Calling the music of the Yoshida Brothers (Ryoichiro and Kenichi) "new age" would be selling it short, as would "world music" or any other sort of touchy-feely genre. Sure, it has many of the hallmarks of the otherwise vapid offerings the usual fare has to offer, like a focus on one instrument with very specific ethnic and cultural roots. In this case it's the three stringed shamisen. They are much more than a one trick pony, and their intense playing style sets them slightly apart from the usual light-handed folk scene.
While they do in fact play several tunes that would easily find a home in the patchouli scented section of your local music shop, the fact is that for every straight-up folk tune they play, there is another song that totally breaks out of those narrow confines. They often mix up the shamisen's percussive twang with a full band playing either down-tempo dance tunes or all out rock or even blues. Part of this may be due to their relatively young age. They started playing as children and have only recently broken thirty. On their most recent album Prism they even cover a Radiohead song. Whatever the case, their sound is decidedly modern, something those otherwise dismissive of music so obviously Japanese could listen to without worry.
That's not to say they are some sort of revolutionary force. They do ride a very user-friendly road, playing up the instrument's long folk history for all it's worth. They are first and foremost a traditional/folk duo. Much of their music is soothing and nostalgic, with only a few songs ramping up the tempo enough to get the toes tapping. Yet it's a formula that works. The duo has had much success over the years, providing music for a Wii commercial and even touring around the world. They are currently set to tour the US and Canada with no signs of slowing down.
Rising
Official Site
MySpace
Albums:
Ibuki - 1999
Move - 2000
Soulful - 2002
Frontier - 2003
Yoshida Brothers - 2003
Renaissance - 2004
Yoshida Brothers II - 2004
Yoshida Brothers III - 2006
Hishou - 2007
Best of Yoshida Brothers - Tsugaru Shamisen - 2008
Prism - 2009
Kodo
Live
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