Coaltar of the Deepers

It's not often you see people using the words "shoegaze" "death metal" and "techno," all to describe the same band in the same sentence, but when it comes to Coaltar of the Deepers, genre is the first thing to go out the window. Formed in 1991, the band has deftly switched genres almost as much as they have switched members. The core duo of Narasaki and Kanno has seen around ten members come and go over the years.

While the band has taken a few breaks, they've managed to maintain a prolific output, releasing twenty albums and EPs in as many years . For the most part, CotD stick to the washed out, dream-like, grungy, indie-shoegaze sound that they started playing in the early '90s, though they've never been a particularly quiet or brooding band. You'll also get songs like "Giant" that start out with the light female vocals of Ichimaki (who has since left the band), singing a fast pop rock song, only to have it suddenly drop way down into a metal scream fest, then kick into some post-punk/disco sort of beat. "Hyper Velocity" also falls into the above formula of spaced out synths with a very fast beat and dreamy vocals, which then totally falls off the rails into a cookie-monster voiced electro-hell.

Their many EPs seem to be used as isolated playgrounds for the band to test the limits of various sounds.Their Yukari Telepath album takes a much more electronic path, fusing rock with simplistic yet organic synths and drum machines. Much like Supercar's Highvision, it's a fantastic example of dark yet non-gimmicky electro rock. Just about everything CotD does will make you wonder what's coming next with an eager anticipation. Let's just hope there's another twenty years of material on the way.

BUY COALTAR OF THE DEEPERS RELEASES HERE

Giant




Official Site

Members:
Narasaki - Vocal, Guitar, Programming
Kanno - Drums

Live support:
Akira Nakayama - Guitars
Koji - Guitars
Watchman - Keyboard, Percussion
Kenjiro Murai - Bass

Albums:
THE VISITORS FROM DEEPSPACE - 1994
Come Over to the Deepend - 2000
NO THANK YOU - 2001
newave - 2002
Yukari Telepath - 2007

Dead By Dawn


Cell


Snow Again

Hartfield

Somewhere in the wash of shimmering guitar chords and distant drum beats, two voices echo, burbling up from some underground cave. This is the sound of Hartfield.

Formed in 2000 by the Takateru Kagawa, male half of the band, Hartfield took a few years to perfect its atmospheric shoegaze sound. They made several appearances on various compilations, perhaps most tellingly Seven Winters, a compilation of like minded artists, apparently released on a label called Curse of My Bloody Valentine. They shared some pretty good company, including Luminous Orange and Coaltar of the Deepers.

It took them three tears to release their first mini-album L.I.B.R.A. Their first full-length release quickly followed. At the time they were performing with a full band, including a drummer and bassist. Somewhere along they way they parted with their rhythm section are today are listed as a duo. To be fair, Takateru and Yukari, the female half, really are the stars. They share not only lead vocal duties, but dueling guitars as well. Not that you're likely to be able to separate their guitar tone from one another. It's tough to overstate the staggering amount of delay, reverb and distortion that blankets everything on their recordings. It's the audio equivalent of a gale-force blizzard and tsunami battling it out over a barren landcape.

That's not to say that their songs are all gloom and doom. In fact, despite the chaos, they are rather bright, with a rosy glow around the edges. At times they are even downright upbeat and poppy, a bit like some of Supercar's early, fuzzed out tracks. (See "She Knows" below.)

The band has toured both in Korea and the US. Their album True Color, True Lie was released in three different versions for Japan, Korea and the US, proving their sound translated very well across cultures. They are apparently in the process of recording their next album (since 2005,) so let's hope we hear more from this impressive duo very very soon!

BUY HARTFIELD RELEASES HERE!

"Reason"



Official Site
MySpace

Members
Takateru Kagawa - Vocals, Guitar
Yukari Tanaka - Vocals, Guitar

Releases
L.I.B.R.A. 2003
True Color, True Lie 2004

"She Knows"


"Today Forever"

The Best Japanese Albums of 2007

2007 was a great year for Japanese rock. While the pre-fab pop/idol scene is still what Japan is best known for, it's starting to show some cracks around the edges. Many bands are pushing strong playing and even stronger songwriting to the forefront instead of relying on the shallow gimmicks of massive industry backing. What might once have been a talented band lost to obscurity is now a group that has just as much of a chance at fame as any rising starlet. Obviously, many of us would like to think that this is mostly due to the now mainstream use of the internet as the main portal of information gathering. We no longer have to rely on the magazine and television monopolies to tell us what to listen to. It also helps that more and more Japanese bands are making the trip overseas and preforming live to larger and larger audiences outside of the anime convention circuit. We can now follow our own paths wherever they may lead. (Hint hint - this is exactly the mission of this site!)

That said, here are a few recommend paths to follow for music lovers of all stripes. There's no way to list all of the great albums that were released in 2007, but I nevertheless hope to cover a lot of ground, as usual, from metal to pop to electro to indie rock. I'll start things off with 15 of my personal favorites from 2007, followed by 35 quick picks.


9mm Parabellum Bullet - Termination



Termination easily gets my vote for most intense rock album of the year. It's hard to believe that 9mm Parabellum Bullet could top any of their previous fury, but indeed they do. That could be due in part to the high amount of recycled older material, but it's made even more frantic on the new recordings. Termination is a wall of sound from begining to end, with a very high "twists-and-turns" ratio in every song. Not for the feint of heart, yet somehow extremely catchy along the way. "Punishment," the aptly named final track, puts epic metal guitar gods Dragonforce to shame.

Abingdon Boys School - Abingdon Boys School



It was a long and lonely wait for the very first album from Abingdon Boys School. We were teased with a couple years worth of singles until they finally releases their self-titled album in 2007. While it only contained about 50% new material, it was still a much welcomed album. Full of Toshiyuki Nishi's relentlessly thick and compressed production, the album is a solid wall of guitars, synths and Takanori Nishikawa's vocal prowess. While it's obviously a pop album, ABS manages to bring a lot of raw power via the intricate guitar riffs and hulking drums. It's pop rock full of metal tricks and synthetic grandeur.

Asparagus - Mont Blanc



Much like 9mm Parabellum Bullet, Asparagus plays a very intense brand of spiky indie-rock, stripped down and raw. They aren't afraid to leave all the nerve endings exposed on Mont Blanc, which is full of very quick, tight guitars and drums all supporting the melodic structures.

The Brown - Struggle In A Whirl



Struggle In A Whirl, the debut album from The Brown, is a feast of progressively minded indie rock, swinging from complex guitar workouts to mellow passages that shine a light on Ai's crooning vocal style. Every song is packed with small details that require several listens to fully comprehend. I hate to keep invoking the name of 9mm Parabellum Bullet (band of the year maybe?), but Struggle In A Whirl certainly sounds more than a little like Evanescence run through a Termination machine.

Buck-Tick - Tenshi No Revolver



Buck-Tick never fail to surprise with every new album they release, and they did it once again with Tenshi No Revolver. While the previous album was an ichor slathered, dark and glammy affair, Tenshi No Revolver is a much brighter, yet no less menacing album. While the songs seem more upbeat and happy at first blush, further inspection exposes the same dark undertones. The sound is stripped down and focuses on a simpler raw sound, which highlights the, as always, subtle, brilliant songwriting. Much like The Cure could fake happy now and then, Buck-Tick will put the smiles back on the face of goth via Tenshi No Revolver.

Budo Grape - Otonatachi x Kodomotachi


(this is actually from a previous album)

Budo Grape continued their new-wave synth rock stylings on Otonatachi x Kodomotachi, an album full of very cute and fun electro-rock songs ala The Plastics and The Sugarcubes. The tag-team male/female vocals add to the playful, totally unpretentious songs. While overall the production on Otonatachi x Kodomotachi is very dry and to the point (much like early Devo recordings), their willingness to dip into a wide range of electronic textures keeps the simple songs interesting from beginning to end.

Coaltar of the Deepers - Yukari Telepath



Coaltar of the Deepers has made a career out of being extremely tough to categorize. Every album is an exercise in genre bending, and that is expressed most perfectly on Yukari Telepath. While the band started out as a softer, shoe-gaze type band, they've always adopted much heaver element in their music. With Yukari Telepath, they blend dreamy sounds-capes with very loud and very thick metal passages and grunting vocals. That can then break into an uplifting bit full of synths and the usual dreamy style. At other times they stick to straight-up groovy rock, or totally spaced out excursions. Yet they make it all work perfectly and cohesively. I'd even dare to say that Yukari Telepath is the best album of 2007, blending not only disparate styles, but synthetic and acoustic elements in equal measure. And I mean best album. It's something that must be listened to as a whole, and that is something that is becoming increasingly rare these days.

GO!GO!7188 - 569



GO!GO!7188's 569 is a much welcome return to superb songwriting for the band. Their surf-rock meets epic-female-vocal style is never more solid than on this album. The opening tracks are easily their best material ever, with extremely catchy songs wrapped in deceptively complex structures. While the middle of the album contains all the more experimental and quiet stuff, the party picks up again toward the end. As with many of the previously mentioned albums, 569 focus only on the band's solid playing, highlighting the trio's prowess behind their instruments, as well as the very upbeat and fun songs.

Maximum the Hormone - Buiikikaesu



On Buiikikaesu, Maximum the Hormone seems to do the impossible, making nu-metal interesting and fun. While it contains all of the signature chugging riffs and guttural screaming, it also adds a huge dose of catchy melody and straight up pop-rock. In fact just about every song seems to jump through several genres, from mook-rock to ska to dancable pop and hip-hop, all with a fun punk-rock irreverence, and the occasional super cute female vocal. With Buiikikaesu, Maximum the Hormone proves that nu-metal isn't all angst and emo, but also a good time.

Melt Banana - Bambi's Dilemma



Bambi's Dilemma is the perfect mix of seemingly random noise guitar with easily digestible punk songs. While calling Melt Banana "abrasive" might be the understatement of the year, they manage to keep their spikey outer shell razor sharp while at the same time writing nothing but pure pop songs on Bambi's Dilemma. It's just pop at a million miles an hour, played through a blender on the verge of a meltdown. While their blistering punk presentation won't be winning over the faint of heart, the pure pop of Bambi's Dilemma just might.

Midori - Second and Shimizu



Don't let the sailor-suited school girl who fronts this band fool you. Or better yet, let her fool you into thinking you'll be getting a typical cute pop-rock the image might otherwise represent. After all, Midori is a band full of pop and cute and rainbows, it's just that it's all fractured from too much love and overuse. Both of Midori's 2007 releases are chock full of playful pianos, drums and bass, playfully played by a trio of angry children throwing a fit over a favorite toy. It seems impossible that singer Mariko Goto could contain so much rage and fury one second, then drop down to a cute and alluring tone, drawing you in for another vocal attack. If these guys don't burn out soon, they just might take over the world.

Polysics - Karate House



Speaking of taking over the world, 2007 was an extremely important year for Japan's preeminent new-wave band Polysics. Not only was it their 10th anniversary, but they embarked on the very first MySpace Music Tour in America, which exposed them to hundreds of thousands of new fans. While many of those new fans might have thought that Polysics or Die: Vista, a compilation released on MySpace Records, was their big 2007 album, it was actually the all new Karate House which was the year's centerpiece. Containing a large number of hit singles like "Electric Surfin' Go Go" and "You You You," it also showed off the band's continuing evolution. While they still retain their early noise-rock mentality, it continues to be tempered by their desire to hone their sounds into pure electro-rock bliss. Karate House is just one more step on their way to world-wide fame.

Puffy Ami-Yumi - Honeycreeper



If Puffy's previous and more recent releases pushed them too far into pandering-to-America territory, then it was this year's Honeycreeper that brought them back home. The songs on Honeycreeper hearken back to their early days, with more of a focus on the fuzzy, hazy feel-good retro-rock sound in lieu of their previous pop-rock aping of Avril Lavigne. The songwriting is some of the best you'll hear on a rock album in any country, with ample twin vocal harmonies and the simple yet somehow nostalgic sounding melodies. Honeycreeper is just a simply beautiful, middle of the road, totally unpretentious rock album, something only Puffy can do with such quiet perfection.

Shugo Tokumaru - Exit



If it's eclectic arrangements you're looking for, then Shugo Tokumaru's Exit is the perfect album for you. The songs roll out like clockwork toys, all made in a place not quite based in any reality we know, yet all strangely familiar. It helps that all of the tunes on Exit are front and center, somehow managing to not get lost in the vast sea of unique sounds. While the vocal treatments might remind you of The Beach Boys' dreamy, layered style, it's Tokumaru's totally fresh presentation that will keep you feeling just off-kilter enough to keep the bemused smile on your face from beginning to end.

Versailles - Lyrical Sympathy



While, for some totally unfathomable reason, it doesn't contain the incredibly epic first single "The Revenant Choir," Versailles' first album Lyrical Sympathy is a limitless font of epic metal greatness. Its soaring majesty is rivaled only by the band's own outrageously over the top visual style, which is taken straight out Anne Rice's most fevered dreams. Their frilly and darkly colorful look is a prefect visual analog for their music, which is equally dark and brooding, yet full of blistering metal guitar riffs, seemingly unending solos and labyrinthine structures. I still don't know how they manage to pull off all of those complicated phrases while wearing a hundred pounds of lace and flowing dresses, but the blinding greatness of their music is enough to dampen any doubts. If Lestat were alive today, this would be his band.

Some Other Notable Releases:

Art-School - Hidari Kiki no KIKI: An excellent little EP.

Ayumi Hamasaki - GUILTY: Yeah, that's right. Even the biggest pop-idols in Japan can release an interesting album once in a while.

B'z - Action: You can't ignore the biggest selling band in the history of Japan.

Base Ball Bear - 17sia: More pop/post-punk/dream rock from BBB.

Bremen - Precious Story: "Just another blissful electro album" is always welcome.

Bump of Chicken - Orbital Period: Simple soft rock is simply perfect.

Capsule Flash Back: More of the same is just fine when it's the same top-notch electro-dance from Nakata Yasutaka.

Chatmonchy - Seimeiryoku: Fresh-faced-and-smiling rough-edged pop-rock from the all-girl trio.

Coltemonikha - Coltemonikha2: Speaking of Nakata Yasutaka, if his Capsule stuff is too hard and sharp for you, try this softer side.

Electric Eel Shock - Transworld Ultra Rock: More balls-out stoner-rock mayhem from EES.

Fullarmor - Zion: An excellent little guitar-driven instrumental album full of intense songs that seem to come straight out of your favorite retro video game soundtrack.

Galneryus - One For All, All For One: If you were scared off by Versailles' frilly pink dresses, then maybe Galneryus' less visual epic metal is more for you.

Going Under Ground - Oyasumi Monster: If it's fun soft-rock you're after, then this is the album for you.

Hawaiian6 - Rings: More intense, melodic power-punk from Hawaiian6.

Ken Yokoyama - Third Time's A Charm: More intense, melodic power-punk from Ken Yokoyama.

L'Arc-en-Ciel - Kiss: L'Arc continues their mix of lushly produced, dark and elegant rock.

The Local Art - KiZUNA: A great, solid power rock album. What else do you need?

Mars Eurythmics - Range Over Hill and Dale: A great, upbeat, solid indie-rock album. What else do you need?

Meg - Beam: Speaking of Nakata Yasutaka, if his Coltemonikha stuff isn't fun enough for you, try his more mature production on Meg's new album.

Mix Market - Shiawase no Elephant: Another fun and bubbly indie rock album from Mix Market.

Mosaic.wav - Future-Fiction:AKIBA-POP!!: Suffering from low blood-sugar? Inject this super-sweet anime inspired collection of crazy synth-pop twice daily.

Motocompo - Chiptop Lips: Their most mature album so far, it contains some of the most blissful synth-pop you'll hear.

Noodles Metropolis: More drowsy, fuzzed out rock from this all-girl rock group.

Onmyo-za - Maou Taiten: Once again Onmyo-za bring new life to classic metal and traditional Japanese style.

Otsuka Ai - Love Piece: Yet another spot-on collection of retro-pop rock, tearful ballads and plain crazy fun from the most cutest idol ever.

The Pillows - Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!: It should go without saying by now, but when The Pillows release an album, you buy it.

Roach - Mind of the Sun: Nu-Metal with a very original, high-pitched traditional Japanese vocal style. Well, at least when he's not screaming.

RYUKYUDISKO - INSULARHYTHM A straight-up techno/dance album full of happy melodies and interesting collaborations.

School Food Punishment - Air Feel, Color Swim and School Food is Food Food: Two albums full of mature female vocals, pianos and soft, spacey rock.

Sleepy.ab - Fantasia: Delicate shoegaze bliss.

Straightener - Immortal: A great little EP of brash indie-rock.

Tokyo Jihen - Variety: More swank, high-society rock. I suggest a white wine.

Tomoyasu Hotei - Ambivalent: Guitar-fueled blues-rock? Here it is!

UVERworld - Bugright: If Base Ball Bear's 17sai didn't have enough down-tempo rap for your liking, then UVERworld would like to talk with you.

Vidoll - Bastard: A step above your average vis-kei album, Bastard swings from screamy metal to soft, dance-able ballads and back.

That's it for this year. Hopefully that will give you enough to wade through until the next wave of albums begins to appear. With all of the amazing music released this year, next year looks to be very interesting indeed!

(Also, please feel free to add your own "Best Of" list in the comments!)