Pretty good pop-punk / post-hardcore crossover. They're still more Snuffy Smile than they are Infro, but it's got great melodies. I know virtually nothing about the band and can't even remember how I got this. It was probably just something I randomly picked up at a record store. Anyways, try it out if you like this kind of stuff. Here's a video of them playing:
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!
Chapter 2, better than the first? It's hard to beat envy (for me), but these TIALTNGO songs are the best in their short history. They just perfected the sound they were going for at the last moment, it's a shame that they didn't keep going. What's disappointing is the Vanilla tracks. Their debut album on Salvation was quite good, but these songs are boring and fail to impress.
My only story of TIALTNGO is a sad one that goes with the Kulara one. I was at an envy show in Tokyo and sat in the green room, talking to people while both bands played. So pissed at myself, still.
TIALTNGO went on to form Z, who I never cared much for. A better band to reference is their pre-TIALTNGO band, Swipe, who were really good. Gahh.... I don't have anything else to say. Enjoy this shit!
This is back when Envy could still be considered underground. Yeah, their shows still sold out all over Japan. Yes, they were sort of big time. But, they weren't on Temporary Residence yet. Not that Temporary Residence is a major label, but they're definitely bigger than HG Fact (not better, tho). These songs were after All the Footprints..., but were still better than anything on A Dead Sinking Story.
The release was sort of to commemorate the Japanese split tour of Envy and Iscariote in 2002, but they also toured together in Europe in 2001. Iscariote featured Fafa on vocals, the proprietor of Molaire Industries aka. Waiting For An Angel (they released a ton of fine Japanese stuff including Envy's first exposure outside of Japan). I was actually at the last show on that tour in 2002 at Shinjuku Anti-Knock. I didn't know any of the guys at the time, but I'd later develop a friendship with Fafa through label business.
The Our Dreams Walking Their Way series is basically about Japanese and French bands splitting a release. The conceptual art is done by Nicotcha, and every release has a color theme and is gorgeous. It's funny that I carried all of these releases in my distro and could barely sell them, but now they are almost collector's items. Ah... how times change.
Here's a video I shot of Envy at their show together. And then a random one from Iscariote:
Egoist for Men is a weird group. Their sound is pretty wild. I played a show with them in 2003 while I was playing guitar in Gauge Means Nothing at a Community Center in Tokyo. The singer hooked his vocal mic up to a few effects pedals before the show, and wow, did he use them. It's not as obvious on this demo, but their track on the 'Light Your Way' compilation shows a lot more effects.
I love the artwork for this. It was done by Ryuzaki-san, who also did artwork for the Gauge Means Nothing ep and 3cm tour/After Forever split. His own band, Bright and Dark Side, played that same night at the Community Center.
I'm not sure how to describe this. It's not really screamo, even though they played with a lot of screamo bands. Maybe punk/emo? I don't know, you'll probably just have to listen for yourself.
God, I'm so glad it's Friday.... Have a good weekend!
Haha... I just remembered that I never saw toe while I was in Japan. But, I do have some flyers.
I think I might've gone to this show. Toe cancelled, I know that, but I might've gone to the show anyways. I remember seeing Up and Coming at some point, so this might've been it. Hmmm....
These guys were some of my good friends from Kyoto while I was studying in Japan during 2002. At the time, there was only three (guitar, vocals, drums) but they had two guys from Lasting For Answer helping them out. After I'd returned to the States, they found enough members and changed their name to NOT II BELIKESOMEONE. I helped Masa (or Taf), the singer with his English grammar for the lyrics. He had grown up in England because of his dad's work, so his pronunciation was pretty amazing. They are still together, releasing an EP in 2006 (which I'll be posting tomorrow), a demo in 2003 and another in 2010. Hopefully they're working on more songs.
I always really loved their sound. It is a hybrid of classic Japanese metalcore and other more melodic and diverse bands. They fit kind of firmly between State Craft and Naiad. Hajime, who writes the songs, is really gifted and includes tons of fun and interesting parts. I'm usually not into vocals, but Masa has an impressive range. From guttural, goregrind pig squeals to smooth singing, he does it all.
I've already written a bit about the group I hung out with during my study in Japan. My main friends were Kazushi, Masa, and Hajime, but they were all friends with another local hardcore band that I befriended. Their name was Lasting For Answer, and although I only saw them twice, we hung out on other opportunities. I had a going away party and most of the band members came, along with my crew. I remember the singer was telling me something about having the heart of a samurai in modern day Japan. I also remember how red his face was.
I got to see them on two occasions. The first was at Huckle Berry in Shiga, a livehouse I'd never visited. I rode in the drummer for Down2Earth's car, which had doilies as seat protectors. Seeing a bunch of semi-thugged out hardcore Japanese kids in that car was ridiculous. The place had a fair amount of people for a mid-day show. The bands were a total grab bag, some rock, metal, etc. I didn't completely understand the Japanese show mechanics yet, so it was weird to see all of these different types of bands playing. The one other band I saw was Some It Air. I'll write about them more later, but it was my first time seeing them and I totally fell in love at first sight.
Lasting For Answer was awesome and hilarious. The music was not exactly what I was expecting, but the guys played with such passion and enthusiasm, I was quickly drawn in. I was so used to my friends in America looking sort of grungy and messed up. These guys were completely thugged-out, with XXL jersies, Kangol hats, and hand-towels around their shoulders. Despite their appearance, they were totally nice guys and very excited to meet me. None of them had great English skills, so we communicated in a hybrid Japanese-English mashup that would've been embarrassing to onlookers.
The second time I saw them was at a show that my friend Kazushi set up, which also featured Gauge Means Nothing, Staple, and Down2Earth. I already wrote about this, but Lasting For Answer's set was a ton of fun. That's where these videos come from that I'm posting. Sadly, they only play 3 songs, like the other bands that day. Still, they're totally fun and I think the energy is pretty contagious.
I have their demo tape which has 2 songs on it. I plan to get a tape player so I can rip all the tapes I have lying around. But who knows when that'll happen. Enjoy the videos!
I had a dream the first night I slept in Japan. I went to sleep listening to "All the footprints..." and in the dream, Envy came to Nashville and played at Indienet, a local place for shows. Somehow I was there, and it was incredibly intimate. You could say that this was some sort of premonition, because a week later I got off an overnight bus in Tokyo, ready to see Envy play that night. I had been in contact with some bands before leaving for Tokyo, and I met Yuki from After Forever in the entrance of Shinuku Anti-Knock. We traded some words. My Japanese was really poor, so it was difficult to communicate on a deep level, but he was nice enough to give me a copy of his band's demo. That was the end of our contact that night, but I listened to this demo so much afterwards.
In some ways, it's hard to describe After Forever. I don't really think they sound like any other band out there. Each band member has their individual style, combining to create something unique. The drummer plays some sort of pop-punk or new-school hardcore type drums. The guitars play metal riffs with screamo melodies. The bass is like this constant moving, deep rumble, like in some of those newer death metal bands. And then there's the high-pitched screaming. It makes this desolate and melancholy sound that is just amazing.
They've sort of broken up... maybe. I honestly don't know, since they supposedly had an EP come out a few years back. It's sad that a band so amazing and unique ended up having the same name as a crappy goth band that got popular. It kind of drives the lesser known band into obscurity.
I got to see After Forever on multiple occasions, and their shows were always pitch perfect. Here's one from 2003:
On weekends during my study in Japan, I would find record stores, map out the ways to get there in my map book, and go on adventures. Independent record stores were all over the Kansai region, and the town I lived in, Hirakata City, was right in the heart of it. For some reason, I remember the trip when I bought this. I don't remember the specific store, but I have a fragment of memory. The sky was overcast, it wasn't too cold but not warm at all. I walked out of the store, and towards a section of road with bridges overhead. There was a sort of outdoor mall with vendors selling off-brand goods, and ramen shops in the corner. I guess you could say I just described every Japanese city ever. Maybe so.
Why I picked this up, I don't remember. I'd heard of the Not Superstitious label, or maybe it just sounded cool. Either way, it was two songs and it was cheap, so I didn't have any qualms about getting it. But I feel like I had some idea what this sounded like. It brought me back to late high school, jamming to Mineral, Pop Unknown, and other sappy emo bands. The band cranks it out with twin guitars, emotional vocals, and sleepy drums. Some descriptions say they sound like Lovemen. Never heard them, though.They also say this band sounds like Bluebeard, which is partially true. Bluebeard is way better.
Surprisingly, this is still for sale from Disk Union. They are a pretty big indie record store, but still. This thing is 10 years old now, so why they would have what is essentially a demo for this long is baffling. If you're interested in grabbing a copy, follow this link: Buy rainover CD from Disk Union
And, internet research has shown me you can also get it at recordshop BASE: Buy rainover CD from recordshop BASE
This was a totally luck grab. I think I got it at Allman in 2003. Lostage plays some totally smooth emo rock that makes me feel the same way No Knife makes me feel. Angular and melodic. I thought this was an EP, but Lostage's site says it was their demo. Well. It's a fucking amazing demo here, that doesn't sound like a demo.
Anyways, Lostage is doing very well these days, headlining big gigs and doing it large like only a medium-sized Indie band in Japan can.
Here's a video from their Toy's Factory debut (I didn't even know they released something on Toy's Factory until now) in 2009. Now that I'm listening to this, I'm thinking they sound more like Bush than No Knife. In a really good way.
In my memory, which is admittedly shaky these days, this was the first item in my distro. When I found my first sampler CD, I realized it was actually the second. Irregardless, it's always been one of my favorites. I have love, deep in my heart, for good compilations. There are so many bad ones, that good ones stand out like diamonds in a pile of crap. When a compilation is more like a mixtape, then you're in business. While this one (I'm not going to bother typing the full name out, it would end up being about as long as this parenthesis) isn't without its faults, it's really the first appearances from several bands (GMN, After Forever, Enforce, Womb) and seemed to signal a new movement in the Japanese underground that lasted for several years.
Take Gauge Means Nothing, for instance. There were a few demos before this compilation, and they'd formed in 1997, but this was the beginning of their most prolific line-up (on a side note, any recording before this compilation is gone-gone. Maybe Yuichi has them somewhere and wants to share?). After Forever and Enforce showed their first recordings on this compilation as well.
The spiritual followup to this compilation was Satire Records "Light Your Way" compilation, named after the zine that Satire Records edited. It featured some of the same bands (After Forever and Enforce) but expanded the selection to include Nitro Mega Prayer, Dip Leg, End All, Five Kinds Square, 1000travels of Jawaharlal and other notable bands from the scene. That compilation feature bands from all over Japan, whereas this one was only Tokyo bands.
When I was in Japan, I bought every demo I ever saw. The record shops would usually have them sitting around somewhere at only 100 or 200 yen a pop. Perfect price! I usually just bought whatever they had because at that price, I was able to make mistakes. Occasionally, I would find some gems.
Roseanna's demo (now R3-N7) was not one of those gems. Don't get me wrong, this is not horrible by any means, it just doesn't seem to be up to the caliber of Japanese demos. By any other standard, this would be a good demo. The problem is, Japanese band's demos tend to be positively amazing. High recording quality, long masterpiece-like songs. Roseanna feels much less organized and more like a normal demo.
But, that didn't stop them. They evolved into R3-N7, took on a more new-wavey sound, then reverted to a Japanese crusty sound, and actually turned out pretty good. Looks like a new ep came out recently. Check their site link below.
I have some videos of a show they played in Osaka, which I'm hoping to post soon. I found this on Youtube, which might be one of the worst videos ever. I'll let you decide:
Ah, one of the "jewels" of my collection. This is one of my favorite CD's I own, which is also one of the rarest. The Sapporo scene always seems really far removed from the rest of the Japanese Underground, so recordings and bands always come out of left field. The great thing about it is that they truly make original music, and these guys are no different.
The Carnival of Dark-Split released a full-length on HG Fact after this, which was amazing. At some point, one of the members died and they disbanded. Members went on to play in The Sun.
Black Film Dance is the bomb.com. Their sound is so cathartic and textured. These songs are some of their best. Members went on to form The Sun after their dissolution.
I saw Torico play at Kyoto Whoopie's on a whim. I can't quite remember what other bands played the show, but Torico really grabbed my attention. They had a 4-speaker, surround sound setup with lots of electronics. I remember at one point the audio was swirling around me, practically making me dizzy. It was awesome.
On record, Torico is weird and groovy. These songs are more like weird soundbytes more than anything. This was third item I had in my distro in 2003. I sent an international money order to the guys to get copies. Still, it was worth it. Guys from Torico went on to form Mirror, who released a few things on Catune.
Wow! I just googled Torico, and they are still together! In fact, looks like they have a new album called Regret (well, it was released in 2008). Sweet. I frickin love the internet, for real. Here's a vid from 2007:
The first CD I bought in Japan. I picked this up in Tokyo at around 9am. My new friend, Vanessa, and I had just arrived via overnight bus and had almost no sleep. We stopped in a Tower Records and I found this, which I'd been searching for. Later that night, at the show, I met the singer, Takashi. I can't remember if I had been in contact with him before or not, but I showed him the CD and told him I'd bought it.
Endzweck has become a Japanese hardcore mainstay. They've had several releases outside of Japan (via Goodlife Records & GMC Records). In a lot of ways, they play the same song over and over again, but its such a good song.
This is their second album and first on Out Ta Bomb Records (The now-defunct/turned distro record label that spread the Japanese new-school movement), and truly their best, in my opinion.
Here's a live video of them playing in Korea, once GMC Records (my friend Kyono's label) released their first album there. The video is done by another friend, Chang-Hun, who did SQL Records for a while.
I'd seen some stuff online about this compilation, the first from Shining April Records, and had to try it out. The price was also right (1000 yen, which is much better than a 3000 yen CD). And holy shit, this split rips! Three indie bands from the Kansai region (that's Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe), with slightly different styles. Creep plays a rough, Swing Kids-y style of hardcore. They are my pick on the release. Karma Stench plays angular, indie rock but heavy. Dig a Hole plays more old school post-hardcore. All in all, an awesome showing from an under-represented region.
I couldn't find any videos at all online from any of these bands. There definitely needs to be more attention on these guys. I'm pretty sure they are all broken up (creep definitely is), which sucks. Members of creep went on to form Flash Light Experience, who are damn amazing, but it looks like they are done too. Anyways, enjoy this shit!
