This is it. After 4 years I’m letting J-Rock Fridays go. My warnings were not heeded and it’s time to move on. Starting next week I will start making individual video posts. Stick around, won’t you?
Arukara- 名探偵ミスタ相棒はジョニー
Arukara and their baskerville hound embark on a good old fashioned murder mystery. Do they catch the killer? I honestly have no idea but it’s cool watching them rock out in Sherlock Holmes attire.
tricot- “Oyasumi”
Hey, batter batter! Watch tricot’s lead vocalist strike out a hundred times while her bandmates cover the bases. This may take all night but keep at it, girl.
Frontier Backyard- “Picture of the Sun”
Say goodbye to cloudy days and drive on up the coast for some picture perfect scenery in Frontier’s backyard.
A song title so long you would think it’s the new te’ video. Electric Lunch’s new single does have the similar math rock power of that band but with the raw emotional vocal power of Ling tosite sigure.
The Insect Kids- “Henda, Henda, Henda / Full Color”
Both of The Insect Kids’ new iTunes singles are featured in this elongated video of a man riding his bike into daylight. “Henda, Henda, Henda” adds some electronic beats that we haven’t really heard from the band before while “Full Color” sounds like it could break into a dance song at any moment if it weren’t for the melancholic guitar.
mori wa ikiteiru- “Hibi no Utakata”
A really great folk song that I missed a few weeks ago but kind of already covered months ago on band of the week. Enjoy the banjo filled, country twang of”Hibi no Utakata” while the band showcasew their record collection in the park.
Four Amys for three chaqqs. This isn’t a competition. Just watch the girls smile and dance.
Rose Noire- “Feed”
You guys know how I feel about visual kei. But damn, that violin. New track off their long out of print debut album Apocalypse to be reissued in December(!).
Soredemo Sekai ga Tsuzukunara- 「参加賞」
This is a story of a girl who is in an abusive relationship who tries to kill herself. Yeah, if you don’t want to feel today why don’t you listen to some anime music instead.
It’s been six years since Maximum the Hormone’s last album, but the band is back with their usual brand of sonic metal fury sandwiched between J-pop verses. “Yoshu Fukushu” features some manga panels and sound effects, sneak peak at the 156 page manga that comes with the CD?
the HIATUS- “Horse Riding”
Watch Takeshi Hosomi’s silhouette play guitar as random scenery and newsreels pass in the background. A rather bland single but at least the HIATUS are past their emo phase.
BIGMAMA- “Alongside”
Set sail with BIGMAMA or just watch them rock out on the pier. The skies are grey, but the violin, which remains the band’s saving grace, will keep you cozy.
It’s a “fine day” to try on hundreds of pairs of clothes with Czecho No Republic. Mai Takahashi’s role in CNR has been minimal since she joined last year, but her first lead vocal song is stunning. The song original appeared in shortened form as the bonus track on their Ivory single and I hope they let her sing more tracks on their next album. She’s too good for backup!
kataomoi- “Daily Disco”
Something funky is going on in kataomoi’s new video..the entire band was replaced by random black people! It’s hard to say anything else without sounding racist, but it is a humorous, good natured video starring guys that obviously have more rhythm than the actual band.
Crossfaith- “Eclipse”
In Japan, it’s illegal to dance after 1am. It’s a good thing Crossfaith’s international fanbase has grown exponentially over the past year. Wherever “Eclipse” was filmed, you know Crossfaith will throw a hardcore party.
It’s been a brain scrambling week thanks to the heat so let’s just cut right to the videos before I collapse.
the milky tangerine- “Setsunai Dance Music”
Beat the summer heat with the milky tangerine’s winter wonderland video. “Setsunai Dance Music” doesn’t have the synths nor the dubstep breakdowns that have become synonymous with modern dance music, but if you’re looking for a fun piece of guitar pop, the milky tangerine will add some color to your playlist.
mitsume- “Utsuro”
Summer time go to the beach. Mitsume’s new single has the boys tripping in water and doing funny dance moves all over town while the guitars wail to the sound of old teen beach movies.
go!go!vanillas- “Ningen Sanka”
Go!go!vanillas walk around town in this cool four panel rock’n’roll video. I’m a little disappointed their bassist stole Beat Crusaders’ Taro Kato’s look but I’ve been spinning this single since February and am just happy they’re finally putting out an album.
Crossfaith harnesses the power of the solar eclipse to become gods in yet another apocalyptic video full of swirling metal cubes and dust storms. You can catch them live all summer ripping apart the Warped Tour in anticipation of their new album Apocalyze being released everywhere this September.
3style- “My Soul”
Hang out with 3style for a while before one of them goes outside and inadvertently films a first hand video of the end of the world. All we get to see is a giant fireball in the distance before people start dropping dead and the camera falls but it’s a fun little movie.
Adams- “Bittersweet”
Adams have invented a new sub genre of visual kei, “neo sexual”, in which the two vocalists express their homosexual interests for each other in their songs and videos (two Adams instead of Adam and Eve). As for the gay stuff, the only things we see in “Bittersweet” are a few silhouettes and a subtle wink.
So I’ve been doing J-Rock Fridays biweekly for the longest time. Let’s see how long I can keep this up every Friday.
saisa- “Blessing the Circulation”
To tell you the truth, the post rock scene hasn’t been doing much for me lately until I found saisa’s cassette tape last year. Their melancholic instrumentals and off kilter vocals struck a chord with me that bands like Mono have failed to do with their extravagant orchestras. “Blessing the Circulation” comes from their debut album, released last month by Chinese label 1724 Records (apparently the first debut of a Japanese band on a Chinese label, politics).
salyu × salyu- “Jibunngainai (Studio Live Version)”
Ghost in the Shell fans were surprised by the announcement of a new OVA series this year. Instead of going with Yoko Kanno for the music department again, they chose Cornelius who then reunited with salyu for the theme song. “Jibunngainai” continues in the salyu x salyu tradition with Salyu’s ethereal voice and Cornelius’ production touches. Unfortunately, the only project we’ll remember her for (aside from Lily Chou-Chou) when her pop career ends.
BiS Kaidan- “好き好き大好き (Special Edit)”
BiS is back again this week, this time teaming up with members of legendary noise rock band Hijokaidan. Seriously? What kind of idol group does that. This video is a delightful mess, with the girls SCREAMING in blood soaked dresses destroying EVERYTHING. Thankfully, we have a full album of this to look forward to.
Did I really write 100 of these things? Thanks for sticking around these past four years and I hope you continue to enjoy it.
andymori- “Neverland”
In a few short months, andymori will be gone forever, so they might as well start pumping out those musicvideosnow. “Neverland” is presented as a short film, and tells the story of adult size Peter Pan. While Captain Hook adjusts to the corporate life, Pan continues on his childish exploits even after losing the ability to fly. All it takes is a child to believe in him!
sakanaction- “Inori (Extended Mix)”
In case you’ve only been keeping up with sakanaction through their singles, they’ve been including one track over their past few albums that is much more dance than rock. “Inori” is from this year’s self titled album and is being released as an extended mix on vinyl. This may be a boring black and white video with the band standing around with their Macbooks, but I assure you this is one for the clubs!
Czecho No Republic- 「１人のワルツ」
Czecho No Republic heads to the country for the second video off their Tower Records exclusive single. They meet some llamas and ostriches but mostly sing and dance all happy like in the park.
Primetime 99. Only one more column until we hit triple digits!
Language- “Hikari”
It’s the end of the world and only two people are left alive! It’s easy to forget that this is a video about the undead apocalypse once the gorgeous vocals of “Hikari” fade in and the girl wanders off into rural Japan, but the lovers’ tragic fate is just as beautiful as everything before it.
Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra- “Diamond In Your Heart feat. Takeshi Hosomi”
Long-running Japanese ska band Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, who I just found out played Coachella a couple of months ago, has teamed up with the HIATUS’ Tekeshi Hosomi for their latest single. It’s the kind of positive song Hosomi used to sing back in Ellegarden, but with a with a lot of great horns in the background.
SOIL&”PIMP”SESSIONS and Shiina Ringo- “Koroshiya Kiki Ippatsu”
Two epic J-Rock collaborations in one week! Shiina Ringo is free to do as she pleases now that Tokyo Jihen is done and here she is jazzing it up with the SOIL&”PIMP” boys on a boat. Everyone’s an assassin and we might not make it to dinner in the captain’s quarters.
J-Rock Explosion 