Where To Start: Japanese Screamo

     I've had several people mention that they don't really know where to start when getting into Japanese music. I can definitely see how, when faced with hundreds of awesome bands that are equally obscure, it can be a daunting task to get your feet wet. Hopefully I can help out with that, and I'm going to try to do a series of posts that basically aim to gracefully get you, the reader, into some of the best music you'll ever here. The first subject will be my favorite, Japanese Screamo.

     To check out more Screamo, you can browse using the screamo tag.

Please leave feedback on what you want to see with these. I'm sort of shooting in the dark as to what is the best way to help newcomers dive in.

Intro:

     Screamo (or Emotional Hardcore) came to Japan in the early 90's. There are early traces of Japanese people contributing and sending in stuff to Heart Attack magazine, and appearances by Sawpit on the label, Ebullition, and Bonescratch doing splits with foreign bands. The late 90's saw the Tokyo and Sapporo scenes both getting pretty busy. Tokyo had bands like Swipe, Envy, and Kulara; Sapporo had bands like Next Style, The Carnival of Dark-Split, and Black Film Dance. From there, screamo blossomed, spawning small scenes in nearly every large city in Japan. There have been countless bands over the past 20 or so years to play this awesome style, so let's dig in! These four groups represent the four pillars of Japanese screamo to me. Yes there are more! And I'm already sorry that I may or may not have included your favorite band. This is all just my opinion.

Starting Point - Envy:

     Envy is basically the glass through which the rest of the Japanese screamo scene should be view through. They began in 1992 and have had the same members for nearly their entire existence. Their style has been copied and modified countless times and nearly every Japanese screamo band has traces of envy in their sound.

What to listen to:

     Envy dropped their first proper album, From Here to Eternity, in 1998, and the Japanese scene has still not recovered. In my travels, it has consistently been the favorite envy album for most of the Japanese musicians I talk to. It's a very raw album, with gorgeous melodies and tons of passion.
     My favorite album and envy's masterpiece is All The Footprints... released in 2001. This was 11 of the most daring tracks to have ever played. Marvelous compositions, soaring melodies, crushing heaviness. It was everything envy hinted at, fully realized. THIS is what the scene really took from and built on. To me, this is the epitome of Japanese screamo.

Where to get it:

     Envy's catalogue is fairly easy to get. Temporary Residence Limited is there US label, and has re-released most of their back catalogue. MP3 versions are available through Spotify, Amazon, ITunes, and more. TRL just released a jaw-droppingly amazing boxed set of envy's entire recorded output, 14-LP's. It's a bit of an investment, but it will give you everything you need to understand and appreciate this important band.

What to watch:

     Envy @ Sendai Birdland (1998)
     Envy @ Shinjuku Anti-Knock (2002)
     Envy Transfovista DVD (2007)
     Envy @ Kaikoo Popwave Festival, Osaka (2013)

Next - Gauge Means Nothing:

     Gauge Means Nothing started playing in the late 90's. Their first EP came out in 2003, from their label and mine. They are the band that got me into releasing things and energized me to preach the Japanese music gospel. They broke up in 2005, and left behind an EP, split with My Precious, and a last song. They aren't for everyone, and you'll probably either love them or hate them. They take the Japanese screamo sound of envy, and add emo, metal, hardcore, and J-Pop. Their music is always emotional and passionate, and you can tell they are having a blast playing it.

What to listen to:

     Their first EP, The Absent Trail of an Echo..., (which this blog is named after), is the best place to start. There's five songs on there, totaling around 30 minutes of music. Their later stuff gets even more interesting, but there were some changes in songwriters and the personality is different. Check out this EP first.

Where to get it:

     So glad you asked! You can buy copies of The Absent Trail of an Echo... on CD at the MeatCube store.   You can listen to it on MeatCube's bandcamp page. And when you're ready to move on, you can also listen to their split with My Precious, although the CD is out of print.

What to watch:

     Gauge Means Nothing @ Tokyo (2003)
     Gauge Means Nothing - Right Hand PV
     Gauge Means Nothing @ Nishiogikubo Watts (2004)

Next - Killie:

     Killie started playing in the mid-2000's. They pretty much formed as a super group with members from 3cmtour, Cleaner, Anthropic Disease, Sora, and The Black Line Fever. Their image and brutal sound has made them gain popularity fairly quickly. They've released several splits, singles, and EPs to this point, and are working on their first album now. Their sound is based on envy's sound, but add lots of time changes, depressing melodies, and intensity ala Louise Cyphre or Orchid.

What to listen to:

     Killie's first EP, Want to Escape From the Underground..., is my favorite. It mixes their raw intensity with some amazing melodies. They've moved on to a more broad sound since then, but the brilliance of that EP overshadows their other stuff, for me. The next step is to check out their EP, After all, the opinion.... Two long songs on one side of an LP.

Where to get it:

     Unfortunately, nearly everything Killie has ever released is sold out. You can keep an eye on their Discogs page to see when people sell things second hand. Their 2xCD split with Off Minor is usually the first thing to show up. Otherwise, you can download almost their entire discography from this post here. Hopefully their upcoming album will have more copies produced and be distributed out a bit better.

What to watch:

     Killie @ Arayakushimae Studio LIFE (2005)
     Killie @ Tokyo (2007)
     Killie - Resurrection DVD (2008)
     Killie - Taipei, Taiwan (2013)

Next - Dip Leg:

     Dip Leg started playing in the early 2000's in Okayama, which is kind of in the middle of nowhere. They developed their own offshoot of screamo which built from envy's sound, and added angular guitars and deep, soulful grooves. Their album was the second thing I released, and they released another EP before splitting up. Their sound is very approachable, with warm melodies and perfect instrumentation. Their vocals are high-pitched and may take some getting used to, but meld well with the rest of the music.

What to listen to:

     Their debut album is classic Dip Leg, The Sympathy Without Love. It has 8 songs, and every one is a winner. The album is pretty much another Japanese screamo masterpiece, perfectly conceived and executed.

Where to get it:

     Their album is still available on CD at the MeatCube store. You can also listen to it here. Once you've consumed that, I also posted their followup EP here.

What to watch:

     Dip Leg Live (?)
     Dip Leg - Videos from EP (2006?)

Community Trust - Is It Contradiction, A Mistake Or Necessity? [2006]

Community Trust is sort of like post-Japanese metalcore. That's the only real way I can describe them. They definitely have a strong State Craft influence, but they take it to a really innovative melodic place that sets them apart from all the other State Craft clones. This album was released from the now-defunct Hong Kong label, God's Child Music. Towards the end, the label started going strictly metalcore, but this was released during their days of focusing more on screamo stuff (ie. Nitro Mega Prayer, Mihai Edrisch). It totally fits, but also doesn't. It's pretty much impossible to talk about Community Trust without talking in oxymorons.

What I can say is that Community Trust is really great. Their whole sound scratches all sorts of itches. Brutal parts, purely melodic and beautiful parts, technical stuff, breakdowns, weird time signatures, etc. They pretty much cover everything and do it amazingly well. The video I found below was kind of disappointing, but to be expected. The album has such a rich sound, I would imagine it would be rougher live. So, don't let the video below dissuade you by its roughness. After listening to the album, the video makes more sense.

Community Trust - Is It Contradiction, A Mistake Or Necessity?

1. Untitled

2. Battlefield Without Glory

3. The Snow Which Fell On That Sunny Day

4. You Stand On Hand

5. Just After The Rain, The Start In New Life

6. Four Seasons

7. Trust & Strong

8. The Diamnds

9. Dilemma

Debase and Degrade - To Err is Human [2003]

Debase and Degrade were a short-lived band from Tokyo, most notably known for Hirotatsu (from 3cmtour, Killie) playing drums. Besides their band connections, Debase and Degrade play emotional hardcore with some subtle hints of those Japanese screamo melodies. 5 songs here, and they're all pretty good. And... that's about it. Enjoy!

Debase And Degrade - To Err Is Human

1. 汝

2. September

3. Beginning Is The End. The End Is The Beginning

4. Good-Bye

5. Untitled

[Bandcamp] Role - Demo 2012 [2012]

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!

VA - Surplus Suppression 3 Compilation [2003]

Here's an odd little compilation that I got from Nitro Mega Prayer when I did a trade with them. It's a weird amalgam of metalcore bands, with Nitro Mega Prayer and Enforce thrown in the mix. At the time, both bands weren't too far from that genre, but still sound different. The Nitro Mega Prayer tracks are sort of between their first split and their first album. The Enforce track is my highlight on here, though. They only released 3 tracks that I know of, on compilations, but they prove themselves as one of the best bands from Japan.

If anybody has any information on Enforce, please let me know!

VA - Surplus Suppression 3

1. Optimistic Hedge Hog - 欲望

2. Optimistic Hedge Hog - 扉の先

3. Jabberwock - One Step

4. Jabberwock - Fat Man

5. Enforce - 開放

6. Nitro Mega Prayer - 鏡

7. Nitro Mega Prayer - 8秒の沈黙

8. Lost Eden - Seven Cardinal Sins

Nitro Mega Prayer / Blue Sky Resemble Sorrow split [2002]

I originally picked my copy of this up while I was studying in JP during 2002. Like I said in my previous NMP post, I did carry them for awhile in my distro, before selling out. Now, it's probably super hard to find or something. ANYWAYS, I'm rambling because it's Friday and I'm tired. 

This is the first release that I know of from Nitro Mega Prayer. They're playing some sort of metallic emotional hardcore. I'm not sure where it fits compared to everything else. It's not bad, but it isn't going to be the NMP you expect (if you haven't heard this). I think the lineup between this and their first album is mostly the same, but they definitely had a different direction on this split.

On the other side is Blue Sky Resemble Sorrow, whose website is still up after a super long time. They are the highlight on this split for me. They play this old style of Japanese emotional hardcore/screamo that is so, so good. I know next to nothing about these guys, but it looks like they broke up shortly after, which is really too bad.

OH MY GOD I JUST FOUND A VIDEO OF BLUE SKY RESEMBLE SORROW ON YOUTUBE FROM 2001:

^this is why I love the internet^

Nitro Mega Prayer / Blue Sky Resemble Sorrow split

1. Nitro Mega Prayer - Letter

2. Nitro Mega Prayer - Live There

3. Blue Sky Resemble Sorrow - Senseof Fulfillment

4. Blue Sky Resemble Sorrow - カクリツ

Nitro Mega Prayer - The Reason Of Hers Smile [2003]

Nitro Mega Prayer started releasing stuff back in the early 2000's (the earliest thing I have is from 2002) and went through several phases. I saw them play at Whoopee's in Kyoto while I was studying, and they were in their "emotional metalcore" phase. I wasn't overly impressed by the live show. The music wasn't horrible, but I remember being pretty unimpressed. Later, once I'd returned to the States, I started corresponding with the singer, Nakano, and did a trade or something. Somehow, I got copies of their split with Blue Sky Resemble Sorrow (I'll post that on Friday), and possibly this full length (it was 9 years ago. please forgive my memory).  Between the split and this album, their sound changed dramatically. Most of the members stayed the same between the two releases, but their sound became far more emotional and "screamo", I guess. What's true is that they came up with their own style, which is a weird amalgam of screamo, a little metal, and some pop-punk (the last track on this album is a cover of a NOFX song, and it still kind of sounds like NMP).

So, this album. It's definitely a classic of Japanese screamo. Nitro Mega Prayer played a huge part in the Kansai scene. Nakano worked at Kobe Club Blue Port for awhile and organized a lot of shows (including one I played with GMN, Dip Leg, Nitro Mega Prayer, Yarmulke, and Gamy). But let me be honest, this album is fricking hard for me to listen to. And there is one simple reason why: the bass is completely out of tune for the entire album. I'm sorry, but as a musician who has recorded a good amount, being out of tune is ABSOLUTELY unforgivable. If you're going to pay a chunk of money to record your music, you want your listeners to be able to hear it and enjoy it. Unless you want to be out of tune, you shouldn't be. NMP doesn't want to be out of tune, they just are. The bassist plays with a fret-less bass, and that's where all the out of tune-ness comes from. It's such a shame, because every time I listen to this album, the music is really great. They do sooooo many interesting, original things on here that no one has done before. But then there is that annoying bass that just ruins my enjoyment. Why, Japanese-God-Of-Screamo, why?

Still, this is a great album and only sets you up for the absolutely amazing things that NMP does after this. I won't be posting their following EP and split with Balboa, because you can buy them right now online (click where I linked you to). But, basically Nakano scrapped the whole band and replaced everyone. No more out of tune bass, no more drummer who wasn't so bad but had a weird style, no more guitarists who had some pretty neat ideas. Instead, he added a bunch of dudes, and most influentially, Ponchi from Gauge Means Nothing on guitar. He became the mastermind for the following songs and created some of the best Japanese screamo ever with the band.

When I was practicing the songs in preparation for playing with Gauge Means Nothing for their Malaysia tour, Ponchi sent me one or two songs that they were in the process of writing. He had recorded them all himself with just a metronome providing the tempo. I was completely floored by these songs. They were nowhere near completed, but the level of quality in the songwriting was amazing. It was different, and in some ways a lot better, than what GMN had done before and I was so excited to hear the finished product. In the end, we didn't play them on the tour, and Ponchi shortly left the band so they were never made into finished songs. But, Ponchi kept creating songs and once he got into NMP, the world got to see how amazing his songwriting was.

Here's the kind of music video for one of their newer songs:

Nitro Mega Prayer - The Reason Of Hers Smile

1. オレンジの太陽

2. 探し物

3. 近づけない

4. 窓の外の赤い景色

5. ただそう思うだけ

6. アーチ

7. 繊細すぎる笑顔

8. 運命

9. Lori Myers (NOFX cover)

Arrastrandose - 陽の色褪せた場所から [2004]

There's a weird divide in the Japanese underground scene. I guess I can get a little more specific and say "Japanese screamo" scene, at least in the instance I'm talking about. Each band has their group of friends that they play with, and there's usually a network stretching across Japan that enables these bands to play around a lot. Back in the early 2000's, I was most familiar with the scene that Gauge Means Nothing was a part of, which included other bands like Dip Leg, Nitro Mega Prayer, Yarmulke, Tiala, and some others. What's odd, though, is that there were other bands that were not a part of that group. I'm not sure where the disconnect was, or how bands were invited or uninvited to take part in the group, but it has always stuck out to me. I know I'm talking in abstracts, so let me get into an example.

Anchor, who I posted about earlier, has been around for probably around 12 years now. They don't seem to play that often and haven't put out a ton of releases, but they are definitely an important band in the scene. But, even though their styles definitely meld with a lot of the other bands in Japan, they are usually found at the outskirts of that scene. In fact, they kind of have their own scene with bands like Stubborn Father, Anode, and R3-N7. There is some overlap. Satire Records' amazing Light Your Own Way compilation included Stubborn Father and Anchor on it, but that seemed to be the exception instead of the rule. I don't really know if it's a negative thing or not, and I'm not trying to cast judgement. It's just something I've noticed that seems curious to me.

With that, I can now introduce Arrastrandose, who is in a similar position. I would almost think that they would play in the same circle as Anchor and Stubborn Father. Their music owes a lot to envy, but has a very unique bend to it. But in truth, Arrastrandose seems to play with more tough-guy hardcore and metalcore bands. They do have some of that in their music, but it would make an odd mix to have them couched in between two bands with gang vocals, for instance.

But that's not to say anything bad about their music, which is pretty exceptional. It's really a testament to the treasures you can find in Japan, because only there would you see this mash-up of post-rock, metalcore, screamo, and a little bit of grind. Arrastrandose can't really be compared to any other bands, but will probably appeal to anyone with an open mind. It's weird to think this album (only 7 songs, but I guess it's an album) was released 8 years ago now, but the band is still going strong. I watched a video of a show from last December, and it seems like they've fallen into the post rock void, leaving behind their old aggression. Here's a video which is more similar to this album (although I can't quite place the song):

Arrastrandose - 陽の色褪せた場所から

1. 記憶の扉

2. 暗い脚並

3. 残酷な優しさの洗礼

4. 琥珀の破片

5. 錆付いた鎖

6. 陽の色褪せた場所から

7. 遥か彼方へ

[Bandcamp] A Soulless Pain / Sunday Document / ちくわしなちくちくわ grab bag

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?

Strange Over The Sun - This City Is Changing For Better Or Worse [2003]

Strange Over The Sun (SOTS) is a weird nut to crack. This album came out in 2003 on Imomushi Records, probably most popular for releasing 1000travels of Jawaharlal but usually follows the more aggressive types of band that might be on Snuffy Smile. SOTS is a little different. Sometimes you can imagine them playing that type of pop-punk, but other times their music is so hectic and wild that they sound closer to Tiala or something from Less Than TV Records. Add to it these insanely desperate vocals, and you've ended up with this weird band thing that won't fit into any genre smoothly.

That's not to say SOTS isn't good. Quite the contrary, they're super unique and have so much energy that its infectious. This album is 13 songs of fun songs to get your blood pumping. The band didn't last past this album, but members are still playing in SNARE KILLS and Shyboy.

You can still buy this right here: Imomushi Records.

And here's a video from 2003, nostalgically ripped from VHS:

Strange Over The Sun - This City Is Changing For Better Or Worse

1. Kill Your Thoughts

2. はなれた！

3. Teeth

4. インスト

5. Unity Ground

6. Middle Days Won't Be Passed By Us

7. ねこ

8. 手と手

9. 歯科医

10. Trapped

11. Instruments

12. カレヘ

13. Takayuki Goes On

[Soundcloud] Cocoon - Various [2012]

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.

[Soundcloud] Birth remixes [2012]

I guess this especially fitting after last week's Birth postings, but I just found these tracks and am totally into them. Birth has put up two remix tracks from an old song (off their Iro EP) and a new song (off their newest ep). One remix is from MOL9000, who you may know from their split release on Bear Records, and is pretty minimal. The other, from LAMAZE(?), is hectic and very IDM-esque (I'm just guessing here, I don't know much about those electronic sub-genres). Either way, both tracks are very cool and definitely fun for any Birth fans.

Yarmulke - Self-Titled [2005]

Ah, Yarmulke. It's odd how Japanese bands will be together for so long, but have such a small output. Yarmulke sort of bucked the trend, but kind of not really. I first saw them in Kyoto at a show that I was attending to see Some It Air. I was up front (there were maybe 30 people there), and as soon as they started playing I hastily pulled my video camera out. Right off, their envy-influenced screamo was right up my alley.

It took them 3 more years to actually release their first EP. In that time, they'd released some demos, but this was really their first release. They funded it themselves, and I contacted them to get some copies for the distro. These 6 songs are the best that Yarmulke released, in my opinion. They worked on them for years and honed them to a fine perfection.

Here's one of the vid's from that show:

Yarmulke - Self-Titled
1. サチ
2. シータ
3. カラス
4. 字宙
5. 断絶
6. マワル

New Stuff in the Distro!

I don't mention my distro as much as I think maybe I should, but this past week or so has been really good with new stuff and I thought it would be cool to bring up some of the new releases in there that you can get your hands on RIGHT NOW. So without further ado, here are some of the highlights of the new Japanese stuff I've got:

Madpress / In the Unknown split CD - $8.00

Two of the best epic screamo bands in Japan today. Madpress has a very strong Forget me not vibe, but are a little more aggressive with it. In the Unknown plays similar, but have a different feel to their melodies. Overall, this has really been one of my favorite releases of 2012 (even though it came out in 2011). When I was able to get this in the distro, I literally girl-screamed with joy. Do yourself a huge favor and get this now.

Midnight Parade / Kitten split CD - $8.00

You may remember Midnight Parade from when I wrote about them a few weeks ago. This is their newest release and offers up two more of their post-rock influenced emo songs. Kitten shares members with Document Not Found and Stereo Type, and play some very angular and frenetic screamo. This CD just comes together so well with both bands contributing stellar songs and blowing away my expectations.

 Tetola93 / Visyaaa split CD - $8.00

I don't think I hide my love of Tetola93, but if I didn't mention it yet today: I love Tetola93. They're just so extreme, playing with so much passion and originality, it's everything that is right about music. This is their newest output and arguably their best songs to date. I usually call them a mashup of Killie and Louise Cyphre, but I feel like there's more to it (there is). Regardless, if you like loudish music, Tetola93 could be your next favorite band. They split the disc with Visyaaa, who play some wild thrash done really well.

 Breaking Concept Vol. 01 - 5 way split CD - $9.00

5 amazing bands playing in 5 distinct styles. This disc is great not only because of the quality of each band, but because it totally mixes it up. Sort of like a compilation, but more tracks from each band so they really sink in. FLEX play have a sort of DC-style emotional hardcore, but updated to 2011 (when this was release). Nothing, nothing, nothing have former members of Next Style & Dignity For All and play a more Ebullition influenced late-90's emotional hardcore style. Blue Ray Dance play that San Diego wild screamo sound, ala Swing Kids. TG.Atlas play angular post-hardcore, influenced by The Jesus Lizard. And finally, Threadyarn remind me of that Sapporo screamo sound, ala The Carnival of Dark-Split. Overall, really good stuff here for everybody.

And that's not all the new stuff, I just didn't want to make this post too long. Here are some more things I've stocked recently:

• Phone / Tetola93 / Ao Split CD - $8.00
• VA - It's All Really There Compilation CD - $6.00
• Dying In Motion / Years Passing / Fair Root / S-Explode split LP - $8.00
• Malegoat - To Face The Music Cassette - $4.00
• Midnight Parade / Unripe Split CD - $8.00
• VA - Hate Yourself And Love The Fate Compilation CD - $8.00
• Detrytus - Blind Fields CD - $8.00
• Low-Pass - Trimurti Cassette - $4.00

Birth - Mistake Of Pain And Three Pieces Of Compulsory Education [2008]

Man, having a day off work in the middle of the week totally messed me up. I completely forgot about this. Well, I've got some stuff in the wings so I'm not completely unprepared. Let's revisit Birth again!

Monday I posted Birth's first EP, today we'll look at their second. Only 3 songs here, but they are more fully realized than the first EP. Each one of these songs are pretty finely crafted and rip the whole way through. They still have that 3cm tour influence, but you finally start really seeing what Birth is all about and what makes them special.

The next logical point is for you to get their newest EP. I'm hoping to get some copies in the distro very soon, so keep an eye on it.

Here's another recent live set. So, so good:

Birth - Mistake Of Pain And Three Pieces Of Compulsory Education

1. 自作演

2. 実験者とクローン

3. キスウ

Birth - Iro.EP [2007]

This debut EP from Birth pretty firmly cemented them in the hearts of all the 3cm tour fans out there as a band to watch out for. They definitely take a cue from 3cm tour, but then they kind of go off on their own direction. Their music is abrasive and explosive, but there's also this killer ghetto-beat rhythm in most of their songs that just make me want to dance.

This EP went through two sold out pressings in a few years, which is amazing. Birth released a new EP this year that is pretty fabulous, and seem to be doing really well. Recently I got a free magazine that had an interview with them, which seemed like a big deal. Their live shows seem really raw and emotional, just the way they should be.

Birth - Iro.EP

1. 悲鳴と喘ぎ声の相違点

2. カショクギミ

3. 少女の結末

4. Y.P足らず

5. Singer

6. キョショクギミ

7. 愛と優と音についての考察と提案

[Bandcamp] Forms of Talk - Tape [2012]

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:

Ryan:
can you tell me what this sounds like?
http://formsoftalk.bandcamp.com/
i just can't really place it right now

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.

Here's a live vid during one of their practices:

Forms of Talk - Tape

1. Stras

2. Positional

3. No Soul

4. Cables

5. Mountain Worker

Kulara - Fragmental Remembrance, A Switch of Resurrection, and My Hearing Vanished [2002]

Kulara is the best. As I've already written, I botched my chance to see them live. Luckily, there are some amazing videos of them online. This CD collects two of their EPs together. Essentially, it's the last recordings they ever made. There are some earlier things that are collected on their discography, but this is the Kulara stuff that I know the most. Enjoy!

Kulara - Fragmental Remembrance, A Switch of Resurrection, and My Hearing Vanished

1. Brown Knife

2. The Belt of Sleep Freeze

3. Two Suns Day

4. Your Own Gain

5. Fate

6. Machine and Me

7. Human Pattern

Beirut5 - A Machinic Exodus [2003]

Well, I had a little bit of a break last week. Sorry about the weird posting-ness. I'm going to try and get back on schedule this week.

This is the Salvation-released edition of Beirut5's debut album, A Machinic Exodus. And, I don't know what a "Machinic" is either, it's not a typo. Beirut5 are from the Kansai area, and I think they have members in some of the other Kansai bands, but I can't be sure. I'm working on a lengthy interview with Jerome Salvation right now, so that will provide some more insight into this release.

Beirut5 has a sort of raw Japanese screamo sound, ala Carnival of Dark-Split, with lots of swirling electronics and buzzing keyboards. Some really great stuff.

I still have a couple of these in the distro, so you can buy it here if you like it!

Beirut5 - A Machinic Exodus

1. Birth Of PPPPP

2. End Of Violence

3. Deep Focus

4. Boy Division

5. Sick

6. A Machinic Exodus

7. Narcosis

8. Distance No Resistance

9. Void

10. Mars On Earth (Violater's Hype Remix)

[Bandcamp] Atari - 2 songs [2012]

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:

Atari - 2 songs