And the summer ends with a bang with some high profile releases by Dir en grey and another Straightener album. But I’m most excited for Miila and the Geeks’ debut album, followed closely by sgt. and Ogre You Asshole. Stateside we get a simultaneous release of Dir en grey’s new album, a Peelander-Z greatest hits compilation and the DVD release of the Live From Tokyo documentary.

8/02 Dir en grey- Dum Spiro Spero US (Amazon, Omega Order)

8/03 6EYES- Flush (CD Japan)

8/03 COUNTLOST- Mirror (CD Japan)

8/03 CRAZY HiTMAN- Riddim Jamboree (CD Japan) Read the rest of this entry ?

7/01 umbrella- Amayadori (CD Japan)

7/02 Ashley Scared The Sky- The Prayer EP

7/06 Africaemo- Power of the City (CD Japan)

7/06 Alfred Beach Sandal- One Day Calypso (CD Japan)

7/06 BIGMAMA- Himitsu to Lucy (CD Japan)

7/06 The ChronoHEAD- Latent Fire

7/06 Comeback My Daughters- Outta Here (CD Japan)

7/06 Frontier Backyard- sunset, sunrise (CD Japan)

7/06 kidori kidori- El Primero (CD Japan)

7/06 LITE- For All the Innocence (CD Japan)

7/06 Mop of Head- Retronix (CD Japan)

7/06 noanowa- Hi! How Are You? (CD Japan, Play-Asia)

7/06 Olde Worlde- The Lemon Shark (CD Japan, Play-Asia)

7/06 NoGoD- Kamikaze (CD Japan, Play-Asia)

7/06 The Opening Cloud- equal (CD Japan)

7/06 Plastic Girl In Closet- Cocoro (CD Japan)

7/06 ROTTENGRAFFTY- Silver (CD Japan)

7/06 Space Boys- Angelina

7/06 stack44- Navigation Light (CD Japan)

7/06 SuiseiNoboAz- The (Overused) End of the World and I Miss You Muh-Fuh (CD Japan, Play-Asia)

7/06 The Ton-Up Motors- Hey!! People, (CD Japan)

7/06 Unison Square Garden- Populous Populous (CD Japan)

7/06 Yellow Gang- Stay Free Songs (CD Japan)

7/13 The50kaitenz- Rock’n’Roll Sekairyokou (CD Japan)

7/13 BREAKERZ- LAST PRAY / ZETTAI! I LOVE YOU (CD Japan)

7/13 Fear, and Loathing In Las Vegas- NEXTREME (CD Japan)

7/13 Gackt- Episode.0 (CD Japan, Play-Asia)

7/13 Mix Speaker’s, Inc.- It’s a dream world (CD Japan, Play-Asia)

7/13 Negoto- ex Negoto (CD Japan, Play-Asia)

7/13 OUTER-TRIBE- Afraid (CD Japan, Play-Asia)

7/13 Salyu- Aozora / Magic (CD Japan)

7/13 school food punishment- Prog-Roid (CD Japan, Play-Asia)

7/13 STRAIGHTENER- YOU and I / Hitsuji No Mure Ha Oka Wo Noboru (CD Japan, Play-Asia)

7/19 Fjordne- Charles Rendition (Darla)

7/19 Shonen Knife- Osaka Ramones (Good Charamel)

7/20 Akihiro Namba- Wild at Heart (CD Japan)

7/20 [Champagne]- Ie (CD Japan)

7/20 Flipside- mugixcale (CD Japan)

7/20 Good Morning America- Wall Paper Music ja Odoritakunai Ze (CD Japan)

7/20 Miila and the Geeks- 3 Songs (Jet Set)

7/20 sakanaction- Bach no Senritsu wo Yoru ni Kiitaseidesu (CD Japan, Play-Asia)

7/20 the telephones- 100% Disco Hits! Summer Pack (CD Japan)

7/27 B’z- C’mon (CD Japan, Play-Asia)

7/27 Homosapiens- LemonPop (CD Japan, Play-Asia)

7/27 GOOD4NOTHING- It’s shoooort time!! (CD Japan, Play-Asia)

7/27 Four Get Me A Nots- Heroine (CD Japan)

7/27 MERRY- Beautiful Freaks (CD Japan)

7/27 Monica Uranglass- Puxa (CD Japan)

7/27 Shinichi Osawa & Paul Chambers- Singapore Swing (CD Japan, Play-Asia)

7/27 Theatre Brook- Live Long and Prosper Tour (CD Japan)

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Summer’s here.

6/01 B’z- Don’t Wanna Lie (CD Japan, Play-Asia)

6/01 the HIATUS- Hatching Mayflies (CD Japan)

6/01 Limit3- Imaginaly number

6/01 lynch.- I Believe In Me (CD Japan)

6/01 OVERGROUND ACOUSTIC UNDERGROUND- Yume no Ate (CD Japan)

6/01 Quruli- Kiseki (CD Japan)

6/01 UVERworld- Life 6 Sence (CD Japan)

6/07 Ghost Company- PUNK EATS J-POP -MOSH PIT STYLE- (CD Japan)

6/08 Alice Nine- Blue Flame (CD Japan, Play-Asia)

6/08 ammoflight- Truthpeaker (CD Japan)

6/08 andymori – Kakumei (CD Japan)

6/08 The Bawdies- Live The Life I Love (CD Japan)

6/08 Buzz the Bears- Kodo (CD Japan)

6/08 the Canadian Club- cocoon (CD Japan)

6/08 Homosapiens- Dead Girlfriend (CD Japan)

6/08 Jazztronik- Dig Dig Dig (CD Japan, Play-Asia)

6/08 Kaminarigumo- Scrap Short Summer (CD Japan)

6/08 Man With A Mission- Man With A Mission (CD Japan)

6/08 midnightPumpkin- Recipe of “FOREVER” (CD Japan)

6/08 MotherMAN- MotherMAN (CD Japan)

6/08 Nothing’s Carved In Stone – echo (CD Japan, Play-Asia)

6/08 the pillows- Comic Sonic (CD Japan, Play-Asia)

6/08 T.C Speaker- Good-by My World (CD Japan)

6/08 Tribal Chair- Crows in the Crowd (CD Japan, Play-Asia)

6/11 cinema staff – cinema staff (CD Japan)

6/11 Elmoc- Shortly

6/15 9mm Parabellum Bullet- Movement (CD Japan)

6/15 A.O.W.- Counter Culture (CD Japan)

6/15 Bassui- Play Ground (CD Japan)

6/15 The Birthday- I’m Just A Dog (CD Japan)

6/15 BLOOD- Bathory (CD Japan)

6/15 Dunkelheit- lover in the soil (CD Japan)

6/15 exist trace- True (CD Japan)

6/15 Galileo Galilei- Aoi Shiori (CD Japan)

6/15 GPKISM- Reliquia (CD Japan)

6/15 Kettles- Me My Kettle? (CD Japan)

6/15 Last Alliance- for staying real BLUE. (CD Japan)

6/15 Saori@Destiny- Domestic domain (CD Japan, Play-Asia)

6/15 serial TV drama- Togenkyo Alien (CD Japan)

6/15 Shit Happening- This Memory To Me… (CD Japan)

6/15 Suicide Ali- Donor of lie (CD Japan)

6/15 Supercar- Re: Supercar 2 (CD Japan)

6/15 TV-Addictions- A Hymn for the TV-Freaks (CD Japan)

6/15 Versailles- Holy Grail (CD Japan, Play-Asia)

6/15 Yellow Magic Orchestra- YMO (CD Japan)

6/22 absentmindedness- Blind e.p. (CD Japan)

6/22 a flood of circle- AFOC The Mix (CD Japan)

6/22 DadaD- Go Around (CD Japan)

6/22 Dir en grey- Different Sense (CD Japan, Play-Asia)

6/22 DNA BAKS- Ichimatsu Moyo e.p. (CD Japan)

6/22 The Mirraz- Kanransha ni Noru Kimi ga Yakei ni Terasareteruuchi wa (CD Japan)

6/22 Mix Speakers, Inc.- It’s a Dream World (CD Japan)

6/22 Negoto- Merci Lou (CD Japan)

6/22 white white sisters – spectrachroma (CD Japan)

6/29 Ashigaru Youth- Like or LoveStory (CD Japan)

6/29 Base Ball Bear- yoakemae (CD Japan)

6/29 L’Arc~en~ciel- Good Luck My Way (CD Japan)

6/29 Scott Murphy- Guilty Pleasures Animation (CD Japan)

6/29 Tokyo Jihen- Daihakken (CD Japan, Play-Asia)

6/29 VA- ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION presents NANO-MUGEN Compilation 2011 (CD Japan, Play-Asia)

6/?? Ogre You Asshole- Ukareteiru Hito Twilight Edition EP (Jet Set)

6/?? Towa Tei- Sunny EP (Jet Set)

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What do you know, I actually posted this early for a change. A lot of great stuff coming out this month. Such as new capsule, which was postponed and renamed. Other releases of interest: debut PeopleJam, full length 0.8秒と衝擊。, new Monobright with Toru Hidaka as a full-fledged member, the return of  macdonald duck eclair, and Vampillia again. And I’m sure I’ll be bumping Perfume.

05/04 TOTALFAT- World of Glory with Joe Inoue (CD Japan, Play-Asia)

05/11 Analog Fish- Ushinau Yoi wa Aru? Soretomo Houtteoku Yuki wa Arunokai (CD Japan)

05/11 BYEE the ROUND- バイザラウンド (CD Japan)

05/11 END OF START- From The Small Room

05/11 functioncode- Terror (CD Japan, Play-Asia)

05/11 Heavenstamp- Stand By You + Remixes (CD Japan, Play-Asia)

05/11 macdonald duck eclair – Kono Tokimeki Imasugu (CD Japan)

05/11 MONOBRIGHT- ACME (CD Japan, Play-Asia)

05/11 PeopleJam- Dirty Groove (CD Japan)

05/11 The Salovers- Band Wo Hajimeta Koro (CD Japan, Play-Asia)

05/11 School Food Punishment- RPG (CD Japan)

05/11 toddle- the shimmer (CD Japan)

05/11 Tokyo Jihen- Sora ga Natteiru / Onna no Ko wa Dare Demo (CD Japan)

05/11 Towa Tei- Sunny (CD Japan, Play-Asia)

05/11 Unison Square Garden- Orion wo Nazoru (CD Japan)

05/18 0.8秒と衝擊。- 1 Bo 2 Bo 3 Bo 4 Bo 5 Bo 6 Bo, Toyo Techno. (CD Japan)

05/18 9mm Parabellum Bullet- Atarashii Hikari (CD Japan, Play-Asia)

05/18 Camel Rush- Life Is Once

05/18 eastern youth- Kokoro no Soko ni Toka Tomose (CD Japan)

05/18 Homosapiens- Dead Girlfriend (CD Japan)

05/18 LM.C- Super Duper Galaxy (CD Japan, Play-Asia)

05/18 MONGOL800 – etc. works2 (CD Japan, Play-Asia)

05/18 Perfume- Laser Beam / Kasukana Kaori (CD Japan, Play-Asia)

05/24 Vampillia- Rule the World + Deathtiny Land (Amazon)

05/25 BACON – 月が朝日に變わるまで

05/25 capsule- World of Fantasy (CD Japan, Play-Asia)

05/25 COLD KITCHEN- Danzai no Feedback (CD Japan)

05/25 EDDY- Asterism (CD Japan)

05/25 FLiP- Michi Evolution (CD Japan)

05/25 ivory7 chord- Luminously (CD Japan)

05/25 kowloon- metallic, exotic (CD Japan)

05/25 Kuroneko Chelsea- Nude + (CD Japan)

05/25 LAZYgunsBRISKY- LAZYgunsBRISKY (CD Japan)

05/25 TOTALFAT- DAMN HERO (CD Japan, Play-Asia)

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Back again with another belated Stuff To Look Forward To. It goes without saying March was a tough month for Japan. There were several releases pushed back to late April/May, mostly from the major labels. Unfortunately I haven’t kept tabs on those so you’re on your own.

This month we have new releases from old favorites Doping Panda and The Cherry Coke$ who have finally gotten some attention after their Giant Killing OP. We also have debut albums from myspace band of the week alumni LOST, the loud function, and Usotsuki Barbie. My mini-album pick of the month goes to Shugo Tokumaru’s band Gellers, who have surprisingly gotten little attention outside of our sister blogs. My album pick of the month goes to Vampillia. I got it last week (labels are finally starting to send me stuff!) and have been listening to it non-stop.

4/06 Apartment- Apartopology (CD Japan)
4/06 Kinoko Hotel- Marianne no Kokotsu (CD Japan, Play-Asia)
4/06 Merengue- Aporia (CD Japan)
4/06 Metron Ongen- Eden (CD Japan)
4/06 NICO Touches The Walls- Passenger (CD Japan, Play-Asia)
4/06 Plastic Tree- Ammonite (CD Japan, Play-Asia)
4/06 Usotsuki Barbie- Nininini (CD Japan, Play-Asia)
4/13 The Cigavettes- The Cigavettes (CD Japan)
4/13 Doping Panda- Yellow Funk (CD Japan, Play-Asia)
4/13 GEEKS- Babbage (CD Japan)
4/13 LOST- The Monsoon (CD Japan, Play-Asia)
4/13 Low IQ 01- Master Low Go (CD Japan)
4/13 Salyu x Salyu- s(o)und(d)beams (CD Japan, Play-Asia)
4/13 STRAIGHTENER- Vandalism/Silly Parade (CD Japan, Play-Asia)
4/15 Gellers- Guatemala (Jet Set)
4/15 Joseph Nothing Orchestra- Super Earth (Unsupermarket)
4/19 JAWEYE- alpha (CD Japan)
4/19 Vampillia- Rule the World/Deathtiny Land (Amazon)
4/20 The Cherry Coke$- Seven (CD Japan)
4/20 the loud function- world of monochrome (CD Japan)
4/20 Supercar- RE: Supercar 1 (CD Japan, Play-Asia)
4/27 ANA- Hole (CD Japan)
4/27 Going Under Groud- Inagawa Kun (CD Japan, Play Asia)
4/27 Mo’some Tonebender- Best of Worst (CD Japan, Play-Asia)
4/27 Wagdug Futuristic Unity- Raw (CD Japan)

Also of note, & records just released a benefit comp for the victims of the Tohoku earthquake. Includes Caroline and myspace band of the week alumni 4 Bonjour’s Parties and kuh (ex-Beat Crusaders). 40 tracks for $11.99.

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March is a big month for J-music. New albums from capsule, FACT, Polysics, Salyu, and uhnellys. Greatest hits albums from Clammbon, Sambomaster, Sotaisei Riron, and new hits from Maximum the Hormone. New super groups killing Boy, If By Yes, and Bradberry Orchestra. My pick of the month goes to sloppy joe’s debut album With Kisses Four, who wowed me with their Portrait 7″ last year.

03/02 the band apart- Scent of August (CD Japan)

03/02 Monobright- Come Together/Dancing Babe (CD Japan)

03/02 Rip Slyme- Star (CD Japan, Play-Asia)

03/02 SiMoN- Supankoru (myspace, CD Japan)

03/02 Sorry For A Frog- Happy Songs For Our Tomorrow (myspace, CD Japan

03/02 uhnellys- to too two (myspace, CD Japan)

03/02 VA- Free Throw Compilation (CD Japan)

03/09 Holidays of Seventeen- Let There Be Pop (myspace, CD Japan)

03/09 80kidz- Nautilas 7″ (myspace, Jet Set)

03/09 8otto- Ashes to Ashes (myspace, CD Japan, Play-Asia)

03/09 Emi Meyer- Suitcase of Stones (myspace, CD Japan)

03/09 Hotel Mexico- His Jewelled Letter Box (myspace, Amazon.com, CD Japan)

03/09 killing Boy- killing Boy (myspace, CD Japan)

03/09 Mizca- 1925 (CD Japan)

03/09 Polysics- Oh! No! It’s Heavy Polysick!!! (myspace, CD Japan, Play-Asia)

03/09 sloppy joe- With Kisses For (myspace, CD Japan, Jet Set)

03/16 Bradberry Orchestra- Vol. 0 (CD Japan)

03/16 co3 aka FACT- co3 (myspace, CD Japan)

03/16 EMPTY- So What? (myspace, CD Japan)

03/16 FACT- Eat Your Words (myspace, CD Japan)

03/16 group_inou- Heart (myspace, CD Japan)

03/16 Mowmow Lulu Gyaban- BeVeci Calopueno (myspace, CD Japan, Play-Asia)

03/16 sakanaction- Rookie (myspace, CD Japan, Play-Asia)

03/16 VA- GO!GO!7188 Tribute – GO!GO! A GO!GO! (CD Japan, Play-Asia)

03/16 Versailles- Philia (myspace, CD Japan)

03/22 If By Yes- Salt on Sea Glass (myspace, Amazon.com, CD Japan)

03/23 capsule- Killer Wave (myspace, CD Japan, Play-Asia)

03/23 Maximum the Hormone- Greatest Hits 2011-2011 (myspace, CD Japan, Play-Asia)

03/23 Salyu x Salyu- s(o)un(d)beams (CD Japan)

03/23 Sambomaster- Sambomaster Kyukyoku Best (CD Japan, Play-Asia)

03/23 Sotaisei Riron- Tadashii Sotaisei Riron (CD Japan)

03/29 Dirty Beaches- Badlands (myspace, Amazon.com, Insound)

03/30 Clammbon- clammbon-Columbia best- (CD Japan, Play-Asia)

03/30 Clammbon- clammbon-Warner best- (CD Japan, Play-Asia)

Notes:

-If you’re new to J-Rock, check out the Free Throw compilation. It has most of my all-time favorites—the telephones, sleepy.ab, avengers in sci-fi, The Brixton Academy, Turntable Films, and more. Two CDs for the price of one!

-Hotel Mexico’s His Jewelled Letter Box is just a jewel case reissue for wide release. One of my favorite EPs last year!

-If By Yes is the only band to get a Japan/US release this month! It’s the new project from Petra Haden (That Dog) and Yuka Honda (Cibo Matto), plus members from the Cornelius band.

-I almost have enough affiliate monies at CD Japan to buy something. What should I get?

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After two months of soul searching I’ve decided that the only way I could keep up with this column is to not blog about it. So from now on all you’re getting are links and maybe a video or two. Sorry! Bolded my top picks in case anyone’s interested.

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2/02 aie- Hikarika (myspace, CD Japan)

2/02 FUNKIST- Pieceful (myspace, CD Japan)

2/02 Rotten Graffty- FAMILIARIZE (myspace, CD Japan)

2/02 Sorrys!- Sou Imasugu Sou Zenbu (myspace, Amazon MP3, CD Japan)

2/02 winnie- Synchronized (myspace, CD Japan)

2/04 HNC- Witches Party EP (myspace, Jet Set)

2/08 Hystoic Vein- FAKE (myspace, CD Japan)

2/09 Akihiro Namba- Punk Through The Night (myspace, CD Japan)

2/09 [Champagne]- I wanna go to Hawaii. (myspace, CD Japan)

2/09 Gekitetsu- Geki (myspace, Amazon MP3, CD Japan)

2/09 HALCALI- Tokyo Connection (myspace, CD Japan, Play-Asia)

2/09 V.A.- Second Royal Vol. 6 (CD Japan, Jet Set)

2/15 Asobi Seksu- Fluorescence (myspace, Amazon.com, Polyvinyl, CD Japan)

2/15 Shugo Tokumaru- Port Entropy [US Release] (myspace, Amazon.com, Polyvinyl)

2/16 BACK-ON- Hello World (myspace, CD Japan)

2/16 coldrain- The Enemy Inside (myspace, CD Japan, Play-Asia)

2/16 Galileo Galilei- Parade (myspace, CD Japan)

2/23 Boom Boom Satellites- EXPERIENCED Live DVD (myspace, CD Japan, Play-Asia)

2/23 sleepy.ab- Mother Goose (myspace, CD Japan)

2/23 TsuShiMaMiRe- Giving Blood (myspace, CD Japan)

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