Monthly Archives: January 2012
Strange Boutique (January 2012)
First, you need to read the column itself on The Japan Times web site on the “Akihabarisation” of Shibuya-kei. The point with this piece, which I hope was clear from reading it, wasn’t to say that Shibuya-kei has become absorbed by … Continue reading
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Profile: Praha Depart
This is the last of my posts about the Japanese indie bands at the Call And Response Records New Year party at Kichijoji GOK Sound on January 22nd and this is actually a double layered bit of self-promotion since in … Continue reading
Filed under Profiles
Tessendorico, Tantan to Tantan, Girls Pancakes
Continuing my notes on some of the Tokyo indie bands who will appear at the Call And Response New Year party on January 22nd, here are some short descriptions of three more of the bands who are going to perform. … Continue reading
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Hysteric Picnic: Abekobe
I’ve written about this duo before both here and in The Japan Times, and I’ll also ask you to excuse the self-promotion as I note that this new track is a timely release, coming just a week before Hysteric Picnic … Continue reading
Classic Pop Corner — The Kyary Pamyu Pamyu of the 1990s: Tomoe Shinohara
With her new, not-as-good-as-the-last-one single Tsukema Tsukeru and advertisers increasingly pushing their products at us through her face, it seems like Kyary Pamyu Pamyu is getting set to take the big leap up from cool but relatively minor pop culture … Continue reading
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Profile: Tacobonds
I’m helping to organise an event in Tokyo on Sunday January 22nd that features a lot of my favourite local bands so over the next week, I’ll be profiling a different one every day. Obviously part of the hope is … Continue reading
Connect And Receive, December 2011
Connect And Receive is a series of monthly Japanese indie music podcasts I’ve been making since the summer. I skipped last month because I was too busy with various bands’ tours but I’ve made the December one into a sort … Continue reading
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Pop Office: Wait for the Sun
A couple of people have already written about this new song by Nagoya newcomers Pop Office, and I don’t feel that I have much to add except to say that it develops the band’s sound subtly but effectively, with a … Continue reading
Filed under Track
Aira Mitsuki x Saori@Destiny: Park of the Safari
Both Aira Mitsuki and Saori@Destiny emerged blinking into the light in that brief period following Perfume’s transition from underground idol wannabes to bona fide mainstream pop phenomenon when it seemed as if technopop was going to be big. Songs like … Continue reading
