Just a reminder, Peelander-Z’s greatest hits album Super DX Hitz comes out today via Chicken Ranch Records. It includes 28 happee songs, some of which are rerecorded, and a karaoke DVD with 5 music videos. Below are the karaoke videos for the DX versions of “S.T.E.A.K.” and “Mad Tiger.” The sax in “S.T.E.A.K.” sounds amazing! Buy it now on Amazon.
Polyvinyl has released a compilation entitled Japan 3.11.11 benefiting the ongoing relief efforts in Japan. The compilation includes b-sides and rarities from the label’s artists including Asobi Seksu and Deerhoof. It also includes Shugo Tokumaru’s cover of “Video Killed the Radio Star” and toe’s “Ordinary Days,” previously released on iTunes. The MP3 version of the compilation is available now while the 2LP will be released in September. All proceeds will be donated to the Red Cross. Order here.
The End Records announced details for the US edition of Dir en grey’s 8th album Dum Spiro Spero. The 14 tracks will include the singles “Hageshisa To, Kono Mune No Naka De Karamitsuita Shakunetsu No Yami,” “Lotus”, and “Different Sense.” The album will be released as a standard CD, deluxe CD with 2 bonus tracks, and a double LP. All three editions are already up for preorder at The Omega Order and Amazon. There’s also a limited edition bundle at the Omega order with the deluxe CD, LP, t-shirt, and a signed poster going for $40 (hell of a bargain compared to the similar $150 Japan edition). However, it seems to have sold out already. Dum Spiro Spero comes out August 2nd in America, a day before Japan.
I’ve been putting off posting these for a while. So I figured I should do a roundup now since more than one of them are shipping.
Caroline- Verdugo Hills
Caroline dropped her debut album Murmurs on Temporary Residence in 2006 and kind of disappeared. But she was slowly putting together her followup, as well as touring with Mice Parade, even lending vocals to their latest album. Verdugo Hills will be released January 25 in the US by Temporary Residence on CD and vinyl. &records released the album in Japan earlier this month.
Pre-order: Amazon.com, Temporary Residence
Japanese Release: CD Japan
Deerhoof- Deerhoof vs. Evil
Deerhoof switched to Polyvinyl for their tenth album release. The band decided to leak the album track by track on various music blogs worldwide. You can find a bunch of them on Polyvinyl’s SoundCloud. In addition to vinyl and CD, Polyvinyl will also release it on cassette. Yay for dead formats! It was released earlier this month in Japan from P-Vine.
Pre-order: Amazon.com, Polyvinyl
Asobi Seksu- Fluorescence
Asobi Seksu’s fourth proper album will arrive February 15 from Polyvinyl. Download “Trails” for free by giving them your email. EMI Music Japan will release the album in Japan on February 2. That would be a major label. Congrats!
Pre-order: Amazon.com, Polyvinyl
Japanese Release: CD Japan
Shugo Tokumaru- Port Entropy
Port Entropy made blogosphere headlines when it was released in Japan last year. Europe got it late 2010 and now Polyvinyl will release it in America the same day as Asobi Seksu. The CD will be limited to 2000 copies and 1000 copies for the green vinyl. Get it while you can!
Pre-order: Amazon.com, Polyvinyl
Japanese Release: CD Japan, Play-Asia
ironomi- sketch
Singapore-based Kitchen. Label released ironmomi’s latest batch of “delicate field recordings” at the tail end of 2010. They’ve now set up worldwide distribution at places you can find here, including America.
Order: Darla Records
Envy will release their fifth album Recitation on September 22 in Japan and Europe. Temporary Residence will release the album on October 12 in America. Pre-orders for the US release will go up on September 1 on Temporary Residence’s website in CD and 2xLP format. The band will tour the US in September and October with Touche Amore, And So I Watch You From Afar, La Dispute, and Trash Talk to support the album. Tour dates are below.
Mono will release a live album/DVD titled Holy Ground: NYC Live With The Wordless Music Orchestra in April. It will be released in Japan April 6 and in the US on April 27 via Temporary Residence. The DVD/CD chronicles the band’s sold-out shows in NYC in 2009 in tribute to their first show in NYC ten years ago. This is also the first time the band played with a full orchestra. Tracklisting is below and you can pre-order it here.
German label Denovali Records will release mouse on the key’s Sezession and An Anxious Object worldwide on vinyl and CD in 2010. Sezession is already available for pre-order and will be released on CD and CD+vinyl combo (I ordered the black haze 10″). The price is in euros, put Paypal will convert it for you. Keep an eye on my Twitter to find out when An Anxious Object goes up for pre-order.
Mouse on the keys is an instrumental trio from Tokyo consisting of former members of Nine Days Wonder. Their sound can be described as jazz infused post-rock. They will be Read the rest of this entry ?
Myspace Records have released Polysics’ latest album Absolute Polysics today, January 12, on CD with no prior warning. You can buy that at Amazon or Interpunk. They will also be on tour in America at the end of the month through February. This will be the band’s last tour with keyboardist Kayo. Now would probably be a nice time to see them, especially since they go “on break” after this tour. Tour dates can be found on this annoying splash image:
Californian indie label n5MD will release ent’s debut album Welcome Stranger in the US/worldwide in 2010. The US release will contain all 7 songs from the Japanese release plus 3 remixes. Ent is the solo project of Atsushi Horie, frontman of STRAIGHTENER and FULLARMOR.
Welcome Stranger was originally released in February 2009 by Preco Records. The album, 3 years in the making, was a more personal and sentimental journey for Atsushi. Heavily influenced by electronics and post-rock, Atsushi combined these elements with pop sensibilities from his other projects.
On this blog, I like to talk about what Japanese albums are getting a US release. So, I’d like to introduce a page I’ve been working on since the beginning of this year, the 2009 US Release Calender. It’s been live all this time, but considering it has only gotten 39 views so far, I have to assume no one knows it exists. It’s a very simple list of what came out this year, followed by a link to where to buy it and their myspace if applicable. I only include albums that were released on CD or vinyl. MP3 downloads are too numerous and really take no effort to release. I like physical media. It gives me a sense of ownership that MP3s will never, ever have.
https://croquiscrisis.wordpress.com/2009-us-releases/
What I’ve bought this year (just 2009 releases):
Vinyl– Hush and Transparence 10″ by Asobi Seksu and Hymn to the Immortal Wind by Mono
CD: self titled albums by FACT and parms, P-POP HIGH SCHOOL by Peelander-Z, and Utada’s second English album This Is The One
DVD: A Knot Of by Dir en grey
I also have 9dw’s self titled LP. It came moments ago, that’s why it’s not in the picture. There’s also a couple other things I have on order. Right now, albums I’m most looking forward to later this year are Armonica Hewa by OOIOO, Rewolf by Asobi Seksu, and Dir en grey’s music video collection. I also have to applaud Maru Music for getting their releases on Hot Topic shelves. I was able to buy Versailles’ debut album from there a few months ago.
I’m constantly updating this page, I added three releases yesterday alone, so be sure to bookmark it. Also, be on the lookout for a This Month In J-Rock announcement next week.
J-Rock Explosion 