No news since a long time, that's a pure shame and we're gonna try to fix it, no kidding.
First please note everything about the ongoing tour of these two gentelemen ?
Since many years now David Fenech is driving his sound in the most out-of-time way. While many toy-music records fail to elevate themselves above their material, the real succes of his Polochon Battle is to immediatly create a mysterious meaningfull atmosphere, and not to get stuck on this intimacy of most bedroom recordings. This orchestra of sanzas, whistles and hummings, woody percussions, various strings and melodica with some light electronics, never happen to fail into clichés or easy-to-make, but seem to rely on its various influences in a very fresh way to reach the highest levels. The loop aspect in some compositions never smell like an easy trick, the out of tune sides never spoil, and children voices sound obvious. Deep and humble musical attitude for the best results, a record full of life and filled with all-stars tournament featurings (Kubin, Tokumaru, Klimperei...)
Absolutely no idea of how it may work live, but how not to be curious about it ? Ergo Phizmiz deserves another full-size post in itself, Oh God, asap...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Don't think a single minute I'll feel ashamed to talk about it because this guy happens to be also a friend.
Who is honestly today able to solo compose, produce, mix, master, and release, such an awesome bright creature ? A true lonsesome cowboy.
Forget everything you knew about this nightmare called "data-pop": forget all the 27th years old white hetero nerdy citizens making music in their tiny flats, with guinea pig vocals, and absolute lack of any glam.
Here comes something from the true wild countryside, where fantasy escapes from the farm, where humour merges with lyricism, where compositions and computer share the same purpose, where delighting sounddesign never disturbs the songwriting.
With such a baseline, there is not a single track you'll find old-fashioned two months later, thanks to an awesome sense of composition, strongly inspired by 40 years of the best backyard pop items, from Milton Delugg to early electronics, from the best of japanese pop (with a tribute to Chiku from Tama) to Morricone landscapes, from country-smurf to cosmo-surf.
Although the trailer gives a good overview, listen to the full "psychotic interstellar catastroph" or "further west of space" will introduce you the unique way this guy can drive an instrumental upside down all along 6 astonishing minutes. The raw vocals from the early Juicy Panic album have turned to nowadays beautiful smooth voice , with a true universe developped along classy lyrics.
Rarely the digital playground has been used in such a deeply fresh way. Norman Bambi is playing every tools with both the most obvious and sophisticated musical attitude, driving a whole fake orchestra, carefully tuning his synths, mashing with various folk guitars and acoustic drums, switching sound effects in the best justified childish way.
Order your copy directly from the producer. Make my day. Made in Normandie, and definitely nowhere else. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kokusyoku sumire live / Bordeaux / L'Inca ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
(with all my deep apologies for such bad quality videos) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- I have to say I first heard about Kokusyoku Sumire just a few days ago, thanks to Maruta's invitation to go to their show. As Maruta is member of Phnonpenh MODEL, and also organised Juicy Panic tour in Japan, I was very curious about this event.
A quick look on youtube and website highlighted their belonging to a japansese gothic-lolitas scene, but it also appeared to be really much stranger and stronger than most of the current production in this area.
And their live act really proved they go far beyond any visual aspect, developping a unique chansonesque and neo-opérette instrumental universe with only violin, vocal, accordion and some piano parts, driving a whole set without any drums, from children song to polka, from showa military sides to Nina Hagenesques lyricism or even a kind of Rondo Venezziano humour (with wonderfull musical earrings).
Delighting and precious is the way they can play virtuoso in the freshest and simpliest way, their interpretation sometimes reaching such striking and powerfull peaks that you'll forget everything and be ready to follow them anywhere.
Another review and interesting interview (in french) from their live in Aix is avalaible here.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pan Kleks w Kosmosie soundtrack
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- This one surfaced while cratedigging second-hand shops in Poland last year.
Despite the precious help of our friends, as we often missed infos and were unable to listen in the small shops around train stations, we mainly had to trust our 7th sense, cover artworks, and few credit infos appearing.
DJ Gilou found this one among the stack, and I can hardly tell how gratefull I am.
A true unbearable experience layering the dumbest vocals on DX patterns & Yamaha drumbox. Great italo-synth compositions, out of tune aerobic children attempts.
And of course, of course, after some quick browsing, THE MOVIE in itself.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Avalaibility: probably famous and easy in Poland. Probably nerdy and hopeless anywhere else. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
I didn't catch my copy yet, but Kania Tieffer new cd is freshly released on wwilko.
Those who happened to enjoy all over Europa her DIY disco-noise girl-power live events know what the deal is about.
Among thousands of myspace daily morning spams and emo-ragga requests bullshits, it was a delightment to find them.
And not meaningless that they share the same post between Belgium and Koenji, as it seem they have some things in common beyond detuned synth, proto-punk distorded drums, or devo influences.
New bunch of webzines by Shoboshobo published by himself and Opuntia books ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Life is Life, by Mehdi Hercberg, 76 pages under silkscreen cover, minimal evidence and powerfull regressive lines against wild hairy textures, printed on various colour papers.
Also new Decapitrons volumes bring a new dimension to the whole project, involving Hendrik Hegray, Kentaro Minoura and Matt Lock under the principle of alcohol printing. With each new issue, it definitely gains more strength, highlighting the specificity of this cheap forgotten printing technic really far beyond the simple joke.
Although link of this french strong raw genius was already a little bit spread on the internet, there is always a new song you'll be happy to hear.
Neither a fake nor a joke, the striking and shocking musical acts of Stephane resist any mockery and even survive the unfortunately bad frenchy humoristic graphic design of the "official" page kindly run by a friend as support. From the first original tapes released years ago to the web, this outsider from Angers (France), well-known in his city for singing in the streets with tape recorder, keeps its straight line whatever happens,lying his choking angel voice on the crème de la crème of instrumentals.
And before leaving, please consider this one. Used to pimp profile on myownspace, comes from the hottest junk found at second-hand market this year. Unforgettable hardcore trauma 7inch: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bright Young Museum Workers vol.1 - Tokuma Japan - LP - 1984 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Despite it is exactly the kind of artwork you would never notice among hundreds of records, this strange compilation, highlited thourgh P-Vine techno-kayo reissue's work, deserves sharp attention.
No time to loose: the main thing is it contains the song Kaeru by mysterious band Children, definite childish poppy hit with marimbas, leads and a cheap drumbox low disco beat that would bring tears and happiness in the same time and whip ass of the thoughest speedcore-addict.
But also unique french-japanese duet "Paris" digs a giant hole in the best non-sense and "who dares ?" applied to music: this means accordion cliché layered with dumbest tribal dumdisco bongo beat, discussion in both french and japanese between lover and girl, and saxophone behaving as an elephant.
You'll still find the time for new wave addons, mellotron flute jingle, and strawberry fields accordion cover among many other things.
Avalaibility: Promo LP copies may appear through Eil.com Full size CD reissue (Tokuma Japan label) released in 2005 and still avalaible ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ohta Keiichi no Jingadaimakyo - Yen Records - LP - 1983 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- "If you take the long view of any art movement, it looks like a bunch of worms wriggling in one's place. No one's trying to break through; non one's aware of other places, of other planes of existence. And it all follows a circular path." Keiichi Ohta, in Bananafish #14
It can be blessed, at first sight, as a para-Guernica record, and as the Ginwaha utau 7", this kind of aside piece revealing the whole project. And although Guernica in itself constitues a major precious jewel, already blessed 10000 times, maybe this one already warms you up with a deeper, sharper, and stranger feeling.
This is one more step in the story of a geniuses association: Ueno composing, Ohta writing, Hosono producing, and several guests as Makigami Koichi or Sato Ikuko among others performing vocals, all out of fashion and out of time, from the first notes to last details of graphic design, stuck by the kind of VIEW you'll never find in the neighborhood of amnesiac times.
Everything is already here, believe it, in 1983: Ueno's unique composition style in the strictest way, retro-synth orcherstrations, haunted piano grounds, demented children's choir and vocals, taking care never to fall into easy harmonies. It's no place for Guernica's charged orchestrations nor fast tempo, here we follow bright lines, Showa obsession staying in the borders, as tempo keeps a strange slow mystery. With less military and more poetry, and while Togawa's chilling whispers, set aside for a while, will hurt us with extatic pleasure until the end of times, here another erotisicm of lost past times is allowed to emerge along these madly warm opiates songs.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Avalaibility: Awesome original vinyl sometimes appear on Yahoo auctions among various Ohta's related items. Probably easier now to catch the Yen Box vol.1, and anyway to take part of the full story:
This place is intended to highlight artists who may deserve yout attention by blogging records and live reviews.
It focuses on japanese independand music (strong and unexpectable characters, hidden jewels, smoky enka obscure oiroque, deviant mainstream, and crossovers) but also worldwide indies and rare oldies..
However, purpose is to provide detailed infos in english about each of strong unique artistic project, and not to mess up everything under a fake "oddball" cliché. It tries to contribute fighting against tired clichés. Also sometimes try to build a good overview of japanese independent music history, of its different movements, filiations or oppositions, to better understand every personnal involvement of the musicians.
It follows and support of the activists aready involved in Jp/Eu relationships .
I only do it because I'm fed up with general market rules, distribution and information lacks about these artists, and french press laziness.
For strictly same reasons, I sometimes happen to play records.
