sgt. - Birthday (2011) (AWESOME !!!)

Genre : Post-rock, with Jazz influence, from Japan
Myspace
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Tracklist :

1. Furuboketa Ehon
2. cosgoda
3. Lyman Alpha no Mori
4. arabesque
5. 221B Baker
6. breathless
7. Zweiter Weltkrieg
8. Anata wa Watashi
9. Kimi wa Yume o Miteiru Yume ga

After making 2010 the year they mastered the art of live performance with their first venture abroad in their Canada tour, sgt. were able to put their experience to good use. Their first album in 3 years features 9 rich tracks. The sgt. post rock soundscapes accentuated by violins all told in a story of galactic proportions. This is conceptual art at its finest. The cover illustration was done by Yoko Sueyoshi. This album also features the first time any vocals were placed on a track. The vocals are from none other than kim from uhnellys. There are also an assortment of instruments that make there way into each track.

Formed in 1999 in Tokyo, Japan, the four-piece sgt. utilizes a broad range of genres to create their distinctive sound, including that of post-rock, jazz, ambient and improvisation. Using a guitar, violin, drums and bass guitar, the band creates uplifting instrumental compositions comparable to such acts as Toe or Anoice. sgt. released their debut mini album perception of causality in November 2005, followed by a split recording with good music! the following year.
They also released a full length album, Stylus Fantasticus, during fall 2008.

Miaou - The Day Will Come Before Long (2011) (AWESOME !!!)

Genre : Post-rock, Electronica, from Japan
Myspace
Buy

Tracklist:

01. Notnotnot
02. Small Dream
03. Own Your Colours
04. Cycle
05. Endings (feat. epic45)
06. Up And The Sky
07. Lost Souls (feat. radical face)
08. Keep Drifting My Heart

Miaou were formed in 1999 by Tatsuki Hamasaki and sisters Mayumi and Hiromi Hasegawa. Throughout the years the band have blurred the line between pop and experimental, adopting ambient synth swells, drones and IDM glitch to craft a dreamy vision of instrumental rock.

Since the release of their debut album, ‘Happiness’ , in 2003, the band continued making new songs and touring though Japan with Art of Fighting, Epic45 and Tracer AMC. Armed with an ever increasing mountain of synths, toy instruments and a fender rhodes, the band released a second album, ‘Make These Things Alright’ , and their ‘painted’ e.p., further blurring the lines between post-rock and electronica.

After their third album, ‘All Around Us’ , came out in 2008, the band toured across Japan, into Taiwan playing the Formoz festival, as well as doing shows in Ireland and the UK. In between recording the band have contributed to Compilations in Japan and the USA, and completed remixes for the likes of Sweden’ s EF and Not Squares from the UK.

Recorded in Tokyo in the Spring of 2011, The Day Will Come Before Long sees miaou push on into more electronic territory than before – bigger synths, broken up samples and glitchy guitars. Mixed by electronic extraordinaire Cornel Wilczek (Qua) in Australia and featuring some achingly beautiful vocals from special guest singers in Ben Cooper (Electric President/Radical Face/Ghost) and Ben Holton (Epic45). Expect to hear swelling synths, crashing guitars and electronic beats making up miaou’s sonic soundscapes.

Takahiro Kido - Fairy Tale (2011) (AWESOME !!!)

Genre - Cinematic, Classical, Electronica, Ambient, Post Rock, from Japan
Myspace
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Tracklist :

1. Prologue
2. All Endless Dreams
3. 2nd Season
4. Oranges & Lemons
5. 3-Sized PF
6. Rust Summer In Tokyo
7. Let’s Go Crazy
8. Roads
9. The Three-Day Blow
10. Eternal Flower

Takahiro Kido is a composer residing in Tokyo, Japan. He started the post-rock band Anoice as a leader & composer and have released the highly acclaimed albums on the Important Label and Ricco Label. His music is a blissful combination of various classical instruments - piano, violin, viola, organ and guitars etc. with a little electronics. In 2006, he starts to work as a recording/mixing engineer and web designer. And he has released five solo albums from PLOP and Ricco Label.

He know also plays in bands RiLF (altanative band with Calu of Matryoshka and members of Anoice) and mokyow (a three piece band with Takahiro Matsue and Tadashi Yoshikawa) and cru (a unit with Yuki Murata) since 2007. He also made an appearance in the Japanese gore film Mutant Girl Squad.

"Fairy Tale" was made after his activities as the member of RiLF, and it has a lot of familiar melodies used in CM for Japanese TV or other medias or events.

Takahiro kido thinks that "Fairy Tale" will be his best effort because it's more gentle and beautiful than "Fleursy Music" that is his former work that recorded 8th place with the electronica chart of Germany and was selected to the best 10 album in 2008 by The Silent Ballet that is the website of music review in U.S.

Welcome to the entrance to the endless world of dream and adventure.

Fjordne - Charles Rendition (2011)

Genre : Electronica, Ambient, Experimental, Jazz, from Japan
Myspace
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Tracklist :

01 propheteia
02 Gathering
03 awakening
04 constellation
05 forfeiture
06 hope
07 Ald square
08 Ebenze
09 antidotal
10 hazel

Based in Tokyo, FJORDNE is the solo project of Fujimoto Shunichiro. Focused on two concepts, “sound texture” and “twisted time”, he utilises an array of acoustic instruments and transforms his sounds into a new time span using the laptop computer. Within a year in 2008, FJORDNE released 3 albums ”UNMOVING” (u-cover, Belgium), “The Last 3 Days of Time” (Dynamophone Records, USA) and “Stories apart from the world” (Ryoondo Tea, Japan), This was followed by another EP “light passes on through a layer” (SEM label, France) before his fourth album “The Setting Sun” (Kitchen. Label) was released in August 2009.

Following 2009’s critically acclaimed ‘The Setting Sun”, FJORDNE releases his second album on Kitchen. Label entitled “Charles Rendition”. The lyricism of that earlier album and stories of tragedy and social decline are intact, but further explored. “Charles Rendition” is an introspective piano study through a child’s eyes set in a self-penned short story, inspired by Charles Dickens’ 1861 novel “Great Expectations” – a morality tale of a forest boy and girl struggling to accept and adjust to the decadence of society in a mysterious, timeless era. “Charles Rendition” takes its cues from the antique patina of time, with traces of a lingering past that continue to intrude onto the present.

“Charles Rendition” is available on CD and digital formats on 15th July 2011. The physical CD copy comes in a customized 7-inch LP-sized paper edition, professionally offset printed and made with a careful selection of materials and processes – Letter-pressed and individually numbered 300gsm premium matt cardboard folio; and loose newsprint broadsheet fold-outs that include FJORDNE’s self-penned short story accompanied with visual reflections and ambiguities. Limited to an edition of 700 copies only.

LITE - For All The Innocence (2011) (AWESOME !!!)

Genre : Math-rock, from Japan
Myspace
Buy (coming soon!)

Tracklist :

1. Another World
2. Red Horse in Blue
3. Rabbit
4. Perican Watched As The Sun Sank
5. Rebirth
6. Pirates and Parakeets
7. Chameleon Eyes
8. Cat Cat Cat
9. Duck Follows an Eccentric
10. 7day Cicada
11. Mute Whale

Formed in Tokyo in 2003, the band - Nobuyuki Takeda (guitar), Kozo Kusumoto (guitar,synthesizer), Jun Izawa (bass), Akinori Yamamoto (drums) - are cited as an influence by a new wave of young instrumental bands around the world.

Extensive touring since their formation has won them fans in Europe, the US and beyond thanks to their intense, incendiary live performances and a steady stream of EPs and albums has firmly established them as one of the most exciting bands to have emerged from Japan in the last decade.

The band have most recently toured the US twice with Mike Watt & The Missingmen and will appear at Fuji Rock Festival in Japan for the second time following their first Asian tour and will soon return to European shores.

Yasushi Yoshida – Grateful Goodbye (2010) (AWESOME !!!)

Genre : Ambient, Modern Classical, Electronica, Japan
Myspace
Buy

Tracklist :

1. Let Go (01:21)
2. Grateful Goodbye (06:52)
3. Staircase (05:39)
4. Embrace Calm Music (05:42)
5. Remembering (00:27)
6. Pieces Of Last Scene Brilliance (03:37)
7. Departure Music (01:29)
8. Round And Chord (01:30)
9. Slow Bird Wonder Words (07:36)
10. Chromatic Chronicle (06:20)
11. For Everything Calm Embrace (03:39)

Yasushi Yoshida (吉田靖) was born in November 1978 in Osaka, Japan. He writes, produces and performs music focusing on piano and guitar arrangements. Yoshida began making his name as a composer, contributing to multi-award winning dance companies, BABY-Q’s solo dance performances and various plays and films in Japan.

Not content with working solely within the music scene, Yasushi Yoshida has also contributed material to areas as diverse as theatre and visual arts. Collaborations include Yoko Higashino’s solo dance performance and Oi-SCALE theatre company’s “Michigaere Sekai”.

Two and a half years from his previous album, “Little Grace”, a breathtakingly beautiful shower of instrumental music with ringing sounds of live instruments performed with film-like eloquence, Yasushi Yoshida will release his newest album, “Grateful Goodbye” from noble label.

Yasushi Yoshida’s music style like a storybook that breathes life into the images of the scene in the listener’s mind has led the way to many collaborations in the area of visual arts including dance, theater, and film. In his third album, “Grateful Goodbye”, each of the tracks have been composed around the concept, “stories of farewell.” A story unfolds in every song, coming together like a puzzle to form one grand story in the end. “Farewells” are captured from different angles and the flowing, three dimensional execution of the stories speak well of the artist’s talent as a story teller.

In orchestration, the style of the previous album has evolved further and now features a vast lineup of live instruments such as guitar, bass, flute, and trumpet composed around the piano, cello, and violin. Approaches like chamber music, dynamic orchestra ensembles, and their emotional melody are not only inspiring but the level of completion and the superior power of expression together prove the sure evolution of Yoshida’s music. Though tranquil and melancholy in mood, the album brings to mind positive images of dynamism and life. It is not a film score. It is not classical music. It is not post-rock. It is pure and beautiful music at its best. A “Grateful Goodbye” to all those living. A masterpiece by Yasushi Yoshida.

[me]Allright friends. This new album from Yasushi Yoshida is my last post in 2010. It's an AWESOME year rite? :P
Happy Holliday.
See you in 2011.

RiLF – Ferris Wheel (2010) (AWESOME !!!)

Genre : Ambient, Electronica, Post-rock, Experimental, Japan
Myspace
Buy

Tracklist :

1. Intro
2. Roller Coaster
3. Ocean
4. Pray For The Piano
5. Interlude
6. So Sad
7. Anechoic Room
8. Min Tea
9. Orange Murmur

RiLF is Tokyo based alternative band formed by the members of Anoice, matryoshka and some friends at the beginning of 2010. The members are Takahiro Kido, Takahiro Matsue, calu, Yuki Murata, Jyunko Tabira, Utaka Fujiwara, and Aki. After releasing debut EP “era.ep” for only their Live under the name of “Ricco Label and Friends” on April, they changed the band name into RiLF. And RiLF have just made our 1st album “Ferris Wheel” now, and will release it on September 8th from Ricco Label. RiLF - www.rilf.info

Envy - Recitation (2010) (AWESOME !!!)

Genre : Post-hardcore, Post-rock, Japan
Myspace
Buy (THE FIRST 500 ORDERS WILL RECEIVE LIMITED EDITION COLORED VINYL: CLEAR/LIGHT GREY/BLACK SWIRL. )

Tracklist :

1. Guidance
2. Last Hours Of Eternity
3. Rain Clouds Running In A Holy Night
4. Pierces Of The Moon I Weaved
5. Lights And Solitude
6. Dreams Coming To An End
7. Imcomplete
8. Worn Heels And The Hands We Hold
9. A Hint And The Incapacity
10. A Breath Clad In Happiness
11. 0 And 1
12. Your Hand

There surely have been numerous fraught discussions on where Envy fall with regard to genre tags. It's time to give it up. The two-decade career of the Japanese quintet has been marked by cinematic melodies and crashing distortion -- there's never been a need to understand what precisely Tetsuya Fukagawa bellows in his scratching scream or spoken word bridges. Envy's just beautiful. True power.

The last few years have pointed to Envy being in transition and experimenting, as their split releases with Jesu and Thursday displayed more theories than song. But all has fallen into place on 'Recitation', as the songs act more as movements in a Victorian poem where one song follows a traditional rock structure, and another (like 'Last Hours of Eternity') catapults the ambient moments into torture. As expected, some songs break the eight-minute mark, but some are cut to fit into 90 seconds.

Beginning on Sept. 25 Envy will begin a U.S. tour that will share stages with Touche Amore, And So I Watch You From Afar and Trash Talk.

Toe - Cut_DVD (2010) (AWESOME !!!)

Genre : Math-rock, Post-rock, Japan
Myspace
Buy

DVD release from Japanese post-rock band toe featuring footage from their concert performance on February 15, 2010 at Shibuya O-East.

Special Features: music videos of "good bye" and "After Image"

Visit postrockxchange.com for the links :) I want to upload via mediafire, but my internet connection is suck in uploadin big file *sigh*

Ovum - Joy To The World EP (2010) (AWESOME !!!)

Genre : Post-rock, Japan
Myspace
Buy

Tracklist :

01. Your Cruel Virginity
02. Cross On Evidence
03. Reminiscence
04. Like A Hymn

Ovum is a four piece instrumental post rock band hailing from Tokyo, Japan. The band was formed in 2006 by Norikazu Chiba (guitar, keyboard), Yosuke Jinnouchi (guitar), Shunsuke Onoyama (bass) and Yu Tokuda (drums) and has been playing since.

They describe their music as “the pursuit of universal beauty such as the sweetest of melodies and harmony, which may sound classical”. On May 2007 they released their first EP entitled Under the Lost on Lost Records which featured only four songs and on April 2008 they released their first full length entitled Microcosmos on XTAL Records.

This EP already released on January 27, 2010. With total 36 minutes long holding 4 tracks. Their music may be based on the form of “post rock”. However, they believe the most important is not in musical form but in the pursuit of universal beauty such as the sweetest of melodies and harmony, which may sound classical.

Haruka Nakamura - Twilight (2010) (AWESOME !!!)

Genre : Ambient, Electronic, Acoustic, Japan
Myspace
Buy

Tracklist :

01 夕べの祈り
02 harmonie du so
03 彼方
04 窓辺
05 memoria
06 ベランダにて
07 faraway
08 光景
09 dialogo
10 音楽のある風景
11 twilight
12 カーテンコール
13 The Light

Haruka Nakamura is a composer in Tokyo, Japan, and was born in 1982. As a child, Haruka learned to play keyboard and guitar on his own. He has been weaving his soothing acoustical sounds since 2006.

An emerging talent on the Japanese independent electro-acoustic scene, haruka nakamura's second solo outing refines the lyrical, pastoral imagery that inspired his first album "grace". Recorded in a studio overlooking the ocean as a tribute to the sight of the expiring sun falling slowly over the horizon at dusk, "twilight" is a sustained reverie that mirrors the dwindling rays of light at day's end with its subtle variations in timbre and texture.

The brassy shimmer of ARAKI Shin's sax opens the first track "Yuube no Inori" (Evening Prayer, M1), swelling languidly as the orchestra slowly unfurls around it like a resplendent sunset. Throughout the album, haruka nakamura coaxes a startling range of tonal color out of piano phrases that twinkle, patter and shuffle through a variety of compositions and tempos - the gentle march of "harmonie du soir" (M2); the somnolent haze of "On the Verandah" (M6) punctuated by drowsy stutters and cicadas muttering all around you; the reverberations of your languishing pulse as night starts to fall in "faraway" (M7). isao saito's sensitive percussion offers subdued but confident support throughout - dwindling to a hush as the fading rays of the sun dissipate in the crisp night air.

The middle of the album - "Koukei" (Sight, M8) and "dialogo" (M9), in particular - wanders off on a short jaunt into looser, ethereal territory. The furtive meandering of the soprano saxophone by akira uchida, roving itinerant chords, airy percussion and carefully-spaced sustain and release of the pedal are reminiscent of acoustic ambient jazz of ECM. Closing the album, however, are two melody-driven vocal tracks: "twilight", a gentle flicker of a ballad that rises and ebbs with April Lee's (aspidistrafly) fluttering, half-whispered vocals, and Janis crunch's acoustic arpeggio-driven elegy in tribute to the dwindling of "The Light".　　

té - 敢えて、理解を望み縺れ尽く音声や文字の枠外での『約束』を。 (2010) (AWESOME !!!)

Genre : Post-rock, Math-rock, Japan
Myspace
Buy (or Check té myspace page for more information)

Tracklist :

1. 決断は無限の扉を開くのでは無く無限の誤謬に『終止符』を打つ。
2. 天涯万里、必然を起こすは人に在り、偶然を成すは『天』に在り。
3. 秤を伴わない剣は暴走を、剣を伴わない秤は『無力』を意味する。
4. 夜光の珠も闇に置けば光彩を放つが白日に曝せば『魅力』を失う。
5. 勝望美景を愛し、酒食音律の享楽を添え、画に写し『世』に喩え。
6. 性は危険と遊戯を、つまり異性を最も危険な『玩具』として欲す。
7. 人々が個を偉人と称する時が来れば彼は既に『傀儡』へと変わる。
8. 闇に残る遅咲きは、艶やかな初花より愛らしく『夢』と共になり。
9. 逆さまにゆかぬ年月、幸福に最も近い消耗がまた『明日』も来る。
10. 自由と孤立と己とに充ちた現代に生きた犠牲として訪れる『未来』
11. 瞼の裏に夜明けの眠りが、閉じた瞳と思い出に『目覚め』を求む。
12. 『参弐零参壱壱壱弐伍壱九参壱伍九伍弐壱七伍伍伍四壱四壱六四』

translation using google translate :

1. The decision of opening the door to the fallacy of infinite infinity without hitting [end 』.
2. Wanli horizon, is in the people who cause naturally, form a [Heaven's situated in the accident.
3. The sword without the scales runaway, 』scales without the sword [mean inability.
4. 曝Se the light of day if I place a sparkling pearl of the luminous darkness [』lose appeal.
5. Masaru Nozomu love scenery, together with the enjoyment of the prosody 酒食, duplicate painting 』[compared to the world.
6. Is a game of danger, the opposite sex that is most dangerous toys [欲Su as 』.
07. He called in due time the great man [individual people have already turned into a puppet 』.
8. Serotinous remain dark, glossy and lovely than the first flower [be with Dreams.
9. Yukanu years upside down, and wear [tomorrow 』come closest to happiness as well.
10. 充Chita modern living sacrifice to come as yourself and the isolation and freedom [the Future
11. Sleep at dawn on the back of eyelids, eyes closed and Memories Wanted [Awakening 』.
12. [See 弐零 九参壱伍九伍弐壱七伍伍伍四壱四壱六四 壱 see 壱 弐伍 壱 壱 』

Japanese instrumental quartet, té, formed in Tokyo, Japan in 2004. The band quickly gained praise from critics and fans alike due to their energetic and inspirational live performances.

The music of te’ is so aggressive and emotional with its heavy sound and tremendous roar. That is one of the reasons why their music was sometimes compared to hardcore music. Not only the heaviness, but they play so delicately a beautiful melody methodically and tightly. To express these two completely different senses at the same time, the music of te’ doesn’t need vocals at all. One big reason why te’ is now getting offers to play in another countries like U.S.A, Asia, is because of their high quality of their stage. Everyone who watches their stage, they won’t believe how they play those music with their aggressive stage performances. There is a completely new scene ahead for the audiences who have experienced the music of te’.

Boris – Variations (2010) (AWESOME !!!)

Genre : Drone, Sludge, Experimental, Japan
Myspace
Buy (with DVD too !!! YEAAAAH !!)

Tracklist :

1. -Introduction- (Edit) / from “Akuma no Uta-”
2. Korosu / from “Heavy Rocks”*
3. PINK / from “PINK”
4. Woman on the Screen / from “PINK”
5. Yesterday Morning- / from -Mabuta no Ura-
6. Rainbow- / from “Rainbow” Boris with Michio Kurihara *
7. a bao a qu / from Mabuta no Ura-*
8. Statement- / from “SMILE”
9. My Neighbor Satan- / from “SMILE”
10.Floor Shaker / from 7inch Single “Statement”
11. Naki Kyoku- / from “Akuma no Uta-”*
12. 1970 / from “Heavy Rocks”*
13. -Farewell- (Full Length) / from “PINK”

In Japan kanji :

1. イントロ (Edit) 02:21
2. Korosu 04:47
3. Pink 04:20
4. スクリーンの女 02:40
5. 昨日の朝 03:20
6. 虹が始まるとき 05:39
7. a bao a qu 06:03
8. Statement 03:24
9. My Neighbor Satan 05:18
10. Floor Shaker 05:46
11. 無き曲 12:08
12. 1970 05:15
13. 決別 (Full Length) 09:55

Boris is an extremely prolific band and is known to regularly switch musical genres between albums, drawing from a wide variety of musical styles including psychedelic rock, punk, sludge, doom metal, drone, pop, noise, shoegaze, ambient and more. Boris music can be wildly diverse and experimental. Boris takes its name from a song on Bullhead by Melvins.

Variations CD is a greatest hits album Boris song selection focused on the heavy rock side. "Although there is interest, I know you hear from any" one good one that hit the listener. And not just a collection of albums, however, recorded five new songs in the same four people live in the current organization welcomed the support Michio Kurihara / 4 songs first published in Japan / the first version of the CD recording, all instruments continued to follow I am very happy that the fans content. (translate from Japanese with google)

So.., Variations is a "greatest hits" compilation of their "heavy rock" material, with some songs re-recorded with Michio Kurihara on second guitar.

té - 音楽を汚すものは、悦楽でも、惰性でも、官能でも無い。 現実が要求する打算と、経験から生まれる熟慮、それに反省。 現実を汚す音楽を救えるものは、受取手の無垢という表現。DVDRip (2009) (AWESOME !!!)

Genre : Post Rock, Math Rock, Japan
Myspace
Buy

Tracklist :

01.人間は自由なものとして生まれ、至る所で『鎖』に繋がれてゆく。
02.如何に強大な精神や力といえども知性なくしては『無』に等しい。
03.いつも好転する未来を望み、しかし時節の変化は『恐』れている。
04.大胆は無知と卑劣の子であって、他の資格よりはるかに『劣』る。
05.他に寄せる信頼の大部分は、己の内に抱く自信から『生』まれる。
06.愛も信仰も同じ様に日々のささやかな勤行でのみ『維持』される。
07.具眼の士に検閲されることは、最も正しい『価値』の決定である。
08.詩はただ、病める魂の所有者と孤独者との寂しい『慰』めである。
09.人は他人の不幸には充分耐えられるだけの強さを『持』っている。
10.思想とは我々の選ぶものを見せず、我々の好むものを『見』せる。
11.美しき旋律も、音を語る言を持たずしては心にも『留』めがたし。
12.何らの苦しみにもあわずして、何人をも幸福とは『呼』ぶなかれ。
13.欲は全ての言葉を話し、全ての役を演じ、無欲者すら『演』ずる。
14.夢とは現実という平凡なものに付ける美しさに似た『嘘』の俗称。
15.言葉を用いて奏でる者は才能に在らず、ただの記憶に『過』ぎぬ。
16.沈黙中の表情にこそ、言葉選びに勝る本当の雄弁が『存在』する。
17.意味の在る巡り会いを求めず、出会いに『意味』を見つけて行く。

Japanese instrumental quartet, té, formed in Tokyo, Japan in 2004. The band quickly gained praise from critics and fans alike due to their energetic and inspirational live performances.

té’s highly anticipated debut full-length was released in Japan in September 2005, and immediately charted at number ten on the Tower Record Japan charts ahead of many major popular artists. They continually toured Japan in support for the record, and word quickly spread internationally, with music magazines such as Bounce, HMV, VICE and so on featuring the band in their feature articles.

té is:

Tachibana: drums
Guitar: Kono, Hiro
Bass: Masa

The music of te’ is so aggressive and emotional with its heavy sound and tremendous roar. That is one of the reasons why their music was sometimes compared to hardcore music. Not only the heaviness, but they play so delicately a beautiful melody methodically and tightly.

To express these two completely different senses at the same time, the music of te’ doesn’t need vocals at all. One big reason why te’ is now getting offers to play in another countries like U.S.A, Asia, is because of their high quality of their stage.

Everyone who watches their stage, they won’t believe how they play those music with their aggressive stage performances. There is a completely new scene ahead for the audiences who have experienced the music of te’.

*Thanks to Krustie for the original link.

Akira Kosemura - Grassland (2010) (AWESOME !!!)

Genre : Modern Classical, Electronica, Ambient, Experimental, Japan
Myspace
Buy

Tracklist :

01 Grassland
02 Petrarca
03 Light
04 Marriage
05 Xiao Ge Er
06 Little Dipper
07 Ballet
08 Over The Horizon
09 Just A Few Minutes
10 Amour
11 Ensemble

Akira Kosemura’s (Tokyo,Japan) latest pop miniature for Someone Good, Polaroid Piano, shares this hazy filmic impression. It’s a snapshot of his increasingly personal and evocative piano and electronics pieces, tinted with field recordings (recorded in various locations including recordings from Brisbane and Hobart by Lawrence English) and offered as a series of small but gloriously rich auditory phrases. Played notes and the mechanism of the piano itself share equal presence in the compositions – Kosemura’s physicality evident throughout the album.

Just to confuse matters there's two different versions of the new Akira Kosemura album. There's a regular single CD version which contains all the kinds of things you'd find in that kind of package (ie cardboard sleeve and shiny musical face mirror thing). There's also a CD/DVD version which is six quid more and features the aforementioned goodness plus an extra DVD which I've not seen yet. So I'm not sure if it's worth the extra quid for the seven track DVD. Maybe if I get some time soon I'll watch it and let you know somehow through some modern medium like Twitter or something else equally as stupid. Here Akira creates a more organic sound featuring the likes of Paniyolo, Haruka Nakemura, Aspidistrafly etc. It still features all the twinkles and the like... the things you come to expect from a new CD on Schole. It seems less electronic that previous releases I've heard from him. There's still lots of micro electronics and piano but there's plenty of acoustic guitar poking it's head around pastoral corners. It's all very pretty and nice, perhaps too nice but I'm not sure if anything can really be too nice. The vocals that pop up on the odd track are also refreshing and the collaborative efforts here make this an interesting (yet nice) release. Lovely. ~NormanRecords

Mudy On The 昨晩 - YOUTH EP + DVD (2010) (AWESOME !!!)

Genre : Post-rock, Math-rock, Japan
Myspace
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Tracklist :

1.YOUTH
2.N/J
3.IDEA

The triple guitar instrumental rock band “mudy on the sakuban” releases their first single on CD + DVD format. After their previous mini-album, the band quickly gained high critical accolades for their raw, overwhelming energy and virtuosity at their live performances, which led to tickets being completely sold out at their first solo performance.
The DVD includes the best clips from [Kill your T.V. 09 NOW!] (Sept. 2), [Zankyo Festival] (Sept. 21), and from their tour [IDEA] (Nov. 14).

mudy on the 昨晩 DVD - from Youth EP (2010)

File size : 500MB
Resolution : 680x480
Duration : 00:31:38

1. ﾊﾟｳｾﾞ
2. marm
3. ZITTA
4. ミグルス
5. Ozis
6. ﾋｽﾞﾐ･ﾀｶｺ

Preview

Toe - For Long Tomorrow (2009) (AWESOME !!!)

Genre : Math-rock, Post-rock, Japan
Myspace
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Tracklist :

1. ここには何もかもがあるし、何もかもがない
2. ショウシツ点よ笛
3. After Image feat. Harada Ikuko (Clammbon)
4. エソテリック
5. Say It Ain’t So (feat. Hoshikawa Yuzuru (Dry River String, Ex-Upandcoming))
6. Two Moons
7. モスキートンはもう聞こえない#1
8. モスキートンはもう聞こえない#2
9. ラストナイト (Album Version)
10. グッドバイ Goodbye (Album Version feat. Toki Asako 土岐麻子)
11. You Go
12. Our Next Movement
13. Long Tomorrow

toe is a Japanese post-rock band formed in 2000. Their music is instrumental, melancholic and guitar-driven, with great emphasis on the drumming of Kashikura Takashi.

toe was formed at the end of 2000. The band started performing live in July 2001, a few times a month at nightclubs. They began recording their debut EP songs, ideas we forgot in February 2002, and released it two months later in April 17th of the same year. In July 2003 toe released a split CD EP with pele through an independent label, muziq and following September the band released a remix album Re:designed.

In April 2004 toe contributed a song to the MOTOWN tribute CD, “ROCK MOTOWN” and the following June the pele/toe split was released as vinyl through polyvinyl records. In April 2005 the band began recording their first album. Four months later in August 31st, toe’s anticipated debut album the book about my idle plot on a vague anxiety was released.

The members are:
☆ 山嵜廣和 / Yamazaki Hirokazu (Guitar)
☆ 美濃隆章 / Mino Takaaki (Guitar)
☆ 山根さとし / Yamane Satoshi (Bass)
☆ 柏倉隆史 / Kashikura Takashi (Drums)