Get ready to bust out your wallet and clear some room on your book shelf. The fifth full-length album 予襲復讐 ("Yoshu Fukushu") from Maximum the Hormone is due out July 31st. This is super exciting for fans, not only because it's their first album since 2007, but also because according to the CD Japan listing, it comes with a 156 page book that includes a five chapter manga! There is also commentary from guitarist/singer Ryo for each of the 15 songs. (It should be noted that the track list includes 4 songs from the two eps released since the last album, so this isn't entirely new material.) This is going to be a must-have for die hard fans (hello!), that's for sure.
This was a nice thing to wake up to. A new AMAZING video for the song "え・い・り・あ・ん" ("Alien") from Maximum the Hormone! After what seems like an eternity (their last full-length album was Buiikikaesu in 2007), the band is back with a new album due out in July (if I'm reading the end of the video correctly).
I think this song gives even the likes of Mike Patton a run for his money with its wide ranging vocal gymnastics. It. Is. INSANE. What starts off as a simple hardcore punk performance style affair soon goes off the rails into their usual visual madness, complete with CGI third heads and limbs. Then it slams into a soft-rock pop song (not new for MtH) complete with pretty girls and children in animal costumes, while the band pleads to listeners to "Stop Winny upload." The "Winny" here is a Japanese P2P network. And no, the irony is not lost on me. :)
Overall, this is exactly what I love about Maximum the Hormone. Brutal hardcore metal and a giant sense of humor.
NOTE: Looks like the low-quality of the (original) upload might be a result of the video being released only online. According to the band's official English site, you have to "search out" the video by clicking through a very long list of possible locations on the web. The video will only be available until June 6th, 2013.
It's been five years since we last heard the super lush, whispery, twee sounds from Matryoska. So what have they been up to? Something huge, it would seem. Their new album Laideronnette is due out on 12/12/12. The first track "Monotonous Purgatory" (above) is a sad, expansive, glitchy orchestral dream. The rest of the album (see the sampler below) looks to be more of the same, which is all fine by me.
You can download "Monotonous Purgatory" for free direct from their site and order the album there as well. You can also get it at CDJapan.
I tend to be a little overenthusiastic about things in the morning. It's not that I'm a morning person, far from it. Maybe it's the first blast of coffee slamming into my brain that gives me just enough lift to actually enjoying things for a while, before the rest of life slowly presses it all back down.
Whatever that case, when I see things like this new-ish video from MO'SOME TONEBENDER as my eyes remember how to focus and my mouth tastes like burning manna from heaven, I feel like things are sometimes OK.
It also reminds me that I need to listen to these guys more often. See below for reasons. (Hint: "Green & Gold" is one of my favorite songs of all time.)
Mowmow Lulu Gyaban is a trio made up of two guys and a girl, playing fractured jazz pop and experimental new-wave electro-rock.
In a way, this wide range of styles makes it hard to really get into the band at first. All of what they do is high-quality, but the way styles jump around actually makes it a little tough to stick with the album as a whole. The jump from the frantic, playful chaos of "POP! Oolong-Hai" to the almost lounge-like feel of the much more serious "Contact" takes some work to follow. Then there's the old-school new-wave of "Kimi no Skirt o Mekuritai" that sounds as if it were pulled right out of the Plastics back-catalog. Well, if it wasn't for the total destruction the song undergoes several times. That's not to say there aren't music fans out there who can't appreciate sheer noise and solid song-writing at the same level. The somewhat unique mix of drums, bass and rhodes keyboard sounds goes a long way to keeping the disparate elements returning to a cohesive whole. If nothing else, there is no mistaking when you are listening to Mowmow Lulu Gyaban.
It's the band's live performances that really bring the songs to life. Seen in this context, everything starts to make perfect sense. While the songs on the album feature a more sonically diverse palette, their live presentation makes their crazier stuff much more digestible. Instead of being a zany, somewhat inscrutable collection of music, they become something almost like a normal rock band, sans-guitar. They keep their slightly arty-feel while pushing their harder rock sound to the fore.
Mowmow Lulu Gyaban is a band with many facets that seem to shift depending on the situation. From one song to the next, from live to in the studio, they present a new face at every turn. All of which makes the whole more understandable and providing a deeper level of appreciation. Mowmow Lulu Gyaban is no one-trick pony and it will be interesting to see how they develop.
There's that old saying as to how writing about music is like dancing about architecture. If ever that sentiment were true (and obviously I disagree to a certain extent) then there was never a better example than the music of Merzbow. Not that most people would dare call any of his hundreds of releases "music" or even "experimental." They are, quite simply, noise. Static. Sounds pushed well beyond the normal limits and distorted into new forms of sonic abuse.
That's not to say everything he does is purely idiot white noise. Quite the contrary. While the end result my be difficult to wrap one's hard around, it's obvious that the process of making his tracks hold great meaning Masami Akita, the man behind the machines. One can quickly see how his music could hold the same meaning as a lead vocalist shouting about injustice at the top of his lungs. Plus much of Akita's work revolves around short loops of much more recognizable sounds like drums synths and other, natural sounds, a tendency no doubt due to his early beginnings with analog tape. These simple sounds are then run though the Merz-machines and transformed into stark, shrieking soundscapes.
Akita has found a large wealth of support outside of the noise world. Perhaps most notably he's worked closely with Mike Patton, vocalist for Faith No More, Fantomas and many, many other projects. Massive rock band Boris is another group that has collaborated with Merzbow, several times in fact. Two personal favorites have been his Satanstornade collaboration with Russel Haswell and the epic live show he performed with the Finnish duo Pan Sonic which was later released as V.
When it all ends, it is the silence that is deafening. His work is at times beautiful, at other times awful, and that's exactly his point. Perhaps his approach is best summed up with this quote: "The effects of Japanese culture are too much noise everywhere. I want to make silence by my noise."
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.
Miyavi (Takamasa Ishihara) started his solo career around 2003 after his previous band split. His early style is extremely heavy, almost industrial at time, full of clanging percussion, blast beats and guitars distorted to the point of oblivion. His songs at the time feature fractured time signatures and phrases along with a chaotic blend of multiple layered vocal tracks. This is a style he's stuck close to over the years, even when much of the actual music has changed considerably.
The second phase of his career featured stripped down songs focusing more on his singing and acoustic guitar playing. He also dropped much of the hard edged rock in favor of funkier beats. This style naturally evolved into a third phase in which he adopted a bit of hip-hop style, rapping more a little himself and getting special guests to stand in. Some tracks blend all of his previous genre experimentation, and it's those songs the seems to be the strongest.
In 2007 he joined the vaporware band S.K.I.N. for a single, one time show at Anime Expo in Long Beach California. Formed of fellow pretty-boy rock superstars Gackt, Yoshiki (of X-Japan) and Sugizo (of Luna Sea) as well as Gackt bassist Ju-Ken, the band made many promises of future activity, none of which have been fulfilled in the slightest.
Anyway, Miyavi is obviously an artist with a lot going on, taking him in different directions all the time.
Newly formed in 2007, Molice is still a relatively young band. From May of '07 to July of '08 they released four "demo" EPs, putting together their first full-length album Doctor Ray in late November 2008.
They claim The Pixies, The Doors and their namesake The Police as major influences. While The Police and The Doors might be a bit hard to hear in their music, The Pixies and other '80s and '90s garage, indie and new-wave sounds are there in full force. Shored up by more modern post-punk structures, the music that Molice produces is both as dreamy as it is jangly and intense. They have a definite low-fi feel without it sounding cheep or forced. The female fronted band channels the more playful rebel spirit of the Runaways and Bananarama just as much as the more gritty gloom of Lillies and Remains or Bloc Party.
Molice is already making inroads into the popular club circuit, as well as playing bigger, high-profile festivals like Summer Sonic. While Rinko sings mostly in Japanese, she sprinkles in enough English to appeal to a wider (i.e. Western) audience. Another interesting aspect of the band is the Rinko writes all the music and lyrics, making her not only the eye-catching front-woman, but band leader and driving force.
So far, this young band has managed to release a very solid batch of material. While their overarching theme seems to be that of a stripped-down, no-frills garage pop band, they have a lot to build on. With a little more time (and maybe more financial backing) they could easily turn into a fantastic, full bodied force.
Japan's m.o.v.e. is a trio that combines rap, J-pop and electro rock to varying effectiveness. Founded in the mid-90s, the group has certainly managed to prove itself over time. They've repeatedly been near the top of the charts and had their music featured in anime and video games. They've even had the chance to tour overseas, hitting up the US anime con circuit, among other stops.
Their sound is most notable of its use of contrasting dual vocals. Singer Yuri has what might be thought of as a typical pop-idol voice. Her voice and singing style are somewhere between Ayumi Hamasaki and Utada Hikaru, slightly more mature than most, staying well clear of the shrill and squeaky territory more commonly traversed in over-commercialized J-pop.
Their music fits best into the old "electronica" genre. Their mix of synthetic guitars, dance beats and both high energy and more laid back, almost RnB jams makes them a tough band to pin down. They definitely have an easygoing party vibe, a contrast to, say, that of Boom Boom Satellites or Aural Vampire. This, combined with their often cheesy synth-style can make them a little fluffy and thin at times, with songs that have little depth or complexity. They are able to counteract this with an occasional deeper and darker track, but for the most part m.o.v.e. aims directly for easily disposable dance-pop.
When it comes to female powered rock bands, there often seems to be a propensity for them to fall into one of two extremes. Either the super loud and gnarly grrrl rock, or the softer, cutesy side of pop rock. For some reason it feels like girls either rock hard or not at all. Mass of the Fermenting Dregs shatters this lazy and myopic view into tiny glittering pieces. Their ten-ton drums and massive bass bring the weight while singer/bassist Natsuko Miyamoto alleviates the pain with her clear yet strong voice.
Formed in 2002 out of Kobe Japan, the band, like so many others, seemed to take its time releasing material. Their first self-titled mini album didn't surface until 2008, with their second, World is Yours, quickly following it up in early 2009. Originally a trio of women, their drummer left just before their first release. Now they are officially just a duo with supporting drummers. Perhaps just as important to their sound is who they have working the board in the studio. Both Kentaro Nakao, ex-bassist of Number Girl, and the incomparable Dave Friedmann (Weezer, Low, OK Go, The Flaming Lips, not to mention Number Girl and Zazen Boys as well) have crafted the Dregs' sound.
And an epic sound it is. While the songs themselves are not overly complex, they are quite dark and expansive in scope. The guitar and bass feed off each other to form some pretty grim chords while the drums keep things moving at a brisk pace. Think Ogre Your Asshole's tone meets Vola & the Oriental Machine's energy with a little bit of Chatmonchy's upbeat vocals. While the Dregs' sound may be dark, the songs somehow transcend the fog and have much more power than your average post-punk or shoegaze band. They are very poppy in a sense, yet not in a dumbed-down way. First and foremost, they write superb songs that just might lull you into a false sense of security right before breaking your skull open. So pay attention.
There's a fine line between noise and art. On the one hand, it's easy to just plug some things into a distortion pedal and make noise. On the other, turning that noise into something more obviously crafted is something else. When do the blasts of micro drum loops become a song? When do the single note guitar beats form something coherent?
These are the lines that Maruosa walks. On the surface, he's just some beastman rolling around on stage and shouting into a microphone while these washes of lethal sonic daggers shoot out of the speakers. Look a little deeper (if your ears can handle it) and you'll realize that this is all very carefully planned. Sure, the songs sound like Alec Empire and Venetian Snares run at fast forward, but it is all pre-planned and very finely crafted. While it's impossible to tell if there are any real words being formed in this storm, Maruosa's message is pretty clear: there is no message. Everything is destroyed and razed to the ground, pummeled into a fine dust through rage and sound. The end result is a bit like the Maldoror project from Merzbow and Mike Patton, only much less abstract.
Maruosa also provides the voice for the Deathstorm project, with Bong-Ra of the Netherlands being the second half of that equation. With Deathstorm, the songs become even more highly edited, with the occasional syth texture added to the otherwise exclusively drum-based pallet. If Maruosa's solo work seems a little too stark, then Deathstorm is the slightly more "deep" alternative, though no less challenging.
Maruosa has made a bit of a name for himself overseas, playing gigs all over the world, through all of Europe, Australia and the US. With a host of new albums planned, the world might want to keep an eye open and watch their backs for more Maruosa live gigs.
If there ever was a band that lived up to its name, it would be Mutyumu. A "crazy dream" is probably the best description for their music. A crazy dream full of fire, statuesque figures, impressionistic operas, delicate ballet performances, leering demon faces...the images are as diverse as the instrumentation and song structure. At one moment you'll be treated to very soft piano and violin melodies, only to be bashed over the head with a massive heavy metal dirge the next. Similarly, the vocal treatments range from almost inaudible whispers to angelic female falsettos to guttural male bellowing.
The work of Mutyumu is extremely artistic and symphonic, yet not overly so. They never stray into straight-up new age territory, while also staying clear of schlocky death metal. Simply put, it's goth in the very best sense of the word. Mature and very sophisticated, classically dark, they never go the easy route of over-the-top style over substance, instead doing the reverse. Avoiding slathering on the gloom, they strip things down to few elements, developing them into minimal symphonies. They even have a few regular rock songs that wouldn't be out of place on a Bauhaus or Buck-Tick album.
Their raspy strings and twinkling pianos along with other synthetic sounds set them apart as something more than your average band that just gets on stage and rocks out. They have extended atmospheric sections that either lighten or darken the mood, like either the sun or the moon rising over a secluded pond. A bit like Matyoshka or Sigur Ros with their trance-like crescendos, they seem to find their most beautiful moments when they're either their most calm and repetitive, or their most loud and soaring. Case in point, the incredible "祈り," ("Prayer") which builds to ridiculous heights over ten minutes.
Having been formed in 2002, they are still a bit young, yet their solid sound and production really hit the ground running with their first self-titled album in 2006. Their 2008 follow-up Ilya cranks up the number of full-band rock outs and death-metal blasts. It's much less subtle and atmospheric, aiming more for the gut with a clearer guitar/drums/bass/vocals format and less of a focus on the strings and piano, though they are both still very much a part of the equation. (Again, refer to "祈り" above.)
Whatever your poison, be it classical strings and high society, or ancient demon metal and flaming pagan rituals, you'll find much to sink your teeth into with Mutyumu's twisted dream-scapes.
Miki Furukawa was the bass player and backing vocalist for the incredible indie rock band Supercar. For almost ten years the band churned out some of the best stuff anyone could ask for, including their crowning achievement (in my humble opinion at least) the electronically tinged Highvision. More than just a bass player standing in the background, Miki was almost a second front-man for the band, often singing lead or taking a duel role on vocals.
As a solo artist, Miki has room to breathe and stretches out a little. While she does hit on familiar Supercar territory from time to time, she also has her own style. Her songs have a dreamy quality, but are solid and a bit more on the pop rock edge of the spectrum. She also uses a lot of electronic elements, adding to the swirling psychedelic feel. On the other hand, she does bring plenty of indie-rock jams to the table, stripping things down and simply rocking out.
Her live performances, unfortunately, are often a little shaky. As we've seen and heard from her Supercar days, the studio is very nice to her. (This was actually the case for both Miki and Koji.) That's not to say she can't hold her own live, but her singing voice is a little weak and doesn't translate very well in a loud live setting. Still, she is making some great music on her own, and has managed to step out of the considerably huge shadow cast by her previous band.
The three men in Mo'some Tonebender have been making their intense blend of noise rock and softer experimentalism since 1997. At first blush it may be easy to say that they are just a loud hard-rock band, but that would be selling them entirely too-short. While they do have everything turned up to eleven most of the time, they aren't afraid of strong melodies and softer, precious songs from time to time. Mo'some Tonebender is possibly the band that Nirvana would be, if they were still around. While their songs are certainly loud and angry at times, they also have a strong pop sensibility. Sometimes it'll be just an acoustic guitar and Kazuhiro Momo's raw but well tuned vocals, other times a trance-like electronic track, or a horn section, or a combination of just about everything. They aren't afraid to throw all tonality out the window one minute, only to settle back into pure pop bliss the next.
Every album takes a slightly different direction (though not nearly as wide as, say, Coaltar of the Deepers), while at the same time making perfect sense in the discography as a whole. This is particularly evident on the 2007 release C.O.W. (Check Out World) which has very prominent electronic elements, like drum machines and heavy use of synths. There are also several counterpoints to the more electronic tracks, keeping it from simply being their "experimental electronic album." They are a band that has slowly evolved over the years from a young punk band to a much more mature and well rounded rock band who isn't afraid to do whatever they want with their music.
Through it all is a welcome sense of humor and a very strong handle on the songwriting, making Mo'some Tonebender much more than your average screaming noise rock. They prove that silly pretty things can be just as loud as the serious ugly things, or the seriously pretty things and the silly ugly things. Well, you get the idea.
Matryoshka is a somber, ethereal duo consisting of programmer Sen and vocalist Calu. They seem to be very heavily influenced by other precious bands like Mum and Sigur Ros. Perhaps unsurprisingly, they found a resonance with fans in the Netherlands who helped bring them to the attention of the powers the be.
While the dark, washed out chords and gradually building piano lines might at first conjure up echos of the Icelandic shoegaze super group, Matryoshka does have their own style. (Although, having said that, "My Funeral Rehearsal" is almost note-for-note Sigur Ros fodder.) First off, being a duo with (apparently) a single, largely electronic music producer, their sound pallet is certainly different. Where Sigur Ros is solidly grounded in real-world instruments, Matryoshka instead beings a host of both frigidly cold soundscapes and more heavily processed glitches. Most songs are a mix of muffled beats and the aforementioned pianos and stings with various vocal twitters and sonic trickery. Others are a bit more experimental, like "Viridian," an exercise in massive synths and little else, something that wouldn't be entirely out of place buried deep on a Nine Inch Nails album.
That's not to say they are stark and lifeless however. Quite the opposite. Calu's melancholic and angelic singing style brings an almost Dead Can Dance feel to some songs, most notably the absolutely amazing "Evening Gleam Between Clouds." She sings in both a whispery falsetto and a lower, more mature register. It's almost as if two people inhabit her voice from one song to the next. Much like their Russian name (nesting dolls) and Polish album title Zatracenie ("doom"), the vocals also jump between languages, from Japanese to English, though with the ghostly presentation it's often tough to tell the difference.
While they do at times show signs of still being a rather young band (they formed in 2006) with limited resources ("Tyrant's Miniature Garden" is a fantastic song marred by synthetic strings and drums) they definitely have a very unique style that's ripe for many years of harvest yet to come. In fact they already have a second album in the works. You can listen to and download almost all of their songs directly from their official website, something else rather unique.
With a name like My Plastic JonBenet Doll, you know it has to be good.
In fact, My Plastic JonBenet Doll is made up of members from four other rather good bands: Aiko Nakajima of Veltpunch on vocals and bass, Tomomi Hirota of Overleaf on vocals and guitar, Seiji Himeno of Enmanova on guitar and backing vocals and Naoki Asama of Kiwiroll on drums. Perhaps it is this hodge-podge of members from other, moer active bands that makes MPJBD seem like a bit of a side-project right from the get-go.
Since their formation in 2004, the band has only released one mini-album, Yellow & Blue, and that was back in 2006. Obviously the members have a lot on their musical plates, so it's no surprise that work on My Plastic JonBenet Doll has fallen to the wayside. Nevertheless, their single release has plenty of shining moments to make it worth the effort.
With duel female lead vocals in full effect on most songs, they sound most like Toddle or some of Esrevnoc's harsher rock songs. They are a dreamy indie rock band at heart, with the bulk of Yellow & Blue featuring their high, fluttering duel harmonies floating over a wash of fuzzed out guitars and straightforward drumming. Their various musical backgrounds do show through from time to time though, most notably with the obvious single and opening song "YB." It's extremely catchy and peppy, and also the most like Esrevnoc's chirpy, sunny style. That's followed up with "U.S.O." a fast, almost punk tune, if not for the very pretty vocals. "Faint" is a plodding space pop jam that suddenly breaks into a psychedelic rock-out at the end. The album tosses in enough of these twists and turns to make for refreshing listening, if not anything revolutionary.
Will we ever see more from My Plastic JonBenet Doll? Probably not (their official website seems to have expired...) but hey, we've got all of their other "real" bands to keep up with, so any future releases will be a very welcome surprise.
Haruko Momoi began her career in Under17. Along with guitarist Masaya Koike, the duo churned out a huge number of anime and dating-sim themes over their two year or so carreer. A couple of their most memorable tracks were "Kujibiki Unbalance" from the anime-show-within-an-anime show of the same name featured in Genshiken, and "Mail Me" from the rather strange horror film Suicide Circle (aka Suicide Club). The latter was a rather odd choice considering the girl group performing the song is using it to brainwash everyone who hears it into killing themselves. Anyway, the two broke up at the end of 2004 in order to pursue solo careers.
Since then Momoi has indeed gone on with her singing career, releasing several albums full of just about exactly the same style of music as her Under17 days. Being a computer otaku since her childhood, many of her songs are video game related. The best example of both her gaming and anime fetishes are the two Famison 8bit albums of anime cover songs done strictly in 8-bit Famicom style ala YMCK. When not totally immersed in chip-tune land, she sticks to the tried and true super saccharine and chirpy anime-pop style, with techno beats, light guitars and super squeaky vocals. She does mix things up with softer ballads and straight up rock songs, but for the most part she caters to the glow-stick waving, cosplay wearing, meganekko fetish crowd.
She is also an active anime seiyu, voicing a large number of characters in both anime and video games. She made her first visit to the US at Anime Expo in 2007. There was a lot of drama surrounding her appearance (as well as just about every other performer that year) but the show went on, much to the joy of her many fans. She returns to the US at Anime North in May of 2008.
Major Releases: Under17 - Best Album 1 Bishōjo Game Song ni Ai wo!! Under17 - Best Album 2 Moe Song wo Kiwameruzo!! Under17 - Best Album 3 Soshite Densetsu he... momo-i quality (2006) Haruko☆UP DATE SONGS BEST (2007) Famison 8BIT (2007) Famison 8BIT STAGE2 (2007) COVER BEST (2007) Sunday early morning (2008)
21st Century
Mail Me
Lum no Love Song (that's Azusa Yamamomto in the video, not Momoi!)
Akihabalove done by Momoi and Perfume - Warning, it might melt your face off with the ultra kawaii radiation!
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.
Marble is a soft, pop-rock duo consisting of vocalist Micco and the-other-guy Kikuchi Tatsuya. They've been releasing singles for various anime shows since 2003, but it was only recently with the inclusion of their music in the popular Hidamari Sketch that their name started to surface.
Marble produces some extremely user-friendly music, which is probably why they make it onto so many girly anime shows. Their first album Nijiiro Humming (虹色ハミング) features their previous singles, as well as a host of new material. The music is focused primarily on Micco's soft and clear vocals backed by acoustic guitars, pianos and mild electronics. Much like the album cover photo would have you believe, the sounds conjures up idyllic scenes of vibrant green fields, clear, sunny skies and, indeed, humming rainbows.
They do manage to break up the halcyon haze from time to time with some (relatively) experimental tracks, more along the lines of something you might hear in one of the Katamari video games. I'm thinking mostly of "星空 featuring Lil' ～Train to Stella Mix～" here, which has the stuttering samples and funky electro bass-lines so prevalent and iconic in those games. They never go too far into this territory however, which is a bit of a shame. They certainly do it well.
While not as distinctive as Tsuji Ayano nor nearly as experimental as Kahimie Karie, Marble fits well somewhere in-between, which is exactly what they seem to be aiming for.
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
