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Yasutaka Nakata Does It Again: Capsule Featured On Chronicle Soundtrack

February 12, 2012

I’m a bad capsule fan. I was able to pick out Crystal Castles and M83 instantly while watching Chronicle, but my beloved capsule completely eluded me. It’s a good thing I sit through credits otherwise I would have never have seen capsule was included on the soundtrack. My guess is “Flash Back” played sometime during the rave or the after-the-magic-show party. In any case, the song is featured on the soundtrack for real and I’m counting this as capsule’s US debut.

Last summer, Perfume’s “Polyrhythm” was featured in Pixar’s Cars 2, which was produced by Yasutaka Nakata. This makes “Flash Back” the second Yasutaka Nakata song to be featured in a Hollywood film in less than a year’s time. Keep them coming!

Capsule’s 13th studio album Stereo Worxxx will be released March 7 in Japan. “Step On The Floor” leaked last and it’s a great return to form in the vein of “Love or Lies.” If you’re looking for a good movie to watch next weekend, Chronicle was great. Best superhero film since The Dark Knight.

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J-Rock Fridays Vol. 64

February 10, 2012

Presenting the best J-Rock videos of the week…

GRAPEVINE- “Rakuen”

Leave it to GRAPEVINE to take a seemingly innocent song and make a traumatic video about a group of men up against the wall waiting to get gunned down. At least they went to “heaven.”

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Posted in Acidman, Apple Saitou & the Happy Hercules Boys, GEEKS, GRAPEVINE, Heavenstamp, J-Rock Fridays, Lagitagida, MAMA GUITAR, Shit Happening, SiMoN, The Bawdies, the loud function, Winnie | 1 Comment »

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Best of 2011: Covers

February 9, 2012

Today we’re looking at some our favorite cover songs and cover albums of 2011

AFROHEAD 7 LINE- “YMCA”

SECRET 7 LINE has been trying to court me for years now. All it takes is afro wigs and classic rock songs, though. You can’t hurry poops. (web, CD Japan,Play-Asia)

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Posted in A, Afrohead 7 Line, Best of 2011, Cokehead Hipsters, Covers, Crossfaith, HALCALI, Merpeoples, Miranosand, Monobright, Peelander-Z, Year End Lists | 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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The Mari On The Beach

February 7, 2012

myspace band of the week

The Mari On The Beach is an alternative rock band that formed in the autumn of 2011. They got to writing songs fast uploading several free tracks on their bandcamp page by the end of the year. In January, they released their first album Get Out Of Making Music. Mari tried out a variety of different styles on this album including punk, twee pop, new wave and even samba.

Get Out Of Making Music is available for purchase at bandcamp and CD Baby or for free at Soundcloud & last.fm.

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Best of 2011: J-Pop Moment

February 2, 2012

Seeing as I took this week off of work, I figured I should probably get going on those best of 2011 posts. J-Pop Moment was supposed to be an irregular feature, but it looks like I only got around to posting one in 2011. Since that’s just not cool I decided I should put together a J-Pop wrap up for the year.

Towa Tei with Yukihiro Takahashi & Kiko Mizuhara- “The Burning Plain”

As an avid DVD collector, Towa Tei had me at “you just set up the DVD I’ve waited to see.” And then model Kiko Mizuhara chimes in with the chorus and it’s LOVE. I haven’t seen The Burning Plain (I hear Charlize Theron is naked in it) but I’ll pick it up when I see it in the bargain bins. (CD Japan/Play-Asia)

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Posted in aoki laska, Best of 2011, BiS, capsule, DadaD, Emi Meyer, Genki Sudo, J-Pop Moment, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, OBRIGARRD, Perfume, Sayaka Kushibiki, Towa Tei, World Order, Yasuyuki Okamura, Year End Lists | Leave a Comment »

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J-Rock Fridays Vol. 63

January 27, 2012

Happy Friday!

Limited Express (has gone?)- “we love this country like banana.”

Limited Express is back singing a song about surviving nuclear bombs and earthquakes and bananas of course. Go Japan!

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Posted in (plug)INSIDE-OUT, androp, EeL, frAgile, J-Rock Fridays, Karasu, Limited Express (has gone?), ROACH, Scott Goes For, Sugar's Campaign, TAIJI at THE BONNET, Teen Runnings, yetii | Leave a Comment »

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NRQ

January 25, 2012

myspace band of the week

NRQ (New Residential Quarters) is an instrumental quartet from Tokyo. Its members are Hattori Masanori (contrabass), Yoshida Yuki (erhu), Makino Takuma (electric guitar) and Mr. Nakao Kanji (drums, sax, etc.). Yoshida and Makino formed NRQ as a duo in 2007 and Hattori and Mr. Kanji joined the following year. Their first album Old Ghost Town was released in 2010. NRQ blends wind and string instruments for an interesting mix of folk, country and jazz music.

NRQ’s new album Noman’s Land will be released this week and includes guests MC.sirafu on trumpet and vocals by mmm. Pick it up at CD Japan.

http://www.myspace.com/newresidentialquarters

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Superfriends

January 18, 2012

myspace band of the week

Superfriends is a powerpop trio from Kyoto. Tomohiro Shiobara (vocals, guitar), Yuji Ochiai (bass) and Maki Maeda (drums) formed the band in the winter of 2005. They named themselves after the Weezer song (not the DC superheroes) who they have much respect for. Superfriends were featured on Thistime Records’ OK! Powerpop Vol. 2 compilation and have self-released three CDs.

Their newest CD, 3, was released in November and is available at Jet Set Records. Thistime Records also distributes Superfriends’ CDs on their online store.

http://www.myspace.com/super1friends2

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Stuff To Look Forward To, January 2012

January 18, 2012

I haven’t posted the bulk of my best of 2011 lists yet, but the show must go on. The first weeks of 2012 were slow, but  we got new BIGMAMA, ent, FACT, the pillows and a few best-of compilations this month.

1/10 Corona Sessions- Corona (CD Japan)

1/11 cali gari- 11 (CD Japan)

1/11 The ChronoHEAD- Supernova (CD Japan)

1/11 CLEAVE- The Circle EP (CD Japan)

1/11 Dir en grey- Uroboros Remastered and Expanded (CD Japan)

1/11 FACT- Burundanga (CD Japan, Play-Asia)

1/11 Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas- Just Awake. (CD Japan)

1/11 Gold & Saint- I Am You Are Me (CD Japan)

1/11 Kyary Pamyu Pamyu- Tsukema Tsukeru (CD Japan, Play-Asia)

1/11 Margaline- Let It Go

1/11 PLASTICZOOMS- Starbow (CD Japan)

1/11 shibuyamicrofuture- Sing A Song (CD Japan)

1/11 soreizenni- Jidai ni Requiem (CD Japan)

1/11 tokyo pinsalocks- Hallelujah Girls (CD Japan)

1/11 VA- Catch All Your Stuff 4 (CD Japan)

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Posted in Stuff To Look Forward To | Leave a Comment »

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