Thee Michelle Gun Elephant was, and still is, one of Japan’s most respected and influential rock bands. In 2003, at the height of their popularity, they announced their breakup and final tour, playing to audiences of over 40,000 at a single venue. In 2009, guitarist Futoshi Abe died suddenly and a memorial campaign soon followed, including the release of “THEE MOVIE,” a documentary film of their final concert.
THEE TRIBUTE is the first American tribute event for Thee Michelle Gun Elephant, and will allow fans in the U.S. a chance to celebrate the legacy of the band. The event will include a mini-exhibition of the band, the
un-official premiere screening of “THEE MOVIE”, tunes by DJ King Gilbert, as well as a tribute performance by Geisha Lightning.
DATE: September 4, 2010
VENUE: The Windup Space (12 W. North Avenue – Baltimore, MD 21201)
Faced with daunting musical options, we music fans need some guideposts to help us narrow down our listening choices. Intriguing band names help, and few are more eye- and ear-catching than Seagull Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her. Bandleader Aiha Higurashi had the good taste to adopt the bizarre phrase from an XTC song. She and her bandmates also had the great taste in music to back up the distinctive moniker.
SSKHKH was an indie rock group that existed from 1992 to 2001. For most of its lifetime, the band consisted of Higurashi on guitar and vocals, Nao Koyama on bass, keyboard and backup vocals, and Takaharu Karashima on drums; the obscure first SSKHKH album included Higurashi and Sachiko Ito, and Karashima left in 1999. The group earned cult popularity across the world by playing overseas gigs and releasing a UK compilation.
Ironically, SSKHKH’s music has none of the titular screaming, but it does have nearly everything else imaginable. The trio had a terrific ear for 70’s punk, 90’s hip-hop, classic rock, country, dissonance, harmony and even pop hooks—and they knew how to combine them in a way that’s brainy without compromising viscera and punk ‘tude. You could sit down and marvel at how they incorporate so many genres so smoothly, or you could just rock out.
No single album could capture SSKHKH’s breadth, but 2002 retrospective Dying for Seagulls admirably approximates it. You get the unpredictable, meandering style of their early music in songs such as “It’s Brand New” and “Asking For It,” and the more tuneful later work such as “Sentimental Journey” and “Doko e iku no?” “Evolution” has a complex ambience, while “Angel” harkens back to 70’s punk simplicity.
The tracklist also emphasizes one of SSKHKH’s strengths—contrast—both at the micro and macro levels. “Pink Soda” alternates between sparse verses and bursts of rock catharsis. The eerie, screeching conclusion of “Red Talk” makes the pretty harmonies and wistful lyrics of “Seventeen” more haunting.
Three bonus tracks round out the disc and make it worthwhile even if you go on to collect the entire SSKHKH collection. Dying for Seagulls is a testament to the creativity and energy of one of Japan’s best—and best-named—rock bands.
Friday, February 26th, 2010 by Victoria Goldenberg
I had never seen Polysics live before Feb. 13 but had wanted to for years. I’d heard the hyper new wave-revival band was incredible in concert and wanted to see for myself before keyboardist Kayo quits in March. The hype was valid–Polysics’s show had all the raw energy and audience interaction that makes indie rock so fun.
For one, the band knew how to work a crowd. During songs, the entire band led the crowd in aerobics routines, waves and dances. They used props effectively, such as by inflating balloons and launching them into the theater, where they zoomed around until they ran out of air. Lead guitarist-singer Hiroyuki Hayashi asked the audience about their Valentine’s Day plans and prompted audience chants, keeping to his zany Polysics character by speaking in the shriek he uses in his music. He was still spontaneous and responded to audience shout-outs.
Chemistry was also key to Polysics’s live appeal. Though their matching, Devo-style outfits conveyed uniformity, the members each brought a distinctive personality to their performance. Hayashi was wild and relentlessly energetic, while bassist Fumi played a more traditional but still charming rock ‘n’ roll star. Drummer Masashi Yano and keyboardist Kayo anchored the other two’s energy with a contrasting coolness. Kayo, most strikingly, acted like a robot. Though the music she played was positively caffeinated, she kept her movements minimal and only occasionally turned to face the audience. She even managed to make a cheerleading routine with pom-poms stoic. Polysics played off their contrasting personalities, with Hayashi walking over to Kayo and shaking spastically while she played her solos.
Polysics’s music is made for live shows. Admittedly, it’s not something I can take in large doses on CD; the combination of nonsensical lyrics, high-pitched, wailing vocals, vocoder, manic guitars and electronic beeps is something I only want to hear for a few songs at a time. But it’s perfect for a rock show—visceral, ecstatic stuff that gets you moving and smiling.
It also helps that The Gramercy is one of the best rock venues in New York City. I was there for the first time and impressed with its quality acoustics and slanted floor that guaranteed a good view of the stage no matter where you stood. It’s such a simple but ingenious design that it’s a wonder more venues don’t incorporate it.
It’s hard to imagine what Polysics shows will be like without Kayo. She provides the calm among the chaos and the mechanical balance to Hayashi and Fumi’s human energy. At least, I’m glad I got to see the classic lineup live in its last New York show.
This SimpleViewer gallery requires Macromedia Flash. Please open this post in your browser or get Macromedia Flash here.
This is a WPSimpleViewerGallery
Detroit7 will release a US version of their Black & White album digitally via iTunes on Oct. 27, 2009.
The US release includes five songs from the Black & White Japan version.
A Pre-sale release is now available at the Domo digital store: http:// www.domo.com/downloadmp3/daruma.html
When pop group AKB48 ran across the stage waving at their fans during their debut American concert, the members were in perfect sync. When Fujishima Mineko of Swinging Popsicle ran across the stage high-fiving the audience at the Far East to East Showcase, she nearly hit her head on a speaker.
The New York Anime Festival closed with two polar opposite Japanese concerts at Webster Hall on Sept. 27. Pop fans could enjoy AKB48’s slick choreography and endearing adorableness. But two flights down at The Studio, the music was totally underground. The second annual Showcase, presented by Superglorious and NYAF, covered punk, ambient, indie pop and cabaret in four distinctive bands. It was an intimate affair all about the originality, raw energy and spontaneity that make small club gigs so appealing.
Gelatine conveyed a simultaneously dark and comical mood through the two-prong thrust of its frenetic punk music and menacing stage presence. This New York City band formed in 2001 to play both original music and that of singer Seiko’s old band, 10Yen Ana-kinoko. Its first record, the murky Gie Ji Gaii, finally came out this year. Gelatine’s chief draw is Seiko, who has the confidence and twisted humor to perform in a diaper and act like nothing’s strange about it. This time she wore a bra and bondage leash, which seemed almost tame in comparison. Though leashed, Seiko behaved more like id unfettered: swinging around from the mic stand, stomping in place, and moving from cute shrieks to aggressive snarls within seconds. The rest of the band was ready to meet Seiko at every capricious turn, and they complemented her bizarreness with their own. Guitarist Takeshita Jun literally growled his MCs about glamorous topics like the sweat in his eyes. Rock ‘n’ roll, indeed. (more…)
Last year, the New York Anime Festival and our friends Karaterice launched the Far East To East Showcase at The Knitting Factory. It was a celebration of indie, punk, rock, and pop both from Japan and NYC. This year, NYAF and Karaterice — now with the super name Superglorious — are bringing FETES back, and bringing it into the iconic Webster Hall.
From Japan, FETES hosts Kokusyoku Sumire and Swinging Popsicle, and from NYC, FETES features Echostream and Gelatine. (Bios are available at nyanimefestival.com.) Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 the day of the show and available now at www.ticketweb.com and www.websterhall.com. The doors open at 5:30 PM, and the show starts at 6:30 PM on September 27. FETES is open to audiences of all ages.
Kokusyoku Sumire, Swinging Popsicle, Echostream, and Gelatine are four amazing bands — bands selected not because of their involvement in anime, but selected because of the intensity and integrity music.
For more on the Far East To East Showcase, Superglorious will hold a FETES Press Panel on Saturday, September 26 at the New York Anime Festival. Superglorious will also maintain a booth at NYAF all weekend long where various FETES artists will appear.
Superglorious Official website – http://www.superglorious.com/
JapanFiles Official website – http://www.japanfiles.com/
Swinging Popsicle Official website – http://www.swinging-popsicle.com/
While other Japanese artists tour the United States, Zazen Boys leader Mukai Shutoku is making the New York-New Jersey area his own. His acclaimed avant-garde rock group, the successor to his legendary hard rock band Number Girl, played two shows here last fall (with one detour to Maryland) and another three in March, and they plan to return in September. Before his Mar. 8 show at Pianos NYC, the indie rock king took some time to chat with purple SKY about language differences, his plans for a world tour, and his favorite beer. Watch out, New York City: This is Zazen Boys town now.
Call Mukai Shutoku and New York City kindred spirits.
Until he feels ready to embark on a national tour, the aloof, beer-guzzling rocker wants to cultivate an audience in New York by playing shows there. He’s drawn to the city because of the freedom he perceives in its people. “They don’t care what others think,” he says, “they just care what they think.”
The same could be said of Zazen Boys and their challenging layers of aggressive rock, chants and dub. The band dispenses with tonality, hooks and even songwriting at will.
At the start of “Riff Man,” Peelander Yellow, who was watching the concert with his bandmates from Peelander-Z, spit his drink into the audience. Sure, that’s usually what the band onstage does, but it was a gesture appropriate for the mood of the show—wild, edgy and totally rock ‘n’ roll. Besides, Zazen Boys were too busy torturing their instruments to do it themselves.
Rules don’t apply at a Zazen Boys show. You may call it a mic stand, but band leader Mukai Shutoku thinks it makes a great guitar slide. That bottle of water may look thirst-quenching, but guitarist Yoshikane Sou would rather use it like a maraca.
Mukai opened the Pianos concert, Zazen Boys’ sixth in the U.S. thus far, by acknowledging his lyrics were in Japanese. He told his American audience, “I want you to…please feel!” And feel the audience did. The show opened with the danceable stop-start rhythms of rocker “Himitsu Girl’s Top Secret,” followed by the aggressive “Honnoji,” both of which sounded more raw and intense live. Later songs displayed Zazen Boys’ synth prowess, with Mukai bent over his keyboard and manipulating it like a mad scientist while Yoshikane added his water-bottle percussion.
When playing, Mukai bobbed his head to the music, and sometimes smiled in a way that seemed to say, “Yeah, I know we’re good.” His between-song MCs were often cute: After “I Don’t Wanna Be With You,” he said, “I don’t wanna be with you but…I wanna be with you.”
Compared to the last time I saw them, at a multi-band concert at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, Zazen Boys seemed more comfortable, perhaps because they were in an intimate environment with a higher concentration of fans. And while the Willamsburg venue’s sound was so distorted that Mukai sounded like a chipmunk, Pianos retained the right pitch and sounded clear. The one downside was that “I Don’t Wanna Be With You” sounded less energetic than the last time.
Between “Cold Beat” and “Riff Man,” Mukai promised Zazen Boys would return in September. Be there.
Setlist:
1. HIMITSU GIRL’S TOP SECRET
2. Honnoji
3. Weekend
4. Asobi
5. I Don’t Wanna Be With You
6. COLD BEAT
7. RIFF MAN
~ENCORE~
1.KIMOCHI
Even back when he was in the garage rock band Number Girl, Mukai Shutoku weaved dub and dance music into his compositions. He brings those elements to the forefront in the 2008 album Zazen Boys 4, a dazzingly complicated and challenging dance-rock album.
“Asobi” opens the album with a dreamy, spacey sound that turns into a showcase of Mukai’s synth grooves. The funk rhythms of “Idiot Funk” are punctuated by Yoshikane Sou’s off-kilter guitar work.
Other tracks emphasize rock more than synth. “Honnoji” is an aggressive rocker, but is still backed by a complex, danceable rhythm from Matsushita Atsushi’s drums.
As with much of Zazen Boys’s music, Mukai writes few melodic vocal lines anymore—he lets the instruments do the talking. He delivers most of the lyrics in chants, growls and screeches that aren’t pretty, but add to the band’s distinct identity and difficult yet alluring sound. Only Mukai can scream “Fureai” over and over in the song of the same name and make it sound so danceable.
The one disappointing aspect of Zazen Boys 4 is the reworking of the single “I Don’t Wanna Be With You” as a 10-minute remix called “The Drifting/I Don’t Wanna Be With You.” The new music at the beginning is nice, but the rest of the track retains little of the original song and what made it so appealing. Gone are Yoshida Ichiro’s catchy bass riff and build-up when Mukai throttles from chanting to shrieking cathartically.
Still, including a remix seems like a smart gesture. It’s a nod to the 80’s dance pop that Zazen Boys re-imagined as this monster of an album.
THEE TRIBUTE – Thee Michelle Gun Elephant -
