LAST YEAR'S MODEL

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 their lounge with a love of 80’s guitar pop.  I don’t have a lot to say about this band because, at the time, their records were not readily available in the U.S. (actually, they still aren’t).  However, I am aware of their importance due to them being a jumping off point for one of Shibuys-kei’s most important musicians (and a musical hero of mine), Cornelius (aka Keigo Oyamada).  Flipper’s Guitar lasted from 1989-1991, disbanding after their third release, “Doctor Head’s World Tower” (1991).

At this point, Oyamada began his solo project, choosing the name Cornelius as a reference to “The Planet of the Apes”.  He released his first solo album in 1994, entitled “The First Question Award”.  The sound of this record is very much like the music of Pizzicato Five–heavy on the lounge–and was no indication of the much more experimental and musically thrilling route that his work would later take.  Beginning with his sophomore record, “69/96″, Cornelius began a kind of pastiche pop (the closest comparison may be Beck, but I hate to say it…) combining his love for electronics, lounge, wall of sound and rock into a pop record of epic proportions.  Side note:  somebody here LOVES the Beach Boys (no, it isn’t me, it’s Cornelius).  He perfected this take on music in 1997’s “Fantasma” (which has been released on Matador so PICK IT UP!!!)

Oyamada’s musical reach extends beyond himself, however.  He was a very important part in two other Shibuya-kei artists, Kahimi Karie and Takako Minekawa.  While both had their musical works produced by Oyamada, the former dated Cornelius during the mid 90’s, while the latter married Cornelius in 2000 (SCANDAL!).

Minekawa began releasing records along side Karie in the short lived Fancy Face Groove Name (a group created and directed by Oyamada), but released her first solo record, “Chat Chat”, in 1994.  While Minekawa is obviously influenced by the same beach sounds and lounge of Cornelius, she also displays a very Kraftwerkian influence, which she wears on her sleeve more and more on each successive album.    I highly recommend both the moody “Roomic Cube-a tiny room exibition” (1996) and the very quirky synthpop of “Cloudy Cloud Calculator” (1997)

This one is a video for “Fantastic Cat” off of “Roomic Cube”, though the sound of this song is actually more indicative of “Cloudy Cloud Calculator”.

This one is Minekawa performing a song off her 1998 Keigo Oyamada produced album, “Fun 9″.  Sorz for the quality.

Kahimi Karie follows a very different musical path from Minekawa.  Starting with 1992’s “Mike Alway’s Diary”, most of her work in the 90’s was written and produced by Cornelius.  Karie was heavily influenced by french ye-ye, her name (and also her breathy vocal style) itself adopted as a tribute to french chanteuse Brigit Bardot.  If you want to hear Kahimi Karie’s work with Cornelius (with help from cult hero musician, Momus), I highly recommend picking up her self-titled Minty Fresh compilation (1998).  I also love her first post break-up from Oyamada record, “K.K.K.K.K.” (1998), which showcases her work with a variety of writers, most of which is very good.  After this record, she moves in a more experimental route and I stopped following her, but her early work, especially with Cornelius (and also Momus), is amazing pop.

From “Le Roi Soleil” EP (1996) music: Cornelius, lyrics: Momus.  You can really hear the new wave creeping in on this one.

Video for “Good Morning World”

Video for “1000 20th Century Chairs” off of “KKKKK”

The last vid in that set is a jumping off point for the rest of the shibuya-kei scene.  “1000 20th…” was penned by Hirohisma Horie, who is one half of the duo Neil and Iraiza (pronounced Neil and Eliza).  Their music is of a more band oriented aesthetic, similar to that of Tokyo scenester Hideki Kaji, whom Horie sometimes collaborated with.  I really love their full lengths, “Johnny Marr?” (1997) and “New School” (2002).

Ugh.  This scene just wraps around itself!!!  I’ve realized that this was way more info to cover than I thought.  There are quite a few other worthwhile bands to take a look at that were either in this scene or obviously influenced by it.  Here’s a couple more videos before I wrap this up.

Advantage Lucy, “Goodbye”

Cymbals, “Highway Star, Speed Star”.  Love it.  fast paced with piano work very similar to Horie’s style.

Sonic Coaster Pop, “Swinging Circuit”.  This is a vid from Audiosurf…couldn’t find a real vid.

YMCK, Magical Eight Bit Tour.  NES Jazz?

These last two vids are actually a bit more current then the 90’s, both YMCK and Sonic Coaster Pop having been formed in the mid 2000’s.  But you can see through these two bands how the Shibuya-kei style is slowly expanding, taking on elements of other styles until it morphs into something new.  What’s really rad though is that Shibuya-kei directly feeds into what would become the new wave of new wave of tokyo rockers–but more on that next time, I think.