Calendar 2010 - Mouse on the Keys - European Tour

September 30 - October 14
Mouse on the Keys
European Tour

Sep 30 - La Malterie - Lille, FRANCE
Oct 01 - TBA - Paris, FRANCE
Oct 02 - The Public - West Bromwich, UNITED KINGDOM
Oct 03 - tba - Manchester, UNITED KINGDOM
Oct 04 - The Canteen - Barrow-in-Furness, UNITED KINGDOM
Oct 05 - tba - Leeds, UNITED KINGDOM
Oct 07 - Conne Island - Conne Island, Leipzig, GERMANY
Oct 08 - Lovelite - Simplonstr, Berlin, GERMANY
Oct 09 - Bunker Ulmenwall - Bielefeld, GERMANY
Oct 10 - Denovali Swingfest - Essen, NRW, GERMANY
Oct 12 - künstlerhaus (k4) - nürnberg, Bayern, GERMANY
Oct 13 - České Budějovice jazz festival - Budweis, CZECH REPUBLIC
Oct 14 - Cairo - Würzburg, GERMANY

Source: MySpace

Calendar 2010 - Ryuichi Sakamoto - US Tour

October 17 - November 5
Ryuichi Sakamoto
US Tour

October 17 2010 - Keswick Theatre/Glenside, Pennsylvania
October 18 2010 - Skirball Center For the Performing Arts/New York City, New York
October 20 2010 - Berklee College of Music/Boston, Massachusetts
October 22 2010 - Outremont Theatre/Montreal, Quebec
October 24 2010 - Queen Elizabeth Theater/Toronto, Ontario
October 27 2010 - Vic Theatre/Chicago, Illinois
October 30 2010 - Moore Theatre/Seattle, Washington
November 1 2010 - Vogue Theatre/Vancouver, British Columbia
November 3 2010 - Regency Ballroom/San Fransisco, California
November 5 2010 - El Rey/Los Angeles, California

SOURCE: Official Site

VIDEO: Lite "Image Game"

Here's the a new video from instrumental post-rock band Lite. Their new album Illuminate is phenomenal (more on that later), and "Image Game" is the perfect example. The song is an exercise in precision and control, but it's also rather hypnotic and energizing. The video doesn't really do much, but it works to show of the swirling, angular feel to the song just fine.

Calendar 2010 - Mouse on the Keys - European Tour

March 4-13, 2010
Mouse on the Keys
European Tour

03/04 - Wiesbaden, Germany - Schlachthof
03/05 - Metz, France - Emile Vache Art Cafe 
03/06 - Kassel, Germany - Galerie Loyal
03/07 - Duisburg, Germany - Djzz 
03/08 - Leipzig, Germany - tba 
03/09 - Gdynia, Poland - Ucho Club
03/10 - Poznan, Poland - Pod Minoga Club
03/11 - Krakow, Poland - Club Re
03/12 - Wroclaw, Poland - Firlej
03/13 - Chemnitz, Germany - Weltecho

Calendar 2010 - Lite - US Tour

Feb 3rd-12th
Lite
US West Coast Tour

03/04/10 The Blue Lamp,Phoenix
03/05/10 Bootleg Theater,Los Angeles
03/06/10 The Casbah,San Diego
03/07/10 Muddy Waters Coffee House,Santa Barbara
03/08/10 The Blue Lamp,Sacramento
03/09/10 Bottom Of The Hill,San Francisco
03/11/10 Dante's,Portland
03/12/10 Chop Suey,Seattle

Source: MySpace

Review: sgt. - Capital of Gravity

The members of sgt. fall into a lineup a bit more like that of a jazz quintet than a traditional rock band. Drummer Hitoshi Ono and bassist Kouji Akashi form the band's solid backbone, proving the beat and pulse. Guitarist Hironori Taoka also falls into this role, merely fleshing out the band's sound rather than performing any virtuosic feats on the fretboard. Violinist Mikiko Narui most often falls into the role of soloist, taking the place of a saxophone or trumpet. She also takes the melody almost exclusively, in those rare cases when there is one to take.

sgt. isn't exactly well known for short, pithy and easily digestible songs. That's not to say that they're overly infatuated with creating inscrutable, million changes-a-second math rock or imposing sonic mountains. Their songs are more like a walk down a long, dimly lit path near stormy seas than any sort of road-map like the more universal language of verse chorus verse chorus bridge chorus chorus.

Having said that, Capital of Gravity, sgt's third mini-album (available now at HearJapan) is even more likely to get distracted and wander around that path than their previous releases.

READ THE FULL REVIEW ON JAPANATOR

Clean of Core

Clean of Core is perhaps the closest spiritual successor to Downy since the latter's split many years ago. The main difference being that while Downy incorporated vocals into much of their work, Clean of Core is strictly instrumental. Yet the same dark and intense post-rock vibe runs in their veins.

While Clean of Core may not have that vocal element, it's obvious that they are no less concerned with forming very melodic songs around their bare-bones instrumentation. They let their songs loop and slowly develop, building in intensity and depth. They also keep things in a more traditional verse/chorus/bridge song structure, as if their singer is simply absent. Yet it certainly doesn't feel like there's anything missing from the equation. The group offers up more than enough evocative material, projecting images of watery landscapes and misty hillsides. In fact much of their debut album Spectacle seems to carry with it thoughts of the sea, with song titles like "Pipe Line," "Navigation and Storm" and "Time Wave."

Unlike other instrumental or post-rock bands who like to thrill their audiences with showy playing and head scratching musical equations, Clean of Core does indeed focus on the core of their work, letting it drive the focus of the song. They spin around it like a star, letting it pull and push them as they travel in looping arcs around it.

BUY CLEAN OF CORE RELEASES FROM HEARJAPAN AND CDJAPAN

"Navigation and Storm"



Official Site
MySpace

Members:
Sunao Takeda - Guitar. Keyboard
Kenta Katou - Bass
Teruhito Takano - Drums

Albums:
Spectacle - 2009

"Pipe Line" (Live)


"Pipe Line" (Live)

Nuito

Japan's Nuito is to post-rock as Fantomas is to metal. If you find that sentence a little confusing, how about this. Think tiny bits of complicated, tempo jumping musical blasts, all linked together by the thinnest of threads. In the case of Fantomas, they grind out a mountain of furious micro-metal. With Nuito, it's more your typical noodly instrumental post/art/math rock, only done on a tiny scale.

Formed around 2004 in Kyoto, the trio blends generous amount of finger tapping guitars with various effects and stuttering drums to form their odd constructs. They use "kaleidoscopic" as just one of the many possible adjectives to describe their own sound, and it's perhaps the most apt. They create a constantly shifting mosaic of angular guitar rock, with intricate loops and obscure melodies that vanish before your brain can even register their presence.

That's not to say they run forward, head down, 110% at all times. They also have many moments of sublime calm, but it is no less fuzzy and slippery. It's as if the band will explode if they sit in one place for more than ten seconds. Yet at the same time they demand your attention, lest you lose all sense of the song. If you can manage to stay focused and aren't practically concerned with being able to sing along, then Nuito will provide you with a wealth of material to dig into over many repeat listens.

BUY NUITO RELEASES ON CDJAPAN AND ITUNES

"NeKoMaJiN vs (β)"



Official Site
MySpace

Members:
ヒラヰケイイチロウ - Guitar, Samples, Voice
トモフジイヌ - Bass
AWADA R - Drums

Albums:
N^1 - 2006
Anaphylaxis - 2007
Unutella - 2009

Live


Live

September 09 Calendar - miaou - Dublin and Belfast Shows

Sep 11 and 13
Miaou
Dublin/Belfast gigs

Sep. 11 - The Odessa Club, Dublin Ireland
Sep. 13 - The Black Box, Belfast UK

Source: MySpace

Mouse on the Keys

Little is known about the mysterious trio that goes by the name of Mouse on the Keys. Even their official website is just a simple re-direct to their sparsely populated MySpace page. We know their names, Akira Kawasaki (drums, keyboards, piano and of Nine Days Wonder) Atsushi Kiyota (keyboard, piano) and Daisuke Niitome (keybord, piano). We know that they are part of the Toe founded record label Machupicchu Industrias (again, another site that simply re-directs to MySpace). In fact they are the only other band, aside from Toe, on the label.

All we really have to go one is their music, and fair enough. Except that they only have a single four song release, titled Sezession, out at the moment, though there is a full-length just over the horizon. Regardless, what we do have are four songs of instrumental drum and piano, sometimes jazzy, sometimes almost classical, other times sounding like a soundtrack to a rainy drive through the heart of a city. Whatever they do, it's a dark and grim journey.

"Saigo no Bansan" is easily the stand out track from the trio. In fact Sezession feels more like a "Saigo no Bansan" single with a few tacked-on supporting tracks than a solid EP. The song is a lethal serpent strike to the spine, starting in near silence before launching into a furious battle between the drums and pianos. The three following tracks are much jazzier and improvisational in tone, with some saxophone and effected keyboard sounds augmenting the regular piano tones.

Of course it's far to early to pass any sort of meaningful judgment on such a young band with so little material. Yet it's tough not to get excited by what Mouse on the Keys has let us in on thus far. If they can reign in their more abstract tendencies and bring their more muscular A-game, then their first proper album could be something great indeed.

BUY MOUSE ON THE KEYS RELEASES HERE

"Saigo no Bansan"




Official Site
MySpace

Members:
Akira Kawasaki - Drums, Keyboards, Piano
Atsushi Kiyota - Keyboard, Piano
Daisuke Niitome - Keybord, Piano

Albums:
An Anxious Object - 2009
Sezession - 2007

The Arctic Fox"

TWIN TAIL

TWIN TAIL, not to be confused with the Japanese metal band Twintail, is a three piece improvisational, instrumental band. Made up of drums, bass and violin, they bring something of a unique sound to the table. That said, they do sound an awful lot like other bands featuring violin, specifically sgt. Violinist Yuji Katsui uses the same set of floating, delayed and syrupy effects as sgt's Mikiko Narui. The sound is so similar as to make one wonder if there isn't some sort of conspiracy going on amongst post-rock instrumental bands in Japan.

The sonic resemblance ends there though. It's obvious from the start that TWIN TAIL is all about improv and jamming out thorough extended passages. Their songs build (very) slowly, with tempos stretching and breathing along with the intensity of the music. There are really no "songs" or hooks per se. Yuji plays his violin like a screaming, psychedelic guitar more like a blissed-out solo from Jimi Hendrix than any sort of classical piece, while drummer Tatsuya Nakamura and bassist Toshiyuki Terui pound out a trance-like tribal backdrop.

One other element to their music is their fourth, off stage member Toshiaki Toyoda, their live cinematographer. As is often the case with instrumental groups, their live shows are enhanced by visuals project both behind and onto the band. In the case of TWIN TAIL this is a much need accompaniment, since their songs are ephemeral at best. They work much better as soundtracks or background wallpaper than an in your face group with a message. Something which the band is well aware of, blending sight and sound into one unpredictable package.




Official Site
MySpace

Members:
Tatsuya Nakamura - Drums
Yuji Katsui - Violin
Toshiyuki Terui - Bass
Toshiaki Toyoda -Cinema

Albums:
Everything is Permitted - 2008

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)

Yoshida Brothers

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.

BUY YOSHIDA BROTHERS RELEASES AT AMAZON and CDJAPAN

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


Live

About Tess

About Tess is an instrumental rock band based in Tokyo. On its own, that might be anything newsworthy. Add in the fact that the band is made up of not only two guitarists, but two bass players and to drummers and you have something a bit more unique.

Formed around 2004, the band has taken its time in releasing material. Swan Song, released in 2005, only contained three songs in both live and studio versions. It wasn't until 2008 that their first proper releases surfaced, and even then it was a six song mini-album. Part of the reason for this lag might be the fact that they run their own music even called Swan Song Council. Currently on their tenth event, it's a massive showcase of all sorts of indie bands, from School Food Punishment to The Telephones to Paperbag Lunchbox and far too many more to list here.

Putting public services to the music community aside, we are left with their music. First off, it's instrumental, slightly post rock but really more jammed-out and guitar fueled. They aren't real virtuoso players, but they obviously like to take their time showing you around their fret boards. There are also elements of blues, but only vaguely. They stick to the harsher sounds, tempering their heavier rock tendencies with the aforementioned bluesy jams and prog rock atmosphere. It's perfect for those who wouldn't normally touch the blues with a ten foot pole, yet who like a little more groove in their brash rock and roll.

Overall, About Tess is a little more style than substance, with their songs meandering around, putting up stylish wallpaper and dim mood lighting. They can really rock out when they want, bringing plenty of clever tricks to the fore. While they may not provide much to grab on to, the win extra style points and will maybe push those more timid listeners into a search to something with a bit more bite.

BUY ABOUT TESS RELEASES AT CDJAPAN and at AMAZON!

Imaginedit



Official Site
MySpace

Members:
TAKUTO - Guitar
KAZUYA - Guitar
MIYA-KEN - Bass
KANZ - Bass
TETSURO - Drums
DKO Drums

Albums:
Beautiful - 2008
Swan Song - 2005

Live


Live


Live

Henrytennis

Unmistakably jazz with a strong dose of rock experimentalism and down-tempo post rock jams, Japan's Henrytennis is indeed the "progressive/rock/jazz" band they profess to be. Formed in 2002, the band has only released a single album thus far. Perhaps this famine of material is the result of the several line-up changes (and the unfortunate loss of Chie Takizawa's voice and flute) the band has already undergone. Another reason could be that they are simply a live band focusing on live shows.

While on tape they do have the air of a band a bit more used to free-form expression, their sole album Eight Rare Cases does contain a lot of well developed moments. While you may not see it in their various live clips, they at one time seemed to have a more vocal slant, featuring dual male and female leads. The songs on the album are blissed-out and hazy, with swinging underpinnings and a smokey atmosphere. More twee-pop than jazz or rock, they are fleshed out with plenty of tiny xylophones and reverbed-out Rhodes-esque keys and guitars. These softer tracks are surrounded by more frenetic instrumental songs. While not in the same league as the much heavier Downy or sgt., they do at times come close, providing a softer alternative. Instrumental bands like Miaou and Mono also come to mind, though Henrytennis is definitely the more jazz influenced of the bunch.

The band seems to be very active in the live scene, even playing shows in New York. They host their own regular showcase called "Fuck Up My Underground Era" featuring a huge range of bands like Audio Safari, Gutevolk and Miaou. They obviously have their ear to the ground and a broad range of skills to draw from. Here's to hoping they manage to keep the band stable enough to release more material. It might also be nice if they brought the dual vocal style back as well, as it serves to really set them apart from the crowd. Just a friendly suggestion. The world could always use more pretty songs like "Landmachine."

"The Electronic Flute" - Live 2005 (Original line-up)



Official Site
MySpace (English)
MySpace(Japanese)

Members:
Yoshihito Okumura - Guitar
Yoshinari Kishida - Drum
Takeshi Horikoshi - Bass
Akihiko Ando - Saxophone
Toshiaki Sudo - Instruments
Koji Ueno - Nordlead2

Releases:
Eight Rare Cases 2006

Live 2008


Live 2008


Live 2008


Live 2008

sgt.

Much like sgt.'s sinuous music, the members of the band have interwoven themselves throughout their particular music scene. Active since 1999, they've had plenty of time to not only refine their sound, but to find many friends with which to share and collaborate. They've even been fortunate enough to run their own even called "seimei" featuring many fellow indie bands. Perhaps most notable, they are also the backing band for ex-Supercar front man Koji Nakamura's solo band iLL.

Perhaps it's not too far a stretch then to compare their sound, at least in passing, to that of Miki Furukawa's solo work. While nothing near as poppy as Furukawa, sgt. does at times have the same otherworldly sighing sounds provided by violinist Mikiko Narui's electrified playing. Being an instrumental three piece, it's also easy to compare them the much more similar sounding Downy. sgt.'s post-rock aggro-jazz space jams certainly have the same raw power and tightly synced drum and bass section. Over this are the aforementioned wailing strings and even the occasional saxophone and piano.

Similarly, their music weaves between slightly quieter and groovy sections, building to and punctured by extremely intense bouts of distorted bass and screaming strings, all piped through giant caverns of reverb and darkness. It's only through prolonged listening that one will pick up on the cues and be able to discern the song sneaking around underneath all that ephemeral weight, but once it's found, it is tough to lose again.

With so many years under their belt it's a wonder why they've only released a sum total of thirteen songs (not including a smattering of slip EPs.) Perhaps it's their outside involvement with other bands and events that has prevented them from solidifying their thoughts into recorded material. Regardless, what they've presented us with so far is certainly a feast, but in this case more is never enough.

BUY SGT. MP3S FROM HEARJAPAN | BUY SGT. CDS FROM CDJAPAN

再生と密室




Official Site
MySpace

Members:
Kouji Akashi - Bass
Mikiko Narui - Violin
Hitoshi Ono - Drums

Releases:
Perception of Causality 2005
Stylus Fantasticus 2008

Metalchicks

Metalchicks is a two woman duo from Tokyo, Japan, formed by Sugar Yoshinaga of Buffalo Daughter and Yuka Yoshimura, formerly of DMBQ and OOIOO.

If you took Boom Boom Satellites and slowed them down, Tomoyasu Hotei and sped him up, and added in a heaping spoonful of Boris' sludgy stoner rock, you'd have something close to Metalchicks. There are a sort of electro trance metal. The rely heavily on looped electronic drums and Yuka's tribal drum patterns, while Sugar chugs along with thick guitar riffs and electronic manipulation. There are also occasionally vocals, either robotic and run through a vocoder or whispered behind the wall of noise. They are also a bit like Boris in that they often drag out a particular phrase over and over, again in a very tribal, trance-like way, slowly building on it through the drums and synths.

Their second album St. Wonder was the soundtrack for the 2006 live-action school-girl sentai film Waru Michael. This is a natural fit, as much of the Metalchick's music is already instrumental and very soundtrack friendly.

In a way, that's what makes their name a bit misleading. While they are fueled by heavy guitars, they certainly are far from metal. Hard rock definitely, stoner rock perhaps, but not metal.

Buy Metalchicks here! | Listen to Metalchicks here!

St. Wonder



Official Site
MySpace

Members
Sugar Yoshinaga - Guitar, Vocals, Synths
Yuka Yoshimura - Drums

Releases
Metalchicks (2005)
St. Wonder (2006)

10,000db


Power to Girls (Live)


We Are the Warriors (Live)


Need Your Love (Live)

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)

Mono

Much like Miaou, Mono is a post-rock (I prefer "shoegaze" is it's much more apt) instrumental band. However unlike Miaou, Mono is very loud, with much larger build-ups and greater high points. Yet they still have plenty of quiet and pretty moments. They are rather morose and melancholy, with powerful center sections that inevitably build to an ear-splitting cresendo.

BUY MONO RELEASES AT CDJAPAN and HEARJAPAN

Miaou

Miaou is an instrumental shoegaze trio. They stick mostly to soft, pretty, guitar driven sound-scapes. Occasionally they will build into large, soaring crescendos. Most of their songs take their time in developing, jumping from section to section until it all becomes clear in the end. They are the perfect background for a long distance drive through a picturesque landscape.