Last Sunday I went to Tokyo with Sika Sika, actually I followed them a day later though. I met a woman who promoted Vivian Girls tour and released Japanese edition of their second album Everything Goes Wrong. We talked about some things that we concerned about. Then she took me to Warszawa Records to introduce a guy who also worked for the tour to me. Yeah, the record store is one of the best in Japan I think because there are always tons of great noise vinyl that I try to get them from overseas by myself and many unknown bands too. I bought four records there and all of them is good. I'll write about Sisters, one of four I bought.
Sisters - Self Titled
This band sounds really like Sonic Youth, Archers Of Loaf and Dinosaur Jr. Yeah you think what makes me think they are nice, don't you? One of the reasons is they are from Olympia, WA, where Gun Outfit also is from. There are some similarities between them and it must be the things I like. 90s alternative music was really impressive for me when I was in high school and it's kept been brilliant yet. Hmm I don't know what I want to write, so I will say shortly. Sisters are just good even it sounds really like Sonic Youth. That's it.
Hey, so sorry for my laziness and a long absence here. I'd been much busy for weeks and too tired of thinking about too much things getting me exhausted. Anyways, now I can feel kind of free because, yeah, I finished planning Vivian Girls show in Nagoya. The date and place had to be changed by some reasons, I don't want to say about it here though, and it took almost one month! I was going to throw away and break everything that got me annoyed. How many times did I do? No! I couldn't! Everything finally got fixed again. Here you go.
Vivian Girls Japan Tour
September 19, 2009 @Rooftop of Nagoya Daini Kohaku bldg.
The show will start at 15:00 because we're allowed to play live between the daytime, so we have to finish everything before the sun goes down. But should be fun.
Everything Goes Wrong, Vivian Girls' second full length, will be out this coming September, before or after Japan tour. I can't wait to get this brilliant LP.
01 Walking Alone at Night 02 I Have No Fun 03 Can't Get Over You 04 Desert 05 Tension 06 Survival 07 The End 08 When I'm Gone 09 Out for the Sun 10 I'm Not Asleep 11 Double Vision 12 You're My Guy 13 Before I Start to Cry
Eat Skull is back with a great shit. Their latest LP Sick To Death was awesome and so was their show with Little Claw at Sneaky Dee's last September. People (or media?) call their sound Shit-Gaze, means Lo-Fi/Low Quality Shoegaze? Either way it's not really important for you when you are going to get their LPs at the record store. Don't hesitate to go straight to the cashier.
There were so much noise on the songs of Sick To Death, which actually made me feel good though, but more pop songs on Wild And Inside, the newest one, instead of the distorted noise. It could make their songs look better, I think. What do you think?
This is one of my best albums in my life, called Klang led by Donna, ex Elastica. They released a 7" and LP/CD, then, I don't know how they've been. But, this album named No Sound Is Heard was really impressive at that time because the sound was totally different from Elastica. Hmm, I can't explain exactly what I think, so you should check out their website, still alive, below.
After a long voyage, the split LP of Teen Anger and Charlie & The Moonhearts came here in my room. It's too long that the time to wait for this LP coming, but it's awesome, needless to say.
Songs of both bands are great, especially Teen Anger, for me. I don't usually listen to bands that play Garage Rock, but there are lots of good ones in Toronto and you can see them everywhere you go. Teen Anger was just the one in the very first time. That was the show with Vivian Girls last August, which was not actually so impressive for me. Then I saw them playing at some shows and liked the sound they sounded. I don't know what made me so though. Before I left Toronto I tried to get their CDR or something like that but all sold out already, so I was going to give up to getting them. But, I saw Telephone Explosion, run by two members of Teen Anger, would release the split LP with Charlie & The Moonhearts. Of course, it was too late to buy one in Toronto. So I asked Jon, who is running the label and the guitarist of Teen Anger, to send the LP to Japan. And now, I have it. Thanks a lot, Jon!
Last night I was in Osaka to see No Age and Telepathe. It's not a good time to go there because most people wear a mask prevent themselves from swine flu, which means you might get sick by horrible flu. But I don't care, so didn't wear any masks.
This is the second Japan tour for No Age, the first was two years ago instead of Hella and Marnie Stern's cancelled shows. There were not many people but they could know who No Age was. Then No Age has become more popular around the world excluding Japan. They might have been worried whether lots of people came, but, actually there were more than the last time. It was an amazing show last night and it might be the last time for me to see them for a while. It's too bad.
Anyways, after the show Dean and Melissa and Busy, both from Telepathe, went to karaoke, of course, I followed them. We sang some songs together, Prince, Ramones, Culture Club, Nirvana, Weezer, Bay City Rollers, etc. It was really fun and I wish the time stopped forever.
Tonight No Age and Telepathe are going to play in Tokyo with Nisennenmondai, one of my favorites in Japan, should be exciting. If you have no plan tonight, you HAVE TO go there seeing them.
A band called Gramme, already broken up before they released their must-have-been great debut album from a label, also great, Output Recordings, was one of the bands I played most when I did dj things. They've been living in and moving my heart. The bass line is totally amazing.
In 1996 a band called Los Cincos released an album full of psychedelic garage songs. Actually, I didn't know them at that time though.
I found the LP in a box where there were tons of cheap vinyl, three for ￥500 (about 5 USD) five years later. The cover was clearly designed to make you think it was a psychedelic band from the past, but it was not really. It sounded really funny for me because I was not familiar with genre like that so much and photos of the members on the back cover made me think so. Their faces on it were weird.
Now that I don't think they are funny and sound really psychedelic, just good. But the third song on the LP called A National Sensation is really cool. It sounds like The Hives plays The Who with The White Stripes, I know this is not a good comparison, Los Cincos is better than the current Stripes.
Anyways, I reconsidered Los Cincos was not supposed to be in a "garbage" box.
Finally I started a band called Vivid Black with Omo,singer of SIKA SIKA from Japan,played with Mika Miko,Death Sentence: PANDA! last year. Now we don't have any songs at all, but will make some up soon then play with a band from US,we really like them,this coming September.
I think it's time for Talulah Gosh now. Don't you think so?
Actually,I was born too late to live when Talulah Gosh played and released constantly.But it's not a big deal.
Since I started my career as a DJ I've often played one of their songs called Steaming Train even it was not the time.I don't remember anyone asked me what song it was when I played,but you should know about them right now if you like Vivian Girls, Crystal Stilts, The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, Dum Dum Girls, etc.
This song, Troubles Like Mine, must be one of my best songs in 2009.I really like riffs in this Lo-Fi alternative song, which reminds me of Dinosaur Jr and Meat Puppets.How could I forget mid 90's?
It was really great that I met a lot of people from everywhere in the world and hung out with my friends who played there.There are tons of things I want to write here but it could be annoying or boring for you,so I'll write down what I saw and paste some YouTube I took and put up.
Abe Vigoda
Adventure
AIDS Wolf (4)
Anavan
Black Lips w/ a rapper
The Besties
The Carrots
Champagne Champagne
Clipd Beaks
The Coathangers
Crocodiles
Dananananaykroyd
DD/MM/YYYY
Dead Dog
Dear Tick
The Death Set
Deradoorian
Fiasco
Finally Punk (4)
Forever Garotus Suecas
Grant Hart (Husker Du)
Gun Outfit
HEALTH (2)
Homosexuals
Ill Ease
Japanther
Let's Wrestle
Lovvers (2)
The Mae Shi (4)
Manhattan Love Suicide
Marnie Stern
Medications
Micachu
Mika Miko (6)
Mother Mother
Nite Jewel (3)
No Age (2)
Ohbijou
Past Lives
Pete And The Pirates Pictureplane
Pocahaunted
Ponytail
Popo
Pre (3)
P R O T E C T M E
Pterodactyl (2) School Of Seven Bells
Shout Out Out Out Out Silk Flowers (2) The Splinters (2) Still Flyin' Stupid Party Tacocat Tera Melos Thee Headliners These Are Powers Titus Andronicus Tyvek (2) Vivian Girls We Have Band Winter Gloves Yellow Fever (2) XYX
I finally finished editing movies I took last Saturday and burnt it onto DVD-R.There is only a few disks now and then.It's just a private thing for AIDS Wolf and U.S. Girls.But you can obviously watch some parts of it on YouTube,actually I put the very first part up an hour ago.Here you go.
From Olympia,Washington,much known as the place where K Records is located at,new young trio Gun Outfit has come out and purely play their own Lo-Fi sound that would remind you of Dinosaur Jr and Meat Puppets and/or any other bands in 90s.
A few weeks back their debut full length Dim Light was released on PPM,which Dean,No Age,runs constantly.I got it as soon as it was stocked at a record store,unfortunately,I couldn't listen to yet because I have no turntable here in Toronto.So downloading six demo songs on their website,they don't have MySpace,and one song,which will be one of the best songs this year for sure,at SXSW webpage is the only way for me to listen to their songs right now.Those seven songs are perfectly impressive enough to tempt me to the purchase of LP even it's impossible to listen to it here.
Gun Outfit is going to play some shows at SXSW so I must get crazy.
Three members from two Canada based bands I like the most,AIDS Wolf and The Sick Lipstick (R.I.P.),started a new project called C.Y.M.
This news totally blew out my mind this morning.
Chloe (AIDS Wolf) plays guitar and sings/screams,Yannick (AIDS Wolf) hits his lovely partners hard and Mark (The Sick Lipstick) swings the bottom line.
A few years back,breaking-up of The Sick Lipstick made me so sad,of course I've never seen their shows.
Then one other band,Les Georges Leningrad,from Montreal,broke up suddenly,which also made me feel bad.
I think there are tons of great bands/artists in Canada,but information about them don't come overseas oftentimes and neither do bands/artists.
I really wanted to see the shows of Les Georges Leningrad and The Sick Lipstick when I was in Japan.
I should have come here earlier.
This must be true.
But now,AIDS Wolf is still making brilliant pulses of what music and art are between noise and cities.
This can be a hope for the future.
Anyways,C.Y.M. will get their children released out of the dirty crammed room very soon.
They are really different from both AIDS Wolf and The Sick Lipstick but splendid for everyone who hates MTV things.
I know that most of you guys reading this kinda beautiful shit never heard of a band called Shobu.
They probably get more people seeing their live performance by the latest EP,Bodybuilder.
Shobu mainly practice and play somewhere in Tokyo,but the sound is not really Japanese.
Some people might categorize them as Hardcore,on the other hands there must be a lot of Hardcore lovers who criticize them.
Actually,I don't know what Shobu play like.
Monika,playing bass-guitar and singing,talked to me she really liked AIDS Wolf,Night Wounds (R.I.P.),Daughters and The Locust etc. before and she is a friend of Mika Miko,they played together last June as a part of Mika Miko's Japan tour,so they might have affected her creativity.
When you google or just visit Shobu's MySpace,you would think of something you have ever seen and heard,but they are not it.
Here's a list of the artists/bands I'd like to see at SXSW 2009.
AIDS Wolf Mika Miko Dananananaykroid Akron/Family
HEALTH
Wavves
Finally Punk
Hello Seahorse!
Au Revoir Simone Aun Beep Beep The Besties EXPÉRIENCE Screaming Tea Party Electricity In Our Homes Ipso Facto Black Lips Black Math Horseman Bloodgroup Rolo Tomassi Sky Larkin Cheeseburger The Coathangers Cut Off Your Hands Gang Gang Dance The Grates Handsome Furs Holy Hail I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness It's Not Not Japanese Motors The Juan Maclean Les Breastfeeders Let's Wrestle Mahjongg Laura Marling Mother Mother My Disco Navel Passion Pit Past Lives Pocahaunted Project Jenny, Project Jan Masha Qrella The Queers Rival Schools Shout Out Out Out Out Slow Club The Soft Pack (The Muslims) Those Dancing Days
