Archive for the ‘Salyu’ Category

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J-Rock Fridays Vol. 101

July 5, 2013

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.

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Posted in BiS, BiS Kaidan, Champagne, Cornelius, HenLee, Hijokaidan, J-Rock Fridays, Large House Satisfaction, Man With A Mission, Miyavi, saisa, Salyu, salyu x salyu | Leave a Comment »

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Best of 2011: Collaborations

February 8, 2012

Slowly plowing through the year end lists, here’s our favorite collaborations and supergroups of 2011.

AA=AiD- “We’re not alone”

After the natural disasters of 2011, it was cool to see all the “pray for Japan” benefit tracks and compilations that cropped up on the internet from all over the world. AA=AiD is a project led by Takeshi Ueda (AA=) that recorded this song to encourage reconstruction efforts. “We’re not alone” is a veritable who’s who of J-Rock and features Hayashi (Polysics), Shinichi Ubukata (Nothing’s Carved In Stone) and Akihiro Namba (Hi-STANDARD) among many others. You can download it for free here.

Kenzi Masubuchi’s Punk Ska Unity did much the same but with even more punk/ska artists.

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Posted in AA=, Best of 2011, Cornelius, hydrant house purport rife on sleepy, Kimonos, LITE, Love and Hates, Maia Hirasawa, Nujabes, Salyu, salyu x salyu, The Dekits, toddle, toe, Year End Lists, Zazen Boys | 1 Comment »

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J-Pop Moment: Salyu x Salyu

February 18, 2011

The togo wearing Salyu has had her tasers set to “impress” these past few months. First her triumphant return to Lily Chou-Chou in December and now her forthcoming Cornelius produced album s(o)un(d)beams. On ただのともだち (Just A Friend), Salyu sheds her J-Pop princess persona for something a little more mature (with handclaps!). I guess that’s why she’s releasing this album under the name Salyu x Salyu and not Salyu.

s(o)un(d)beams will be released March 23. Pre-order at CD Japan. Another interesting footnote, this album was co-written by Shintaro Sakamoto of the psychedelic rock band Yura Yura Teikoku. All this talent! If the above video wasn’t enough, there’s three more versions below.

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Posted in Cornelius, J-Pop Moment, Salyu | 1 Comment »

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The Return of Lily Chou-Chou

November 8, 2010

Fans of the Tarantino-approved cult classic All About Lily Chou-Chou can return to the ether next month.  Lily Chou-Chou will release a brand new single on December 8 and perform live in Tokyo on the 15th. Salyu, who kind of became a big J-pop star in the 9 years since the film was released, will return on vocals along with composer Takeshi Kobayashi and Yukio Nagoshi.  Keep checking their website for any future news on the project.  I know I’d like to hear a new album.

The movie is available on DVD now along with the original soundtrack.  Songs from the film below.

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Posted in Lily Chou-Chou, Salyu | 1 Comment »