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Gorilla Art Punk. That's the best way I can describe the duo that is Kiiiiiii. They are two women that sing, scream and pound on drums and toy keyboards, usually while rolling around on the floor or running through the audience. Their stage is littered with stuffed animals and colorful birthday party decorations. Their lyrics are all sung in a sort of fractured, childish English, filled with references to boyfriends, Michael Jackson, Star Wars, and many other '80s pop culture topics.
Kiiiiiii (that's seven "I"s, FYIIIIIII) is the definition of high energy and explosive creativity. While almost every other band works endlessly to perfect every detail of their music and performance, Kiiiiiii instead leaves almost everything to chance, literally throwing themselves into their performance with everything they've got. This isn't to say that they don't also sing about some rather serious topics, like young love gone bad ("We were so young / We were so stupid, you know? / And you were not my boyfriend") and the importance of being honest. I think "Wishing the Penguin Star" just might be the best lullaby ever written. They are first and foremost performers, often transforming art galleries and small clubs into temporary toy box puppet shows.
The best way to really understand them is simply to check out the many live videos out there. I also recommend the great collection of photos on flickr. (Photo by Justin Chiaratti.)
J-Pop and J-Rock are only the beginning. The modern Japanese music scene is just as vibrant and varied as any other music scene in the world. I'm Zac Bentz, writer, musician, designer and all around Japanese music fanatic. Here I hope to share with you a comprehensive (!!) list of Japanese artists and bands (with a strong focus on underground and indie acts) that you may or may not have heard of, in the hopes of expanding our mutual awareness of Japanese music.
I don't mean to suggest that everything I listen to is great. Quite the contrary, I hope that you will take the time to recommend your own favorite artists in the comments so that we can all learn a bit more about the huge range of Japanese music that's out there.
"The best Japanese music blog in the world." - Door Slam "Definitely a must-visit for J-pop and J-rock fans!" -The Otaku "Zac Bentz loves music. A lot." -Japanator "Very cool!" -J-ENT "...one of the foremost blogs and information centers on all J-pop and J-rock...the top source for tour information on Japanese bands in the US..." -YankeeOtaku "Wer mehr darüber wissen will, der sollte sich mal hier umschauen, ein sehr gutes J-Music Blog übrigens." -CommandSheep "...very well-written, and there’s an excellent range of artists...a useful resource." -International Wota "не плохая энциклопедия японских исполнителей/групп" -Diary.ru "Great resource for Japanese music fans who want to explore today's J-rhythms beyond Johnny's Entertainment bishonen music and anime music. XD" -Kaishi "If you are a J-Rock fan, [ZB's A-Z] is a must see." -Crunchyroll community "Otaku USA magazine finally got wise and hired Zac Bentz as a J-music contributing editor."-Radicalpatriot "Reviews practically every Asian band that has ever created a recording."- Zallie "Gewährt spannende Einblicke in die japanische Musikszene." -Laut.de
