[Inkmo]

Hey hey from Japan guys,

So I have been here for 8 months, and I haven't heard much music I can really, earnestly like (aside from what I already knew from my anime geek days, i.e. The Pillows, Yoko Kanno). The radio pop here is as bad as it is in America, and my grasp of the language is too tenuous to just go into an obscure record store and start chatting it up with the clerks.

Does anybody have any suggestions? My tastes in music are pretty broad, so if it is something you think is good, that will probably do. I guess just posting an artist name, album recommendation, and hopefully a description will be more than enough. I just want to find some stuff that is Japanese, good, and a little obscure. Thanks

 

[The Actual]

A while ago Aeriyn recommended Shiina Ringo's Karuki Zaamen Kuri no Hana to me and it is very excellent. Also when I was in Japan I bought a few SHAKKA ZOMBIE CDs, and it is pretty good. It is Japanese rap, so if that is your cup of potable, go for it.

Also, if you are not opposed to returning to your anime geek days, I would recommend a couple video game soundtracks that I own. Both of the Jet Set Radio games have good soundtracks, although the second one does not compare to its predecessor, and more recently Katamari Damashi has a good soundtrack also.

Good luck.

 

[s m @]

Oooooohhhhhhhhh, Japan!!!!!

Susumu Yokota: Sakura (semi-abstract ambient techno)
Boredoms: Vision Creation Newsun (Tribal trancey sort-of rock, 3 drummers)
ROVO: Man Drive Trance Special -or- Imago (More trance rock, this time heavily featuring a violin)
Melt Banana: MXBX 1998-13,000 Miles at Light Velocity (hardcore, very fast, very short songs, high-pitched 'singer')
DJ Krush: Strictly Turntablized (Instrumental Trip Hop, pioneered the Ninja Tune sound)

Sorry I can't give better descriptions, but all are great music. All are also unusual, but you kind of asked for that so I'd guess it's OK. Enjoy Japan.

 

[Unclewai]

luna sea - Eden
do as infiinity - Deep Forest
brilliant green - Winter Album
love psychedelico - Greatest Hits, III
Le Couple - Greatest Hits <--- best album to get from this list

 

[The Actual]

Quote:

Originally Posted by s m @ DJ Krush: Strictly Turntablized (Instrumental Trip Hop, pioneered the Ninja Tune sound)

Is that available in Japan?

I was under the impression that it was out of print, and only available used.


If it is still available over there I think I am going to have to pick up a couple copies this summer...

 

[Inkmo]

wowwow! Thanks guys! I will go and take a looksee. CD stores are horrendously expensive here so it might be smart to wait until I can mail order some of these. I might go and get a tsutaya rental account if it is cheap and do some rip and burn at school. Or better yet, just disappear with them from the country...

Actually as feasible as that sounds, I am straight laced enough that I actually intend to pay whatever severance fees I have to when I cancel my cellphone plan.

Unclewai: uwaaaa keroro gunsou rocks my socks. I need to grab ahold of the tankubans before I leave, so that i can compare my translation with the official english translation back in the states. Sadly, those books tend to be too ninki ga aru to find used....

Thanks guys! keep those suggestions comin'!

 

[myself, aka me]

hide: hide your face, psyence.
X JAPAN: Dahlia
ROBOTS : Guitar de pop or cloud collector. Out of print. Probably find a copy in beaver records if you're lucky.　ジュディ　アンド　マリーのたくやのソロプロジェクトです。
You could get some Judy and mary as well. Just pick any of them. Warp is easiest to digest, but I like them all. Fresh is one collection, there's another with stuff from Warp as well, from 2001.

Also, YUKI is nice. YUKI is from Judy and mary as well. I have Commune and Joy. Commune is less poppy than joy, I like joy better.

Maybe you'd like the back horn. They've got a new album which i haven't bought, called headphone children. You should buy it based on that name just 'cause. haha.

Here's a tip:

Near　京都 三条 there is a used record store called beaver records. A small one next to Book 1st and a bigger one down nearer　四条通り They're both a little off kawaramachidori. Coming from the sanjo end, you'll find LOFT department store. There's Neo mart (buy a monkey lighter! 850 yen). Walk through the street there past a temple and you'll find it. I believe it's near the rear door of OPA department store. Blue building, lots of posters on the wall. Mind the **** which isn't hidden at all.

I got Luna Sea "LUNACY" for １８０円. Bargain! Two bucks for a full album 'cause the case was broken a little (i epoxied it back together).

If you can't find what you want there, then just go to the top floor of OPA, it's tower records.

Hey, they gave me some CD case covers. Here's one in nanba which might be closer.

osaka nanba-nannantown B1F

I've been to nanba, but i'd already about about 15 CDs and I didn't want anymore, they were getting hard to carry around.

 

[Sleestack]

Cornelius.

 

[ElChupahueso]

Well, depending on yer tastes, i'm a fan of Move, L'Arc~en~Ciel, Guitar Wolf, Asian Kung Fu Generation, Typhoon 24, Beat Crusaders, Tropical Gorilla. In fact, get the soundtrack to Beck, both beck and keith. They're both amazing. They feature Typhoon 24, Beat Crusaders and Tropical Gorilla. I'm actually listening to a dvd rip of Under 17's dvd they had at AX last year when they were supposed to perform, but the singer got sick.

And then they broke up on jan 1st.

I just wated to see them perform the opener and closer for Mouse.

Such as life.

Decay

 

[s m @]

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Actual Is that available in Japan?

I actually have no idea. For a Krush album I really had to think about it b/c he's been around so long. I almost just put that I don't know what would be available over there, b/c I didn't want to recommend one of his more recent albums if there's something older around. I just ended up going with that since most people consider it one of the best.

Oh, and since you're considering ordering from N. America to avoid the crazy Japanese CD prices, you can replace the ROVO suggestion with 'Live Tonic 2001', it's just as good as MDTS, but I didn't know if you'd be able to get it there as it's on a NYC label. But the Melt Banana I suggested is on that NYC label, I went with it anyway since it's easily my favourite by them.

 

[Inkmo]

Hey, me.

That is fortuitous; I had plans to go to Kyoto this Sunday anyways. I don't exactly have mad cash to spend though (otherwise I would so have a monkehy lighter. Well, actually, no. I heard it is now impossible to take a lighter on a plane so I would have to leave it in Japan for the next puzzled exchange student to find.) I'll go and take a look!

I already have Miracle Night Diving, actually. I likes it, pure plastic candy that it is. I've had a soft spot for that band because Rurouni Kenshin was my favorite thing at anime club when I was in high school.

I checked out what I could of the earlier suggestions today at Tsutaya on the way home (hooray for instore listening stations, trusting souls). I think I forgot to mention that except in extrenuating circumstances I am mostly anti Jpop. It reminds me too much of the depressing radio pop back home (though I like SMAP's TV show somehow. Probably because they cook.) If I have heard it on TV already, there is a pretty good chance I won't like it. Of those extenuating circumstances: I have a growing fascination with Kishidan. Why? I have no idea.

I think I really like ROVO, though. They didn't have the album you recommended, but the one I got my hands on at the store reminded me of some of David Pajo's wackier stuff (Live from a Shark Cage, for instance) so I will probably go back and give it another looksee. I would have been all over DJ Krush, but those were the only CDs in the store it seems that you couldn't open. If he is anything like DJ Shadow (impression I get from the album name, sorry), then I certainly would like to have a listen. I think Brilliant Green and Love Psychedelico are worth another listen, though. Couldn't get into Do as Infinity, though. I also took a listen to Guitar Wolf (Planet of the Wolves) because I was reading good things about them at pitchfork, but found them a bit too low-fi for my tastes. Might warrant another listen, though, away from the stores crappy listening station... Also, I want to hear the Beck OSTs. I saw a couple episodes of the anime and thought the music was alright. Especially some of the little things like the sort of guitar melodies the main character was playing at home when he was pissed off or something. Also. I was reading about this thing that Morimoto Koji worked with Yoko Kanno on. something Noise Bug Man? It was a sort of experimental music film and I'm wondering if the soundtrack is floating around somewhere. Will also be checking out more Pillows albums...

Gosh, my current tastes? I keep Built to Spill, The Walkmen, Godspeed You Black Emperor, Bright Eyes, Papa M, Old '97s, Interpol, Leonard Cohen, The Smiths, The Beta Band, Sigur Ros, Tom Waits, Modest Mouse, The Flaming Lips and stuff generally like that in heavy rotation. I tend to classify all of my listening tastes into a single genre: 'music for geeky white men'. Really I am loathe to properly classify things. Too hard.

I also have classical (mostly on vinyl, so it is at home in the states), some Johnny Cash, a few other college rock bands (in the Pavement vein of things), techno, punk, even some hip hop (J5, Blackalicious, my knowledge extends no further)... I think listing it all is going to be a lot more time consuming than just saying I pretty much ONLY despise MTV's brands of pop punk (the sort with photogenic youths in white leather belts exclaiming how they are misunderstood but really great, and then the string section comes in), MTVhip hop and rap, MTVr&b, and radio pop...

Posted for Great Length. I will keep it succinct in the future!

 

[Inkmo]

Ah, so most of these Japanese bands have releases on American Labels? eh? I guess for stuff like that I will be better off waiting until I get to America. If there is anything only available in Japan, I'd like to know. Now that I think about it, I should get ahold of those Radiohead and Flaming Lips Japan only releases. I dunno why they release stuff over here. None of my Japanese friends seem to know or care who they are. (Also, Tom Waits is apparently not big in Japan... sigh...)

 

[Red1]

I 2nd Cornelius but you could check out the Boom Boom Satellites also.

 

[zChan]

If you like Japanese Rock, the Japan Rock Festival has a great lineup every year, although it has hip-hop artists as well.
This years Artists

Of that lineup, I like
Acidman, 10 Feet, Maximum the Hormone, HY, Doping Panda, Beat Crusaders, Grapevine.

Of course, im going to (listen/rent) to every band listed before the Festival to find out new artists.

 

[Erik S.]

The Back Horn - Ningen Program
Thee Michelle Gun Elephant - Sabrina Heaven
Tak Matsumoto Group - TMG I
Hyde - 666
Headphones President - Vary
L'Arc En Ciel - "Ark" and "Ray"

All I can think of right now. These are all rockalbums