Lite

It's not often that a band becomes more popular outside of its home country before they are equally well known at home, but it would seem as though Lite, an instrumental post-rock progressive band from Japan, has done just that.

They've played shows around the world, hitting up the UK and Ireland several times, as well as New York. They've released two live albums, one from Ireland and one from their recent 2009 trip to New York. They are even signed to a European record label, Cargo Records, along with the likes of The White Stripes.

The music that the band makes is, as mentioned, all instrumental. They are a bit like Downy in their overall sense of darkness, but Lite isn't nearly as arty or experimental. They are also not as light and precious as Miaou, nor as harsh as sgt. In some way Lite lives up to their name in that, while intense and intricate, little of what they do is overly heavy. This leaves them a bit more accessible to a wider audience who might be turned off by noodly math rock or way too spaced-out jams. They are smart without letting it get in the way.

Their instrumentality also makes them much easier to get in front of international audiences, something that has been a considerable help to other instrumental groups like Mono. Plus, they're just damn good at what they do, which is something attractive in any language (or lack thereof.)

BUT LITE RELEASES FROM CDJAPAN AND AMAZON AND ITUNES

Tomorrow




Official Site
MySpace

Members:
Nobuyuki Takeda - Guitar
Kozo Kusumoto - Guitar
Jun Izawa - Bass (also a member of Fullarmor, another mostly instrumental band)
Akinori Yamamoto - Drums

Albums:
Filmlets - 2007
Live in Limerick - 2007
Phantasia - 2008
LLive in New York - 2009

Ghost Dance


Ef (live)

Straightener (ストレイテナー)

Straightener is an indie rock band, a very influential and powerful one. Originally formed in the late '90s, their core line up of front man Atsushi Horie and drummer Shinpei Nakayama shifted over the years and now includes two ex-members of the similarly themed Art-School.

Unsurprisingly, their sound has evolved a matured a bit over the pest ten or so years, yet they haven't moved too far from their early loud and powerful indie rock. Instead, they've developed their natural resources and pushed their sound into much more lush and expansive territory. This has also rounded the corners to their previously harsh delivery. Much like Mo'some Tonebender, this could either be seen as an improvement or a loss, depending on what you're hoping to get out of the experience.

Overall, they write powerful songs filled with the earnest emotion you might expect from similar bands like Foo Fighters, but present it with a slightly harder edge and without any of the melodrama. There is very little trickery or showmanship in any of their work. They are simply very catchy and well written songs that will rock your teeth out. On the flip side, they are also no strangers to the rock ballad, with their Nexus album being host to a few softer, piano tinged tracks.

As mentioned above, the band is currently one half ex-Art-School members, but the incestuous band affiliations don't end there. Atsushi and bassist Hidekazu Hinata are both in the mostly instrumental side project Fullarmor, along with Jun Izawa of Lite/Seabara and Oniy of The Zoobombs. Hidekazu was also the bassist for Zazen Boys. Drummer Shinpei is also in The Predators, along with The Pillows vocalist Sawao Yamanaka and Jiro from Glay. None of these other project stray far from the any of the other band's general indie-power-rock sound that all of the various members seem to champion. Are you still with me?

Long story short, Straightener is like a hub to a giant indie-rock wheel. While their albums are all solid and top quality, their spokes reach out and form a wheel that's more than the sum of its parts.

BUY STRAIGHTENER RELEASES HERE!

A Song Runs Through World



Official Site
MySpace

Members:
Atsushi Horie - Vocals, Guitar, Keyboard (Also in Fullarmor)
Shinpei Nakayama - Drums (Also in The Predators)
Hidekazu Hinata - Bass (Former Art-School and Zazen Boys, also in Fullarmor)
Jun Oyama - Guitar (Former Art-School)

Releases:
Nexus 2009
Immortal 2007
Linear 2007
Dear Deadman 2006
Title 2005
Rock End Roll 2004
Lost World's Anthology 2004
Skeletonized 2002
Error 2001
Straighten It Up 2000

Lightening


Black Hole


Tender


Killer Tune


Traveling Gargoyle


The Ramains


Rocksteady

Fullarmor

Fullarmor is the side-project of Straightener front-man Atsushi Horie, along with three other members of other bands. Their first self titled album is very much like Atsushi's main gig, namely guitar heavy emo-esque indie rock, centered around his vocals. That first album is the only time that Atsushi sings along with playing guitar, just as he does in Straightener. The two following albums find him sticking only to keyboards and guitar.

Once the band went instrumental, things changed drastically. The songs became much more complex and flowing. It's as if taking out Atshushi's vocals allowed them to flex their muscles a bit and breathe some jazz into their compositions. The funky jazz elements remind me very much of the video game cover band The Advantage, or perhaps an upbeat Downey. The songs are rather game-like, sounding a bit like crazy boss themes or space adventures. This may be because the songs are locked into one main riff or basic idea rather than the usual verse/chorus structure. The production is very open and loose, giving them a very live feel as well, again much like the way The Advantage approaches their covers.

The band also has two bass players, which also adds a unique sound to the mix. Along with Atshishi's piano and keyboard playing, the band has come a long way from their indie-rock origins and moved into their own new territory.

Money & Game


BUY FULLARMOR RELEASES HERE!


Official Site
MySpace

Members:
Atsushi Horie: Vocals, Guitar, Synth
Hinatch (ex.Zazen Boys): Bass
Jun Izawa (LITE,SEABARA): Bass
Oniy (The Zoobombs): Drums

Releases:
Fullarmor (2003)
Zion (2007)
Cataract (2008)