朗＆山下壮（LUNKHEAD）+渡會将士（FoZZtone）+大迫章弘（e-sound speaker）+
高森ゆうき+上野啓示＆成瀬篤志（カミナリグモ）+青木拓磨＆岸部大輔（パウンチホイール）+
岩崎慧＆中内正之（セカイイチ）+ナガオタツキ（nano sound museum）+
関谷謙太郎（UNDER THE COUNTER）+グローバー義和（Jackson vibe）+
大平伸正（ghostnote）+菊地佑介（plane）+山岸賢介＆ピストン大橋（ウラニーノ）］
But actually, Tsubaki did not play at all. Since it WAS an acoustic show, Ogawa-san could not play his bass, so there was actually no actual Tsubaki set.
It's sad, I'd love to have heard Iwasaki-san sing a Tsubaki song... I think I am secretly in love with him, ahahaha!
Anyway, everyone played one song. Most didn't know what to play... haha.. but I think a lot of the defaulted back to their own song...
Except one guy, I have no idea who he was but he's not in any band, apparently... So, in his set, he came out with Mr. Angel... We were like "eh? Dis not Sekaiichi" ahaha.. Anyway, he was really cool coz he jumped into the pit and sang there instead... and the song he chose to perform, actually, was a cover of Sekaiichi's Step On... I swear, so confusing... Sekaiichi's guitarist playing Sekaiichi's song but, no this is not Sekaiichi's set, it's another guy's set.. hmm.. wha?
Anyway, Sekaiichi played next... Well not much of "Sekaiichi" played next, it's just that Iwasaki-san came out instead. He's funny, I like him.. hmmm ehehe.
They did Time Machine.
The other set that was VERY VERY incredibly notable was FREENOTE, whom, I think decided to just go with the set they've been practising, which is Tsubaki's Haru no Arashi.
I tell you, it is NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT easy to take Isshiki's song and do the song better than Isshiki but DAMN, sorry Isshiki but FREENOTE wins HANDS DOWN. I mean Isshiki watching the DVD MUST think so too!!
She was just AWESOMELY FANTASTIC in her cover and rendition of Haru no Arashi. She turned it into a Jazz/Rap version which I must say, is just frigging AWESOME!!!!! C'mon, seriously, Isshiki watchign the DVD must feel like "DAMN! She got me beat!!!" seriously. I was in awe!!!
Anyway, for Lunkhead's set, since it was an acoustic set, I was wondering which song they may play... Few choices maybe... I was hoping for Tsuki to Tenohira, of course... But I thought, more, most likely it would be Sangatsu because it's a really encouraging slow song, and I think Yoshitaro being Yoshitaro would probably choose a song with more meaning and REALLY! I was right!!! They played Sangatsu!!! They played it with a much quicker tempo, though, but just 1 guitar and Yoshitaro singing, so that was great!
After that, Yoshitaro launched into a longgggggggggggggggg depressive monologue about the earthquake but ah, it's him after all.
Then the Lunkhead duo did one more Tsubaki song, Kuru Asa Moeru Mirai.
For the final song....... ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLL the bands came on stage.
Even those that didn't get to perform (since it was cut into an acoustic set) and friends from other visiting bands (D.W. Nicols)... So they all came up on stage and sang Tsubaki's Taiyou, which has, since the Nagoya show, been dubbed the Tsubaki Friend's theme song, hahaha.. Coz everyone has their parts...
They did the song a little different this time. Yoshitaro sang all the verse parts and EVERYONE ELSE joined in for the chorus.
But seriously, there were at least 20 people on stage, singing... Like 4 people to a mic!!!
Iwasaki-san was reallllllllllyyyy funny.. a frontman will always be a frontman :)
He and Yoshitaro was standing side by side, reallyyyyy awkward.... AND THEN SUDDENLY Iwasaki-san just grabbed Yoshitaro and hugged him, like buddy-buddy... HOW CUTE!!!!! Yoshitaro said Iwasaki-san looked like Choppa of One Piece.. hahahaha.. Yeah okay, with his hat and stuff, kinda! But Iwasaki-san is Iwasaki-san and that's him... hehe... ^_^
Sunday, March 13, 2011
killing boy - killing boy (03/09/11)
Track List:
01. Frozen Music
02. Call 4 U
03. cold blue swan
04. xu
05. Perfect Lovers
06. 1989
07. black pussies
08. Confusion
09. sweet sixteen
Call 4 U absolute win. Reminds me of old art-school, actually. Light guitar riffs, repeating catchy lines in the chorus, definitely like art-school's Paradise Lost/Missing years, except that killing boy's sound, especially this song, is more refined and grown up and grown wiser. Nostalgic, yet removed and detached, learned and grown from the past. More guarded, less wild and free. Still a young boy grown more sophisticated, less impulsive. Or a grown up sophisticated boy reminiscing an impulsive past where everything was now and all. Definitely. That's how the song sounds, as compared with similar sounding older art-school songs from a decade ago.
killing boy is art-school's guitar/vocalist Riki Kinoshita's new side project band with members of other bands from Straightener (also ex-art-school), HINTO and Nothing's Carved in Stone. However, seems like killing boy is definitely getting more attention and time from Riki than art-school is. I wonder if Riki is bored with art-school. They barely toured for their latest album last year, and this year, killing boy has really been making waves and A LOT of appearance recently (don't the other member's bands have their own band stuff to do??).
Anyway, I like art-school's guitarist, but seeing Riki's new band live and watching the live stream of their acoustic show, I think... maybe HINTO has a better guitarist! Or at least, a better composer.
But seems like this band, judging from the live shows and the album, is definitely composed of very, very talented individuals from various bands coming together together to make a bunch of awesome songs.
The songs struck me though, as being much less charged and much less driving than the live version, which of course, is quite a usual thing. I thought the sounds of these songs, while great, is a little more subdued in the album as compared to the live version. But I guess that's the appeal of live renditions! :D
01. Frozen Music
02. Call 4 U
03. cold blue swan
04. xu
05. Perfect Lovers
06. 1989
07. black pussies
08. Confusion
09. sweet sixteen
Call 4 U absolute win. Reminds me of old art-school, actually. Light guitar riffs, repeating catchy lines in the chorus, definitely like art-school's Paradise Lost/Missing years, except that killing boy's sound, especially this song, is more refined and grown up and grown wiser. Nostalgic, yet removed and detached, learned and grown from the past. More guarded, less wild and free. Still a young boy grown more sophisticated, less impulsive. Or a grown up sophisticated boy reminiscing an impulsive past where everything was now and all. Definitely. That's how the song sounds, as compared with similar sounding older art-school songs from a decade ago.
killing boy is art-school's guitar/vocalist Riki Kinoshita's new side project band with members of other bands from Straightener (also ex-art-school), HINTO and Nothing's Carved in Stone. However, seems like killing boy is definitely getting more attention and time from Riki than art-school is. I wonder if Riki is bored with art-school. They barely toured for their latest album last year, and this year, killing boy has really been making waves and A LOT of appearance recently (don't the other member's bands have their own band stuff to do??).
Anyway, I like art-school's guitarist, but seeing Riki's new band live and watching the live stream of their acoustic show, I think... maybe HINTO has a better guitarist! Or at least, a better composer.
But seems like this band, judging from the live shows and the album, is definitely composed of very, very talented individuals from various bands coming together together to make a bunch of awesome songs.
The songs struck me though, as being much less charged and much less driving than the live version, which of course, is quite a usual thing. I thought the sounds of these songs, while great, is a little more subdued in the album as compared to the live version. But I guess that's the appeal of live renditions! :D
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Thursday, March 3, 2011
shinsei kamattechan - sekai no owari - amanzarashi - plenty - any - galileo galilei - androp - love love love - Dirty Old Men - S.R.S
Is it just me or are these bands suddenly becoming damn big suddenly, like out of nowhere???
SERIOUSLY.
I'm lumping them all together because I basically checked out all the bands around the same time in Winter 2009 when I came to Japan for a holiday.
I think Shinsei Kamattechan is like the biggest shock of all... From not being able to even check out anything online one month (I think this was March 2010) to suddenly every tom dick and harry knowing them in October 2010 is just a frigging WTF???
Second up is Sekai no Owari... second only coz they're still not as famous (YET!) as Shinsei Kamatttechan but really, also another shocker!!!! Back in just APRIL 2010, it was almost impossible to get their stuff online... and then SUDDENLY, when I got here in Japan in October 2010, blooooody hell! They're EVERYWHERE!!! Like MAINSTREAM kind of EVERYWHERE... what the hell happened????
And let's not forget to mention Galilieo Galilei, Plenty and Any.... While not commercially as well known as Shinsei Kamattechan and Sekai no Owari... they still suddenly, SERIOUSLY, like popped up from NOWHERE... and gained a sudden mass following within the J-indie-rock scene.
And then there's of course, Dirty Old Men.... Actually I don't know Dirty Old Men much because they NEVER EVEN hit my radar BUT DAMNNNNNNNNNNNNN!! SUDDENLY, like OUT OF NOWHERE, they are now like TOTALLY propelled into the limelight! There's TONS of coverage of them from mainstream-indie music media. Seriously. Like wth?! Where did they come from?!
And of course... from what I predict, Love Love Love and ANDROP too!!
You should see the over-the-top promotion of androp's album in Tower Records.. it's ridiculous! Shameless even!! Seriously androp... from nothing, to a SUDDEN release of THREE elaborately designed CDs???
it also seems like the scene is skipping the whole middle part of "becoming big"... Jumping from ZERO to signed to frigging ONE MAN LIVE all within the span of months.
I guess it worked for Shinsei Kamattechan, and you're seeing more bands like androp and OvertheDogs following suit too...
Seriously... from NOTHING to ONEMANLIVE within months..
what the hell happened to the whole HARD WORK building up a fanbase?!?!?!?!
Seems like all you need is pump the market with LOADSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS of your albums, TONS of concentrated publicity, with a One Man Live show lined up already, so all your new found fans can just hop in the bandwagon and check out the One Man Live...
yeap that's definitely what the music companies are doing these days.
Except one wonders, seriously, doesn't that fuck up your music quality? If you release 1 EP in three years and then suddenly within the span of 6 months of the release of your debut EP, you release 3 albums.
Seriously.
And what does that make of the industry? What happened to the whole tradition of actually having to work hard and prove yourself to true fans for years at small clubs like those in Shimokita... ?
Instead you frigging jump right into the deep end of all glory at Shibuya O-West.
Seriously.
makes it so sad.
So sad because there are so many other "older" bands (hehe... TSUBAKI)... that WORKED VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY hard and have songs a hundred folds better than these music business generated bands and YET, they're stuck nowhere... with their 1000 faithful fans that follow their coat tail as if touching it would bring them closer to heaven.
Yes, where's all that?!
SERIOUSLY.
I'm lumping them all together because I basically checked out all the bands around the same time in Winter 2009 when I came to Japan for a holiday.
I think Shinsei Kamattechan is like the biggest shock of all... From not being able to even check out anything online one month (I think this was March 2010) to suddenly every tom dick and harry knowing them in October 2010 is just a frigging WTF???
Second up is Sekai no Owari... second only coz they're still not as famous (YET!) as Shinsei Kamatttechan but really, also another shocker!!!! Back in just APRIL 2010, it was almost impossible to get their stuff online... and then SUDDENLY, when I got here in Japan in October 2010, blooooody hell! They're EVERYWHERE!!! Like MAINSTREAM kind of EVERYWHERE... what the hell happened????
And let's not forget to mention Galilieo Galilei, Plenty and Any.... While not commercially as well known as Shinsei Kamattechan and Sekai no Owari... they still suddenly, SERIOUSLY, like popped up from NOWHERE... and gained a sudden mass following within the J-indie-rock scene.
And then there's of course, Dirty Old Men.... Actually I don't know Dirty Old Men much because they NEVER EVEN hit my radar BUT DAMNNNNNNNNNNNNN!! SUDDENLY, like OUT OF NOWHERE, they are now like TOTALLY propelled into the limelight! There's TONS of coverage of them from mainstream-indie music media. Seriously. Like wth?! Where did they come from?!
And of course... from what I predict, Love Love Love and ANDROP too!!
You should see the over-the-top promotion of androp's album in Tower Records.. it's ridiculous! Shameless even!! Seriously androp... from nothing, to a SUDDEN release of THREE elaborately designed CDs???
it also seems like the scene is skipping the whole middle part of "becoming big"... Jumping from ZERO to signed to frigging ONE MAN LIVE all within the span of months.
I guess it worked for Shinsei Kamattechan, and you're seeing more bands like androp and OvertheDogs following suit too...
Seriously... from NOTHING to ONEMANLIVE within months..
what the hell happened to the whole HARD WORK building up a fanbase?!?!?!?!
Seems like all you need is pump the market with LOADSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS of your albums, TONS of concentrated publicity, with a One Man Live show lined up already, so all your new found fans can just hop in the bandwagon and check out the One Man Live...
yeap that's definitely what the music companies are doing these days.
Except one wonders, seriously, doesn't that fuck up your music quality? If you release 1 EP in three years and then suddenly within the span of 6 months of the release of your debut EP, you release 3 albums.
Seriously.
And what does that make of the industry? What happened to the whole tradition of actually having to work hard and prove yourself to true fans for years at small clubs like those in Shimokita... ?
Instead you frigging jump right into the deep end of all glory at Shibuya O-West.
Seriously.
makes it so sad.
So sad because there are so many other "older" bands (hehe... TSUBAKI)... that WORKED VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY hard and have songs a hundred folds better than these music business generated bands and YET, they're stuck nowhere... with their 1000 faithful fans that follow their coat tail as if touching it would bring them closer to heaven.
Yes, where's all that?!
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Album Reviews: Good Morning America - GOOD ON THE REELS - Mondaysick - Butterfly inthe Stomach
So today I had a longggggggggggg break and was feeling rather depressed... But for some reason Good Morning America's 空ばかり見ていた was playing in my head and somehow... I just felt so motivated to get their album, uncharacteristically of me...! CDs in this country is WAYYYYYYYYYY to expensive, and to buy CDs as a means of checking out a band is WAYYYYY tooooooo expensive and can be rather dissapointing. I rather pay the 2500 yen for a show and check out 3 - 4 bands at the same time.
Anyway, so I dragged my fat ass to Shibuya's Tower Records to get the album and check out some music meantime...
I should, actually, go to Tower Records more often... They actually have quite good recommendations most of the time :)
Bands that Didn't make the 2000/1800yen cut:
Actually there were quite a number of them.....
1) Fleet
2) Yuey (I'm so sorry! I actually liked these guys!)
Bands that ALMOST/MIGHT make the 2000/1800 yen cut:
1) GOOD ON THE REELS
Actually... this band was NOT BAD.
They had those typical Japanese-indie-rock band kind of sound that I quiet like EXCEPT for that one fact: their sounds were too typical.
Where have I heard those same tunes before? In the countless other J-indie-rock bands of recent times.
So, really unfortunately, the album, while good, offered nothing of a fresh breath nor a fresh take of the scene, and thus, I don't think I'd pay 1500yen for their 7-track EP. Actually, the CD purchase came with a 500 yen voucher but even then, I don't think it's worth 1500 yen.
Bottom line: 800円 is okay...
2) Mondaysick - School
This is a 6 track EP.
Apprently, this band is also from Hokkaido, like Galileo Galilei.
They actually had really good sounds. NOT typical, like GOOD ON THE REELS.
However.... They had those mellow and depressing kind of tunes.
Actually I like those kind of sounds a lot... low, slow, depressing, mellow, with strings and rock blended together, like intermittent strays of light gliding through the thick fog... Yes, those.
HOWEVER....... SIX, SIX, SIX tracks of those kind of sounds just drives you to suicide.
It's good, my dears, if you had TWO or at most THREE, of such kind of tracks in an album of perhaps, 12 songs... But seriously, SIX BACK TO BACK is REALLY a downer.
Please be careful when you choose your tracklist!
Bottom line: hmmm... mayyyybe 600 - 800 yen
3) Butterfly inthe Stomach - deadstock
Actually, this band is mostly a BUY had it not been 2500 yen for the album. What's this damn you Japan. Just coz a band is signed doesn't mean you should jack their damn CDs up past 2000 yen. SORRY. Cheap ass like me just won't buy your CD even though your band is damn good.
Actually, I see the lead singer of this band perform a lot, when I go for The Challenge's live. He plays in the band as a side project and I really like The Challenge.
I quite liked Butterfly inthe Stomach a lot because after checking all the other bands (especially after GOOD ON THE REELS and Mondaysick), this guys offered a very, very fresh new sounds and their album and the band had an edge in their music that doesn't mimic anyone buy their themselves. I think this is what differentiates REAL BANDS from crappy ones. Srsly.
Unfortunately, as I have mentioned... 2500 yen is just a definitely NO WAYYYYYYYYYYYYY for me.
Unless you're Tsubaki.
heh.
Bottom Line: hmmmm maybe 1800 yen! heh
Anyway, so I dragged my fat ass to Shibuya's Tower Records to get the album and check out some music meantime...
I should, actually, go to Tower Records more often... They actually have quite good recommendations most of the time :)
Bands that Didn't make the 2000/1800yen cut:
Actually there were quite a number of them.....
1) Fleet
2) Yuey (I'm so sorry! I actually liked these guys!)
Bands that ALMOST/MIGHT make the 2000/1800 yen cut:
1) GOOD ON THE REELS
Actually... this band was NOT BAD.
They had those typical Japanese-indie-rock band kind of sound that I quiet like EXCEPT for that one fact: their sounds were too typical.
Where have I heard those same tunes before? In the countless other J-indie-rock bands of recent times.
So, really unfortunately, the album, while good, offered nothing of a fresh breath nor a fresh take of the scene, and thus, I don't think I'd pay 1500yen for their 7-track EP. Actually, the CD purchase came with a 500 yen voucher but even then, I don't think it's worth 1500 yen.
Bottom line: 800円 is okay...
2) Mondaysick - School
This is a 6 track EP.
Apprently, this band is also from Hokkaido, like Galileo Galilei.
They actually had really good sounds. NOT typical, like GOOD ON THE REELS.
However.... They had those mellow and depressing kind of tunes.
Actually I like those kind of sounds a lot... low, slow, depressing, mellow, with strings and rock blended together, like intermittent strays of light gliding through the thick fog... Yes, those.
HOWEVER....... SIX, SIX, SIX tracks of those kind of sounds just drives you to suicide.
It's good, my dears, if you had TWO or at most THREE, of such kind of tracks in an album of perhaps, 12 songs... But seriously, SIX BACK TO BACK is REALLY a downer.
Please be careful when you choose your tracklist!
Bottom line: hmmm... mayyyybe 600 - 800 yen
3) Butterfly inthe Stomach - deadstock
Actually, this band is mostly a BUY had it not been 2500 yen for the album. What's this damn you Japan. Just coz a band is signed doesn't mean you should jack their damn CDs up past 2000 yen. SORRY. Cheap ass like me just won't buy your CD even though your band is damn good.
Actually, I see the lead singer of this band perform a lot, when I go for The Challenge's live. He plays in the band as a side project and I really like The Challenge.
I quite liked Butterfly inthe Stomach a lot because after checking all the other bands (especially after GOOD ON THE REELS and Mondaysick), this guys offered a very, very fresh new sounds and their album and the band had an edge in their music that doesn't mimic anyone buy their themselves. I think this is what differentiates REAL BANDS from crappy ones. Srsly.
Unfortunately, as I have mentioned... 2500 yen is just a definitely NO WAYYYYYYYYYYYYY for me.
Unless you're Tsubaki.
heh.
Bottom Line: hmmmm maybe 1800 yen! heh
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