Wow. Lop Abuse On Somebody are from Osaka and play really aggressive instrumental rock. I hesitate to say post-rock, because that implies lots of delay and slow build ups (to me anyways). These guys don't waste time on their songs, getting to the good parts immediately and then pushing them all the way into explosive crescendos at just the right moments. God, just listening to the first minute of Toy is just so satisfying. Ah... okay. I'll stop now. Sanctify is more laid back and pretty Toe-ish, but so, so good. These guys just really know how to craft some great songs.
These are their first two singles and they're free to download, so go ahead and grab them! Here's a trailer for both:
80's nostalgia is more and more prevalent everyday. I'm not sure if its passe yet, but as an 80's child, all of this stuff really resonates with me. Boyish is the latest 80's-ish indie pop project out of Japan. Hmm... surprise surprise, here's another genre that I know little to nothing about. Really, I can't even tell you comparisons, because I simply don't know who else sounds like this. What I can say is there is synth, tape-hiss, slightly-out-of-tune and flanging guitars, and chill, quiet singing. Overall, it's really nice and relaxingly nostalgic. Check this out if it sounds like something you'd be into! Free download, too.
Carpool is just a crapton of fun. In a way, it's a shame this was uploaded to bandcamp at the tail end of our summer (it was technically released in January 2012, and Aussies will be able to enjoy this for their summer). There are all sorts of influences involved, like The Anniversary, The Rentals, The Get-Up Kids, and probably some newer stuff (I'm old school, yo), but what matters the most is just the sense of fun involved. There seems to be two main vocalists (male & female), but there's a chorus of other people adding in their own singing, hollering, and yelling in the background, creating a general sound of everybody hanging out and singing together.
Anyways, just watch this video. These kids are awesome and you should get this album:
I have nothing at all against drum machines. That's not to say I've always been into them, but between Anaal Nathrakh and Agoraphobic Nosebleed, I've succumbed to the allure of infinitely fast blast beats that technology makes possible. If you're not a fan of them, though, you might not be into Role. Role plays an epic screamo/hardcore/post-rock hybrid not unlike Heaven in Her Arms with a dash of Nervous Light of Sunday, backed up by well-programmed synthetic drums. You can't really tell except for small parts here and there. Everything together, though, and there is zero cause for complaint. They pull of some great melodies and some emotional moments despite the backing of a computer. Seriously, these guys sound great.
You've got two songs here for free download. Pick them up if you're a fan of Heaven In Her Arms, Envy, To Overflow Evidence, or Nervous Light of Sunday. These guys are definitely a band to watch!
The Last Place are an emotional hardcore band from Saitama. They just dropped a new demo for 2012 on bandcamp and it's pretty dang good. Let me explain what I mean by emotional hardcore though, cause that means a lot of different things to different people. These guys take a line from Endzweck and Nervous Light of Sunday. Maybe melodic metalcore is a better description? Ah, who cares; it's really good. There are two songs here, as well as 3 songs from their 2011 demo. Really good tracks with good melodies. Did I mention the free download?
I could only find one video on youtube, which is pretty unfortunate because it has HORRIBLE live sound. It's drums and vocals and nothing else, and these guys melodies are one of the best things about this music. Just listen to the bandcamp while you watch this video on mute. That might be the best thing.
First, an explanation. I didn't really want to write a separate post for each one of these, because there's only one song on each bandcamp. However, they're all pretty cool so I did want to write about them. So this is sort of like a grab bag thing with three unrelated bands. Anyways, let's just dive in.
Chikuwashinachikuchikuwa (I'll call them Chiku for short) seems to play shows with all sorts of different bands: Loyal To the Grave, Arbus, even A Soulless Pain (who I will get to shortly). From that, I would expect breakdowns, melodic riffage, and some guy yelling his head off. Instead, they play a long-form of post-metal mixed with post-rock. I guess the easiest description is Pelican mixed with Envy, but there's something else. Their melodies don't immediately remind me of anyone, which is pretty cool. On their bandcamp they've presented the second of two tracks from their demo. I'm really interested to hear the first song, because the second is really unique.
A Soulless Pain is supposed to be on Last Fort Records, at least that's what their bandcamp looks like, but I can't find any releases by them. Anyways, Last Fort is responsible for bands like To Overflow Evidence and Arbus, so their stuff usually straddles the line between metalcore and screamo. Melodic hardcore? Who knows. A Soulless Pain fits perfectly in there, reminding me of Naiad a lot, with those beautiful melodies stuck into metalcore songs. A Soulless Pain does it really well with good melodies and a great song overall. Only one track here, unfortunately, but hopefully they'll put up more later.
Sunday Document is probably my favorite of these three, but also don't really fit with the other two stylistically. Hmm... I'm listening and trying to think of how to describe this band. Maybe a mix between Bluebeard, Atata, and Malegoat? There's another band that this really reminds me of, but I can't remember them for the life of me. They've got equal parts poppy emo rock and really solid guitar rock. God, it just meshes so perfectly. Inspirational emo rock sounds horribly stupid, but that's what this makes me feel like. It's really bright and optimistic. The songs are a perfect length at around 3 minutes and keep it really interesting the whole way through. Unfortunately the two songs here are not downloadable, but they do have an EP of 6 songs that's only 500yen. Now where can I find that?
Not the best picture, but it was all I could find.
Just like I discovered Cofun, I discovered Cocoon a few days ago. Ironically, I discovered them through Cofun, via youtube videos of a show they played together. Through the distorted sound of the video camera, I could hear the melancholy melodies coming through over the roar of guitar and bass. The video description had a link to their soundcloud with over 6 songs on there. From those songs, I could really hear how good this band is. All the tracks are just live recordings, but it's not that bad and you can definitely get the spirit of the songs. Cocoon is going to be a band to watch out for. Their sound is reminiscent of older Japanese screamo bands, but has really smart arrangements and amazing melodies. There's not much out there yet, but here are some internet fragments of an awesome up and coming band:
They have a full live set on their soundcloud as well.
Forms of Talk is a new band out of Tokyo, 2/3 non-Japanese (or gaijin). They run in the same circles in Tokyo as From Ten To Nine, Asthenia, and Document Not Found. Two weeks ago they released their first cassette, but also had the foresight to put it up on bandcamp as well, which is great for us that don't live over there. You can even name your own price!
I don't have a lot of background in this sort of dissonant, post-punk stuff, so I had John from The Song of Delight help me out. I'm just going to paste our conversation:
John:
its a very 90s emotive hardcore vibe for me, Shotmaker or something like that
honestly getting a huge Ambassador 990 vibe
So there you have it, folks. 90s emotive hardcore. It pretty much hits the nail on the head, I think. It reminded me a lot of Union of Snakes, just as my most recent reference. It's good and has a fat recording. It's seems like the band's only been together for a few months now, so I'm excited to see what they do next. If this sounds like something you're interested in, you should definitely check it out.
[I wrote this at the bus stop, so sorry if I ramble]
Four bucks, four songs. An easy transaction, like an Internet drug deal. Itunes, amazon, pick your poison. Toe's newest ep is as accessible as their first ep was inaccessible, the difference of a decade changing more than just their sound. Maybe it's some sort of consolation prize that they released their first ep on all those new-fangled stores at the same time. What can be said for sure is that ten years later Toe is calmer, but they still have that spark that makes them one of a kind.
Let's talk history. I think I loved Toe before I'd even heard them. They were just a mention on the catune website when I emailed them about a show they had scheduled in kyoto that fall. Had I heard a sample off their debut ep? Maybe. Still, I was curious and subsequently disappointed when they told me the show was canceled. I was only in Japan for four months and the only show that would come close to me had slipped through my fingers. Still, I hunted down their ep and found it, probably in a Tower Records or HMV. The sharply designed yet nostalgic art set the stage for the best instrumental CD I would hear for the next ten years. Everything about it was a calling, a major raising of the bar that would stand the test of time. Was I hooked? Holy shit yes.
I kept listening through a compilation, album, and another ep, but they lost me on For Long Tomorrow. Something about it just seemed lost in between two worlds. There was Toe-the-former, purveyor of mad instrumental skills and drumming that dropped my jaw (literally. When I saw those videos from their RGBDVD and watched that drummer's hands move, my mouth hung open for about 2.3 minutes). Then there was Toe-the-middle (which only exists because there is a different Toe-the-present now), who seemed unsure about how to proceed now that they'd hit indie darling status. They seemed more focused on doing vocal cameos than crafting sharp, other-worldly instrumental tunes. So I tuned out and forgot about Toe, thinking they were done.
Well, four bucks is a damn fine selling point, like I said. When I see something I'm curious about and the price is right, my impulsive side always gets the better of me. So, seconds later, my bank account four dollars lighter, I started listening to the new Toe ep.
There's this perception in my mind of what Toe should be. I demand certain things from my Toe and get pissed when those aren't fulfilled. I want absolutely perfect production. It may seem shallow, but I want my shit sparklingly clear. Second, I need some guitar riffs that are so sharp I can cut my teeth on them. And they need to be something that I could never realistically expect to play myself. Yes, I want guitar work that is so good it's unrealistic. Third, the drumming doesn't have to be insane, but it also has to be perfect. I don't need to describe perfect anymore. In some ways, if you really notice the drums, then they aren't perfect. I'm not saying that they should disappear in the background, but with perfect drums, everything should become one big gooey glob of perfection. Finally, and this is true with every instrumental band, the songs should speak to me, without words. That means the song needs direction and purpose. I don't just listen to your music because I've got nothing better to do. I could always just go and listen to that new Big Freedia collection. Instead, Toe puts direction in these songs and paints these moods with each song. 4 songs, 4 distinct moods in each. And, as I'm sure you gathered, they also deliver on all my other pre-requisites with this new EP.
So, the future is now, apparently. Is this what we can expect from Toe moving forward? Certainly, although I wonder if this will feel as good when it's a full album. Four songs is the perfect space to explore themes and paint a picture of exactly what your band is capable of. 10 years later, Toe is proving they are still the masters of the instrumental rock medium, and all others should cower at the example they've set.
Pick the new Toe EP up at iTunes or Amazon. If you want a physical copy you can easily get them overseas from CDJapan or YesAsia, although it will cost you quite a bit more than 4 bucks then, and that makes my review irrelevant (:-().
I picked this demo up recently, and totally enjoyed the epic, metal-influenced screamo hardcore mashup. It's really hard to describe wombscape in words other than that. At each part of their songs, they're playing a different style than the previous part. It all comes together over the length of their two songs on this demo. It kind of reminds me of this old band Womb, which is, y'know, part of this band's name. Kinda weird.
I think the model setup here is totally ingenious. I've often struggled with a way to get Japanese demos available outside of Japan. Usually bands are selling them for 200-300 yen (around 3 bucks), which is hardly even worth the shipping over here. If I were to try and get them wholesale, the band would essentially have to give them to me for free for me to sell them at a reasonable cost. Web-based distribution, like Bandcamp, for demos makes more sense in order to get your music out to people who aren't able to come to your shows.
With that being said, you can grab this demo for 2 bucks American, which is a steal. One of the songs is listenable on bandcamp, but the other only comes with a purchase. The second song is a lot longer than the first, at around 9 minutes, so you're getting a chunk of music. And actually, the second song is a lot more epic and post rock-ish, with a little later-Deftones-like vocals, which I am 100% behind. Pick this up, it's a nice view of a Japanese band doing something a little different.
I never want to be one of those old guys, desperately holding onto the music that they loved in their teenage years. I always want to keep looking for new things and evaluating new sounds. There's always those people saying the music that "kids these days" are listening to is just noise, and I really don't want to be that way (unless it really is noise, and I'm totally cool with that).
But, listening to September December really reminds me of high school, when The Get Up Kids and Jimmy Eat World were putting out their greatest albums. It's just that great nostalgic feeling that pulls me back. Sure the sound is updated and September December adds in bits of that Japanese flavor, but there's that undeniable feeling of optimism that can only honestly exist before real life has been confronted (how's that for cynicism?).
I couldn't find any videos or anything else, but they've upped their demo onto Bandcamp, and it's really, really good. Just take a listen and remember back to those earlier days (or maybe your current days or whatever) when life was good and you had no responsibilities.
I am just not doing great with my schedule this week. Hopefully none of you guys are checking this blog at 12:01pm and getting disappointed by my laziness. If you are, then I'm sorry (ps. get a life).
Today we're going to listen to Gauge Means Noth... oh... um.... Atari. We're going to listen to Atari. Sorry, got a little confused there. Well, when a band lists Gauge Means Nothing (GMN) as their biggest influence, you know you're getting something interesting. To their credit, Atari really nails it. And they nail it in the right sense.
What makes GMN so special and amazing is the refusal to cater to trends, only playing what they want. Other bands will fade with time as their sound is dated and rehashed, but GMN will always stand out as unique as when they were still playing. There won't ever be another GMN, no matter if a band tries or not.
So, we have Atari here, and they definitely sound like GMN. Essentially, if GMN had created a genre then Atari would be in the same genre for sure. There is some similar parts between the two, but I think Atari reflects the spirit of GMN even more than the sound. This is reflected in some of the parts that are almost more grind or d-beat, definitely not what GMN ever did but still feeling similar. It's that mad mixing of genres and moods that made GMN so special and unique, and I think it makes Atari pretty special and unique themselves.
They've put up two songs on their bandcamp that have nice studio recordings, and the songs are pretty badass. There's another song on their myspace, but the new songs on the bandcamp are the best, in my opinion.
Check them out and hopefully the band will be releasing this stuff physically somewhere! Here's a video of them playing recently:
In 2007, Aki from Impulse Records floated the idea of my band, Cease Upon the Capitol, doing a release on his label. A split seemed the best idea, and he offered Tokyo's Trikorona as a split partner. I'd only heard a song or two from their myspace, but I really dug it. That early stuff was reminiscent of Tiala, a blend of grind and emo-violence that I liked to call Tokyo-violence (stupid name, I know). The split went good, and their songs were amazing on the split, but not much communication happened after that.
Fortunately, they're still around and tearing it up. I got their split 7" with No-Yard from CCJ Records, and it totally rips, as expected. And now in 2012, they have some new nuggets for us to absorb, in the form of two songs on their Bandcamp.
Not much to say about these songs, they totally rule and are right there for you to gorge on. Thick, burly guitars riff metal while the drummer channels Spazz and Infest through sticks of dynamite. Just listen.
Here's a full set of Trikorona that will shred your face:
I always whine about the availability of Japanese stuffs on the internet. Bandcamp is so good, every band should have a Bandcamp and put their songs up there. Maybe someday Bandcamp will roll out a Japanese language interface and bands will flock to it like they eventually did with Myspace. See, EVERY Japanese band has a Myspace now, whereas this was almost unheard of back in 2002. So, hopefully times are a-changing. In the meantime, however, there are a few stand-outs that are taking advantage of what the internet has to offer.
Enter Union of Snakes. Before I talk about the music, let's marvel at the forward-thinking tech-saviness this band is displaying. Their site is on Tumblr. They post their demos on SoundCloud. And they also post their demos for download on Mediafire. I love these guys! You had me at hello...
With all their tech cred, it's even better that these guys make great music. Each Volume has its own sound, but I've listened to Volume 2 the most. It feels heavily influenced by that late 90's San Diego screamo sound, which was brought to Japan and expanded upon by greats like The Carnival of Dark-Split and There Is A Light That Never Goes Out. Union of Snakes plays it good and close to that sound, sounding more like something 10 years ago than today. But that is good! They play the sound uniquely, with more modern sensibilities (less Unbroken influence, I mean), and do it so well. It's just got this great, dark, brooding sound with shouted and sung vocals. I can't vouch for the other two volumes, but Volume 2 is definitely worth picking up. They just released Vol. 2.5 a few weeks ago, so it looks like I've got some jams to listen to.
A vid of one of my favorite songs from them:
Below are the mediafire links to download the stuff and the SoundCloud embeds. Enjoy!
If you're unfamiliar with The Black Line Fever, check out my other posts (demo & self-titled) where I've talked extensively about how amazing this band was. I caught up with Jordan and we did a quite long chat interview, talking about the band and other things. It was super fun to do this, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did!
Ryan: Go ahead and give me a history of the band, as detailed as you like.
Jordan: OK well soon after moving to Tokyo in around 2002 I think I bought a guitar with the plan of starting a band, wrote a bunch of songs in a week.
Met up with Paul Ford the bass player through an ad in a foreign magazine in Japan. Advertisement quoted bands like Uranus and One-Eyed God Prophecy, so my eyes lit up...
So from there we met up, got on like a house on fire, started hitting studios writing and structuring songs etc, and started looking for drummers...
I kid you not, we tried out about 8 guys, foreign and Japanese, met some pretty funny characters along the way. But when we met Tim we knew straight away he was the dude. He was kind of cocky, he said something along the lines of being able to blow all the guys out of the water...And he did, first practice he nailed everything 20x times better and harder than we had ever imagined.
OK so at that point we had a band, but no vocalist. So we started looking around, and we tried a bunch of dudes. But we met this crazy kid Yasu (RIP) at a Converge concert. He was running around acting all crazy and genuinely had an amazing spark about him. So we got him in, and he started, first jam he was soooo loud his screams were amazing. We all knew we had found the guy.
At around that point the songs were taking form and we were getting ready to play live I guess. Along the way a guy called Ben from Australia who I met at a show joined as the second guitarist to carry the riffs through. As well as that he was also doing vox as a shouty singy type thing which balanced out the crazy screams from Yasu.
So we were ready to play, but had no idea on how to get a show. At one practice in meguro mod studio where we used to jam, by pure chance in the studio next to us was a bunch of bands playing a small shows, Yuichi's band gauge means nothing, and a band called Nervous Light of Sunday. They heard what we were doing from outside the room , and stepped in for a listen. We hit it off then and started talking about live shows. Paul managed to drum up our first show on a very random show in Roppongi, with a bunch of J-pop bands, which was really weird. We got Nervous Light of Sunday to join the bill and we played. Most of the audience was our friends and stuff. It was a great show.
From that show we started playing more with the Japanese hardcore scene. We recorded the first demo. Things were going swell. Then Ben had to leave the band as he was heading back to Australia. Around the same time we played a show with a metal band called cohol, who blew us away. We spoke with Itaru the guitarist after the show and he quickly joined the band. And that lifted the sound immensely.
Things were rolling along pretty swell, but we were having some difficulties with Yasu the vocalist at the time. He was skipping jams, taking heaps of drugs and partying a lot. Which of course I didn't really care about but we found his form slipping a lot.
Paul and I were getting a bit frustrated. We spoke with him a few times about it but nothing really changed, so we started talking to other guys. Around that time we played a show with a band called cleaner, and that was the first time I met Yoshi (killie) who was singing in cleaner at the time. He put on this amazing performance, very emotive, quite powerful and driven. And we hit it off straight away. And he became the vocalist of choice, so that's what happened.
As soon as Yoshi joined the band, he started taking control of booking the shows, networking with other bands etc. He brought a lot to the band, besides the vocals but the networks and connections helped us play bigger shows and get a stronger following.
Soon it was time record again, and we did a tour with cohol to Kansai, which to this day was the funniest trip I have ever been on with a bunch of guys, drunken haze of hardcore of metal. Hilarious the whole time
After the tour we played out in Tokyo, then I moved to Shanghai for a year or so, the band split. I returned then we played a few shows but it was never the same...Yoshi went on to Killie, Itaru was following through with cohol. the band was done.. end hahaha...
Ryan: There's a video on YouTube, not sure the year, that says it was your last show. Was that before or after your trip to Shanghai?
Jordan: Yeah, we split when I went to Shanghai, but we only played two shows when I returned. I think video wasn't the last show. There is some footage I have been meaning to upload.
Ryan: Whoa, I would really love to see that!
Jordan: Yeah I will get on it.
Ryan: It's kind of funny, because the vid on YouTube is completely absent of you. I think you were in the right corner, and the dude never pans over.
Jordan: Yeah, I am like a shadow, haha. That was filmed by the dude from raein, I think...when we toured with them in Tokyo.
Ryan: What happened to Yasu?
Jordan: Yasu passed away in a brutal accident in his house in Ibaraki.
We stayed friends after he wasn't in the band. He was a wild guy, he was kind of dark and played with drugs a fair bit. When I got to Tokyo after Shanghai, and BLF was dead, Paul, Tim, Yasu and I started playing together again. But he was always late and stuff, and it wasn't really working. He got caught by the cops for possession of something and was put in jail for about 3-4 months.
When he got out, he was messing around in Ibaraki one night, found some huge PA speaker on the street, took it back to his parents house. Started playing all this keyboard stuff through them, fell asleep with them still connected to the power. Something short circuited and a fire started, and his room on the second floor caught a light and he was burned to death...
I remember the day it happened. My girlfriend at the time called me at work and told me what she had seen on the news...
Ryan: Man, that's really sad. I'm sorry to hear that.
Jordan: Yeah it was really sad stuff. We were all shook up for a long time. I really loved that guy, he was I guess the first Japanese guy I became friends with. He was a wild guy, and if you talk to anyone about him they will say the same thing. It was like he didn't belong in the skin he held. He was a bit like an alien on earth. I don't mean that in a weird away, he was wired in a different way, though.
We all went to the funeral, and met his family and were shown where he died.
My girlfriend at the time was a little bit superstitious, I guess, kind of like a gift she had. Not sure if I believe in that kind of stuff. but I remember when we left the house after seeing where he passed away. She said something to me, like he didn't die but the house took him??? Kind of weird, right? But then about a year ago, his father passed away in the house as well. I don't know if that means anything, just strange if you think deep into those type of things.
So the band had some scars and still does.
Ryan: Were you playing in any bands in Australia before you came over to Japan?
Jordan: Yeah, I had been playing in bands really hard out for about 3 years before I moved to Japan. 1984, Homini Rei, St. Albans Kids, and very short member of Love Like... Electrocution before moving to Japan.
Ryan: Whoa, didn't know you were in St. Albans Kids, too!
Jordan: Yeah, I was the drummer. Pretty shit at it though, haha. Eventually they got a decent guy.
Ryan: Hahaha... You're a jack of all trades, I guess.
Jordan: I dabble, haha.
Ryan: How did you guys decide on the band name?
Jordan: Paul and I were drunk, listening to Motorhead. Know that song "White Line Fever"? Yeah, we were "Black Line Fever." Something like that.
Ryan: Haha... That's it?
Jordan: Yeah, haha.
Ryan: Nice.
Ryan: When you started the band, was there sort of a culture shock since you were used to doing bands in Australia?
Jordan: Yeah for sure. The way shows were put on, the way the crowd reacted to the bands. Even rehearsing, it was all different. Having to book a studio and not rehearse in the garage like back home.
I think the crowd reaction to bands was kind of the biggest culture shock. In Australia, like the States as well, there is a lot of heckling, crowd involvement, that kind of thing. But in Japan the crowd is a lot less loose and more reserved. I guess when we started we thought nobody liked us, because everyone just stood there chin stroking.
Ryan: Were there ever any problems with the language barrier in the band or during shows?
Jordan: Not really, Paul always spoke Japanese. I didn't speak much when I started, so Paul carried the torch there.
Ryan: What kind of a reception did you get with the band? Do people ever mention it to you these days?
Jordan: At the time I think, people were into. It never really showed that much at the shows initially. As we got momentum, dudes were singing along and stuff. And last shows were amazing. Even now, people still refer to me as Jordan (ex black line fever) which is a bit random. But I have heard from Yoshi and Itaru, that people are kind of more into us now than when we were playing??
There is talk about a reunion show maybe later this year.
Ryan: Whoa, that sounds pretty awesome. I guess you guys were just ahead of your time.
Jordan: Maybe. I never really thought about what we were doing as like that, but I think a lot Japanese kids had never really seen any band like us before.
Ryan: I would say that there weren't any other bands like you guys. Your sound was pretty unique. Not Japanese, but not Australian or American either.
Jordan: Yeah I guess. At the time I was pretty inspired by a lot of bands like JR Ewing etc. Paul and Itaru were the metal dudes and they were pushing that kind of sound. So it kind of all meshed together.
Ryan: Do you remember how many copies of the demo and album you made?
Jordan: The 1st as in the one on your blog. Maybe about 50 copies. I screen printed all of those puppies. Took me for-fucking-ever, stunk out my apartment with paint fumes and glue Pretty pissed off housemates, haha.
The 2nd one. A few hundred, I forget. Yoshi was taking care of that one.
Ryan: Did you do the art for the second one too?
Jordan: Yeah, I put all that stuff together.
Ryan: Cool. For the second release, did you guys want to do a CD-R as opposed to another format like a pressed CD? Or was it just because it was cheaper/easier?
Jordan: Fully cheaper and easier. In retrospect we should have got real CD's, but in the end that record was a bit of a shambles. We spent a fair bit on the recording in studio with this guy, who kind of fucked it up. We got everything down, but ran out of time for mixing. So we took the data and got a friend to mix it. Not too happy with how it turned out, the first album was way better. We had complete control over the mixing.
Ryan: What was the purpose or message of the band?
Jordan: Sheesh... Not sure really. I guess for me it was kind of an experiment. I wanted to play and write music in another country. I think for other people, perhaps the singers, it was about more individual stuff. The feeling we had as a group tho was always kind of like a team of friends, us vs the world, that kind of thing.
Ryan: Where is everybody now? I would assume still in Japan because of the reunion, but what are they doing?
Jordan: Paul recently moved back to Japan, and we have started playing together with the original drummer of cohol in a band called funeral sutra..Tim the drummer moved back to Canada a few years ago, he is working as a video sound guy. Yoshi and Itaru are both in Tokyo, see them every few weeks, have a laugh and a beer, that kind of thing.
Ryan: So, was Tim going to come back for the reunion? Or would you use a different drummer?
Jordan: Probably a different guy.
Ryan: Ah, that's too bad. His drumming was so great.
Jordan: The best guy I have ever played with. So dynamic..
Ryan: So, that's all the questions I had. Do you want to talk a bit about Redskins or Funeral Sutra?
Jordan: Yeah I can give you a brief run down.
Redskins as I mentioned before has a singer now, we are putting together new material for shows and recording. Pretty special band for me; friends who formed the band after the earthquake, I guess, as we were all scared all the music began. Funeral Sutra is a way more black metal thing. I love it, writing a lot of music like that at the moment. Really clicks, we write so fast as we all have pretty heavy schedules. But I am loving both bands. I am playing another band as well, on drums, a band called Glue Bag, which is kind of sludgy angry Australian-style rock stuff..
Ryan: Any last words for all those black line fever fans?!
Jordan: Thanks for enjoying the music I guess. We will keep you all posted if we reunite for shows later in the year. Thanks Ryan
I've always been of a mind that the more people in a band usually results in a more compromised sound. Too many chefs in the kitchen, stuff like that. I'm almost always right, as well. A clarity in vision and singular attention to detail can result in some of the most marvelous creations. Orchestras are ruled by the dictatorship of a conductor, Films ruled by auteurs. With bands, it becomes a little tougher. Independent bands are much more democratic affairs, and aspirations to a focused sound can fail more often than succeed.
With a group of seasoned veterans, experienced by playing in livehouses and stadiums across Japan, the chances of genius might be thwarted and a diamond in the rough appear. Atata make this claim by positioning 6 people in the same practice room and essentially letting each one play their instruments like insane people. But these are insane people all on the same drugs, all seeing the same delusion and all laughing in unison. Somehow they play together as one, as an orchestra, but each with distinct voices and no clear conductor to be found.
What's to be especially admired with each of the songs is the level of craftsmanship with which they're designed. There aren't clear choruses or verses in all the songs, and there are almost never two parts of a song that sound exactly alike. Like a jazz track, each instrument is constantly moving, improvising, and refreshing each refrain, independent of each other. The mastery of each is amazing. Angular, dueling guitars; versatile keyboards, going from buzzing moog to orchestral piano in the same song; sublime drumming that knows exactly when to hit the groove hard; bass that is as jazzy and smooth as it is deep and growling; vocals that are human and angelic at once, hitting every note perfectly. There's just a lot to their songs.
For me, music is really about feelings. What does this music evoke in me, how does it make me feel, what does it remind me of? Most music I like can evoke profound memories of important times in my life. In fact, it is one of my favorite past-times to analyze why I'm enjoying something at the moment. When I was thinking about Atata's newest album, and what it was reminding me of, I ended up making a list. Every song on the album is a different face of a single identity. Each song is its own ecosystem, and somehow I found myself lost in the myriad of memories hidden in each. Star Soldier reminded me of lullabies and Naht's The Spelling of My Solution, one of my favorite albums. Minority Fight Song put me back in college, driving down the interstate with the Get Up Kids or the Anniversary blaring from my dinky tape deck. Recito was every break-up I've been through, complete with the initial sadness and final recovery and triumph.
I say all this to express that this album is fucking great. Too often do you see bands full of veterans produce tired music, void of personality and passion. This is not one of those bands or albums. Watching their recent video for Star Soldier only reinforced the fun and passion they have for playing music for people. Every song on this 8 song album is just a finely crafted masterpiece. I've already listened to the album 5 times today, and I can see myself listening to it for months and months more, there's just so much to it.
The album is available in a couple places, that I can find at the moment. On Ototoy it is 900 yen from today (4/20) to May 3rd. After that it will change to 1500 yen. That translates to about 11.00 USD, so you might be better off just heading to iTunes, where you can get it for $9.99 or $1.29 per track. This is really an amazing album and you owe it to yourself to at least check out the video above. Below I'm posting a megamix, which has some of the choice parts from each song all mushed together. It's worth a listen too. The 3 tracks that I posted about earlier are on the album but they've re-recorded them, so there are some definite improvements. Even though there's only 8 songs, each is really long and the album clocks in at around 40 minutes.
I first heard Blue Friend on Bandcamp, which I wrote about on the blog. They are fairly young as a band and not much info was out about them yet. Through Twitter, I met the guitarist/vocalist, Sho, and started chatting about various things. He had studied in California for awhile and even ordered stuff from my distro years ago. His English is good, I love Blue Friend, and I wanted to start doing interviews on the site, so it seemed like a great way to start. I'm not too good at interviews, so I apologize ahead of time for any lame questions, but Sho had some great answers and we talked about some cool things.
Ryan: When did blue friend start, who are the members, what are the recordings? Sho: Well, I was in a band called Alyosha: (Alyosha demo on Bandcamp). I (Sho gt/vo)and Ben(drum for Alyosha, bass for blue friend)were in this band.Alyosha formed in 2008, when I was preparing for going back to Japan from Los Angeles, CA and I tried to form a band in Japan before I went back.I searched band members over the internet and I found Ben on Envy’s myspace. I contacted with him and he lived in Portland so I went to Portland by my car and jammed. Ben was trying to study abroad in Japanese University, that’s why I contacted with him. Alyosha kept playing few shows until 2010. Also,we had recording and a show in Portland, and we kinda took a break after that. And Alyosha got completely stopped so I tried to start few bands until blue friend started. blue friend started from Nov, 2011. I and Wachan talked about playing emotive band like Loma Prieta, Beau Navire, Sailboat together over twitter. Btw,I and Wachan knew each other from 2007 over the internet (I think owner of Loma Prieta's mixi community was him) before he started playing in a band called Akutagawa. Then, we asked Ryu (drummer for blue friend) who is old friend of Wachan (Wachan's said soul mate lol) to play a band together. He’s not really into screamo or hardcore but now he’s listening Suis la lune or that kind of stuff. Then three of us started jam and writing songs together. All of our songs on bandcamp/soundcloud were made by then. Next, we were talking about bass player and we couldn’t find good one, and we wanted a bass player who knows same music and good personality. Also someone we knew. So I asked Ben.Hes also used to play a bass in a band called night of fungi.(http://www.myspace.com/nightoffungi) BTW, Ben and Wachan were coincidently in same university and same program.
About recording, I studied audio recording in US so we did recording by ourself at small rehearsal studio. For recordings on bandcamp, we recorded in Feb at rehearsal studio by my recording equipments and microphones.it was fun and sounded good. In japan doing recording costs a lot, also, personally, I want to be more DIY!! A song on soundcloud was recorded by one studio’s ambient microphone so sounds kinda bad... We try to release EP/LP soon(hopefully in the summer!) 12" w digital download. It will be 4 songs i guess, including the 2 songs on bandcamp with mastering. And we would like to release split with my friends’ bands Asthenia, cofun, from ten to nine, document not found also overseas band like Beau Navire,Kidcrash in the future if we can and I want them to tour in Japan too!
R: Does blue friend have a message? What are the lyrics about? S: Ah, it will be personal message from me and i think other members has different opinions and thoughts. It’s difficult, but I want to be more honest and people to be honest. I wanna talk more with new people. Someone might said it’s wrong but to me Japan is closed as society. People don’t talk each other if they don't know. We need to more communicate and know each other. Japanese shows are kinda interesting. We play with same kinda bands. But we would like to present there are so many different music, thoughts, people, belief, country, and we can understand each other like mutual respect. So we want to play with any styles bands we like. We like to know more different minds, we like to meet new people. To me Japan is great country, I mean, Japan has so many great people. But sometimes people care too much so they can’t express their thoughts I guess. That’s what I feel. The problem is high morality, i guess. It’s also good thing. On the train younger people give their seat to older people. Shit like that. Sorry, it might be out of point, haha. But playing in blue friend means express our feeling and having fun time with my friends and meet new friends. I and Wachan want more younger kids start screamo/emotive bands and know this my friends and bands. Japan and US are different, there are no house show, no house party. So how kids have fun? Regular show costs $15, so some of japanese hardcore bands play at studio to make cheaper. Even studio cost money so it’s tough to play a band for younger kids (include me too!!). I saw some of younger kids play at the club and pay so much money for the club. It might be fun but they could do some other way like playing at their class room or city hall. I dunno it might be their high school memories so its fine. But kids seems to be stressed out and bored so I want more younger kids come to the shows and have a fun.
Lyrics are about same thing.we would like to other people to know they can start shit. How life is, how friends are, important things. We will write down our lyrics on LP so you can check it. On our songs, we sing our expression and honesty i guess at least for me. It’s tough. Im so influenced by my friends in west-coast diy. All of friends are so nice and awesome. I think I like to be like them. support the bands, friends,family. I feel like US focus on their life more than Japan. I wish Japanese society shift like that in Japanese way.
R: What does the band name, "blue friend", mean? S: Ah.... haha. Me and wachan its one episode name from Japanese animation. Kinda old. That episode is really sad story so kinda traumatized episode.Also, I like meaning of blue=a pure, heartful. R: What animation? S: Rahxephon. Do u know this animation? R: I know the name. They released it in the US. S: You should watch this and i think you kinda get an idea.lol
R: You have a video on youtube of your practice session, and you describe the band as doing a "nostalgic emo thing." Tell me a bit more what you mean by "nostalgic." S: To me nostalgic reminds me of my emotion from my childhood. We forget so many things when we became this age. I feel like we are losing shit. Life is hard, busy, so I try not to forget what was my feeling, thoughts. That’s why I like nostalgic. I think we just post nostalgic cause sounds kinda old. I like those nostalgic melody maybe thats why. I feel like forget shit is guilty cuz you forget your belief or shit is important. Also I like Saetia, Portraits of Past a lot so maybe those bands melody are nostalgic to me. I want to keep my thoughts and emotions when we play. That’s why i feel like nostalgic. Wa-chan describes me about nostalgic emo thing. It is because he only wanted not to start playing new music. R: So let's talk about influences. What bands influence your sound the most? S: Well, Iwrotehaikusaboutcannibalisminyouryearbook, Sailboat, Loma Prieta, Saetia, Kidcrash, Portraits of Past, Lautrec, ...who calls so loud, Killie, cleaner, Hammock, Final, sigur ros, Indian Summer, Still life. Other members loves these plus some ambient, drone, sludge, doom, noise, experimental noise, nintendo-music, shit like that.
R: Tell me about how the songs are written. Is everything made in the studio or do you come with ideas? S: Me/Wachan/Ryu also jammed as ambient band before. Like this in the studio, we brings own ideas and build up songs. I think we are all in same vector so we can get so many ideas. But we can not find out right one. This is one problem recently. Everything sounds fine but all of us can’t agree with one. But I’m having fun with playing a band w wachan , ryu-kun and Ben. R: So, you're still looking for your sound, i guess? S: I mean... yeah, kind of. I think a song called dasai is what we wanna play, i guess. We just need to jam more and make cool songs what we like. R: Sounds good! I'm listening to dasai now. S: I enjoy playing a band so I wish other members feels same way!! R: What i like about this song, and the others, is there is a sense of fun to them. Not necessarily happy, but like an adventure. S: Haha thanks! Adventure.this is first time to hear about it!! R: I always like to think of those kinds of words to explain music.
S: I like it! Yeah, actually I do too! Like this part should be like...forest!! Shit like that. I think image is important for me to add melody line. R: What does dasai mean? S: It means not cool or looks shitty. Its not supposed to be title but we published as dasai and friends already memorized it... saisho=first. For these songs, we will name as dasai and saisho. It’s funny, everybody said not cool is cool! I mean we named it because first intro is not cool so anyway, these songs will be saisho and dasai. I dunno about other songs. Those songs named fast and short also. You will see when our LP came out.
R: Okay, to wrap up the interview, last words! S: We were just normal 4 guys but we would like to know more new people,bands, things and having fun so hopefully some of you read this interview and interest in blue friend, please feel free to contact with us!! We try to have US tour in the future so probably see you then!! contact: yourbluefriend@gmail.com. Thats it! :D Thanks!!
This isn't a part of emo week, it's just something I found and wanted to put out here. I'm not sure who long this will stay up and free. This is a compilation of local Saitama acts. There are 27 tracks & bands in total, and Ototoy (a Japanese MP3 service) has it all up for free. You do have to register and login to download, but it has English instructions and is pretty simple.
The compilation is an extremely diverse mix of styles. It starts with some punk/hardcore, moving into electronic, then hip-hop, then experimental noise, then rounds it off with rock. I liked some of the stuff and did not like others. But, it was fun hearing a ton of bands I was unfamiliar with. S-Explode is the only band I knew on the compilation. Try it out, and quick cause I feel like this won't be free for long.
