LAST YEAR'S MODEL

My last post about Japanese music explored some influential bands in the Shibuya-kei scene of the 1990’s.  This time, I wanna talk about the bands that crossed over from the world of lounge pop into the world of punk rock.  Which is where my heart lies.  Psyche.  I have no heart.

While many of the “new wave of new wave” bands had their strongest influences in late 70’s and early 80’s American punk and new wave, several of my favorite J-pop acts transitioned very obviously from the bossa nova heavy music of the 90’s straight into electro punk.   Among these bands are Macdonald Duck Eclair, Hi-Posi, and one of my very favorite bands, Plus-Tech Squeeze Box.

Here’s a couple tracks by Macdonald Duck Eclair.  Sorz, no real vids for these.  Both songs are off  their first full length, “Short Short” (2004).  They cite both french pops and Atari Teenage Riot as important influences.  You can hear this quite clearly on the album, and on these two tracks.  more after the break so click it dbag. Read more

Hey guys, wanted to let you know that I am djing at the Maritime Hotel in La Bottega Caffe on Saturday April 3rd.  So here’s  a bit of the set from last time to give you an idea of what to expect so you get all hyped and stuff.  Come join me, 10pm-2am!  RSVP here.

TRIBECA // SOLITUDE
DAT POLITICS // BAD DREAM MACHINE
BLONDIE // EAT TO THE BEAT
NEW ORDER // SUB CULTURE
TOMMY FEBRUARY 6 // E-MAIL ME MORE
APES & ANDROIDS // WE DON’T UNDERSTAND YOU
RAMONES // MY BRAIN IS HANGING UPSIDE DOWN
CLASS ACTRESS // CAREFUL WHAT YOU SAY
LENE LOVICH // I THINK WE’RE ALONE NOW (JAPANESE VERSION)
NOJONS // PHILLY GIRL
PLASTICS // GOOD
POLYSICS // BABY BIAS
LESLEY GORE // THAT’S THE WAY BOYS ARE
CRISTINA // TICKET TO THE TROPICS
MONOMEN // DRUM OF GLASS
PAT BENATAR // ANXIETY

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• Our Record Release party is @ the Tank on FRIDAY APRIL 30TH 2010!!!!! Mark your calendars. Limited Edition, hand… http://bit.ly/doh9HT #
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• SHIBUYA IN THE 90'S. GRUNGE SUX. POP RULEZ. LISTEN TO SOMETHING NEW FOR A CHANGE. http://bit.ly/afsJPR #

PIZZICATO FIVE, PLAYBOY & PLAYGIRL

Okie doke!  Time for some more music history.  Let’s talk about Japan again, cuz they make the best music.  I like it really busy, and this is where my love for all things fast and punk and poppy and cute got its start.  I was in my late teens.  I discovered Shibuya-Kei (Shibuya style, so named for it’s location of origin, the Shibuya district in Tokyo), a genre of music that mixed jazz pop and synth pop, and which later gave birth to Tokyo new wave of new wave as the scene cafe music scene moved towards more punk stylings

Two of the most influential bands to first be given the name of Shibuya-kei were Flipper’s Guitar and Pizzicato Five.  I was very much in to P5 at the time, first discovering them do to their signing to Matador Records in the mid 90’s (p5’s first releases by Matador were all compilations of older Japanese releases, beginning in 1994 with “5 by 5″).  There’s a lot of 60’s/70’s lounge influence–they owe quite a bit to artists such as Burt Bacharach and, especially, Serge Gainsbourg–but with a heavy electronic edge, like The Cardigans bought a drum machine and got hyped up on sugar.  Though P5 got their start as early as the mid 80’s, it wasn’t until Maki Nomiya became the front woman in 1990 that they created their best work.  If you are looking to check out some good pop from p5, I highly recommend their 1999 Matador release, “Playboy & Playgirl”. One of their most accessible pop records, it sounds like the Japanese soundtrack to Austin Powers but in a good way.  My friend Deborah once described it as game show music hell… (PBPG’s USA release is slightly altered from the original 1998 Japanese release, “The International Playboy & Playgirl Record”, but not much).

Now, on to Flipper’s Guitar.  Flipper’s Guitar were less electronic than P5, instead combining Read more

James Stokoe is the creator of one of my favorite comic books these days–Wonton Soup.  So far, 2 volumes have been release by Oni Press in 2007 and then in 2009. I first picked up the series after the second volume came out last summer, and since the author is responsible for every last bit of art and text in each volume, I know it may be awhile before I see the next book.  Bummertown city!

WONTON SOUP VOLUME 1

First off, let’s talk about how it looks cuz I’m shallow.  It looks radical!!!  This is the cover to the first volume (Oni Press, 2007).  I knew the second I saw it that I would love it.  And I was right.  The world in this book is beautiful and ridiculous–filled with vividly imagined aliens and cartoony yet intricate space vehicles of all sizes.  There is without a doubt some manga influence here, but really the style is a step apart from everything else you might compare it to.  I would post more pictures, but you should just go out and buy the damn book if you really wanna see it.  Now, let’s move on to the plot shall we?

The story of the first volume focuses on one Johnny Boyo, 20 something culinary genius turned space trucker.  But when he finds himself on his home planet again things heat up, culminating in a life or death space cook off!!!  Yes.  Dreams do come true.  Obvo, this is meant to be tongue in cheek. So don’t be a retard, just enjoy it.  Volume 2 picks right up where the last volume left off–more space adventures and more psychedelic drugs.

Both volumes are packed full of made up super-future space slang, outer-planetary cuisine only vaguely resembling our own, and plenty of low brow body humor.  Yes, there is a whole story about a man torn from his one love, a many nippled sex bear (No really, a bear not some hairy fat dude).  What else could one ask for?!

I don’t know if James has taken a break from Wonton Soup for the time being, but issue one of a new series, entitled “Orc Stain” just came out a couple weeks ago.  The story takes place on a fantasy world where orcs battle it out for supremacy.  Can’t say much about the series yet, but it does look promising, and it was definitely exciting to see Stokoe’s amazing art in full color.  So far the story is split between following the most powerful of all the orc tribes as he kills and kills to stay on top, and also on a rogue treasure hunting orc named One-Eye as he attempts to… I dunno… treasure hunt.  As little as I know, however, the story was entertaining and the art is AMAZING.  Check it out or diiiiiiieeeee!

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I first came across Jun Togawa because she is a guest singer on seminal Japanese new wave band Halmens’ sophomore record, “Halmens No 20th Century” (1981 Victor).  Later I also discovered that she was the lead singer for YAPOOS, a late 80’s new wave, main stream crossover rock band and also had a prolific solo career.  What grabbed me about Jun was that her voice had so many different characters.  Moving from breathy juvenile vocals into an almost operatic style, yelping and screaming in between, I couldn’t help but be totally floored by all of the colors her voice possessed.  Jun seems to still releasing solo work though I have yet to get my hands on any, while YAPOOS seems to have broken up in 1995.  Mostly I just wanted to post some videos so we could all ogle at her wierdoid facial expressions.

First up, Jun performing a song off of Halmens’ first record, Halmens No Kindai Taiso (1980 Victor).  The song is called Rhythm Unduo.

Next, YAPOOS performing Fool Girl live, I don’t know when.  but guessing late 80’s.  Could be wrong though.  Unfortunatley, embedding seems to be disabled on this one, so watch it on youtube.  SORZ!

I have NO idea where this is from.  Just that it’s awesome!!!

Finally, here’s a video of the YAPOOS single, Men’s Junan.  If you listen to the whole song you can hear some really good examples of the vocal transformations I was talking about earlier.  Sorry that again, I don’t know what album this is off or what year it came out, but YAPOOS lasted between 1984 and 1995, so sometime in there…

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MODELS-001, -003, & -004 go awry during practice before the big important show at Desmond’s! Will they be able to get their act together in time or will they embarrass themselves in front of thousands of fans in Murray Hill, tomorrow night, around 11 p.m.?!?

MODELS ON THE VERGE OF MELTDOWN