The uninitiated might have been puzzled by Tomoe Shinohara’s concert with Hikashu at the Japan Society on May 13. Here was a pop singer and TV personality best known for her gusto paired with a cult experimental band. On the surface, Shinohara’s bubbly stage presence—she entered the stage grinning infectiously and tossing fake flower petals …
Tag Archive: victoria goldenberg
Nov 28
[interview] Jin Akanishi
What do you do when you’re a member of a phenomenally successful Japanese boyband? If you’re Jin Akanishi, you go solo and tour the United States. For the past nine years, Akanishi was one-sixth of KAT-TUN, a relatively new song-and-dance group conceived and managed by the institutional idol agency Johnny & Associates, Inc., which has …
Oct 18
[interview] Rika Ishikawa
Rika Ishikawa wears an H. Naoto dress adorned in illustrations by alternative artist Gashicon. A blue streak in her hair and heavily applied eye shadow signify darkness and rebellion. Feathery false eyelashes extend far past her petite face and make a rustling sound every time she blinks. Ishikawa is dressed as Angry, her persona in …
Oct 07
[review] the brilliant green: BLACKOUT
“Seems like yesterday,” Tomoko Kawase sings on The Brilliant Green’s single “Like Yesterday.” When the song came out in February, things did seem like yesterday. The Brilliant Green were back with their first single in two years, picking up where they left off with their no-frills British rock sound. Backed by a new label, the …
