I first heard Bonobos on Soulseek totally by accident. I would always look at different users' lists and if they had a lot of music that I liked than I would try to download some of the bands that I didn't know. The first song I ever played was from their Hover Hover album and I thought it was remarkable how much like the Fishmans they sounded. It seems that my thinking was in the right place because a few days later I picked up "Sweet Dreams for the Fishmans", a tribute album and front and center were the Bonobos.
While Bonobos owes much of it's sound to their fishy counterparts, the music isn't trapped in time. The Bonobos are constantly reinventing and innovating their music. It certainly doesn't hurt that vocalist Sai sounds very much like Sato. In many ways I think of Bonobos being the literal reincarnation of the Fishmans. As mentioned, Bonobos is fronted by Chung-ho Sai on vocals and guitar, Yasuyuki Sasaki also on guitar, hottie Natsuko Morimoto on bass, Izumi Matsui on percussions and Bondo Tsuji on drums.
I am happy to say that I had a chance to see the band perform live in the 40 degree heat of the Onsen Matsuri mini-music festival held in Osaka's Osaka Castle Park. They are full of cute and quiet energy. The music played at these sorts of festivals in Japan is usually quite varied so it was kinda hard to gauge the audience when it came to their performance (they were sandwiched between a crappy funk band and dull female vocalist on piano) but I could see a few people who turned up especially for these guys. I know I enjoyed the performance but could have done without the minor heat stroke. I think I was the only joker without some sort of hat. Funny I'd be self-conscious of that as being the only white person in attendance kept me visible enough.
Shortly after, Bonobos' Sai performed with members of the Fishmans at the Long Season Review Tribute Concert. These performances resulted in my favorite Bonobos effort, the mini-album, Golden Days. As usual the choice of the perfect video is always a tough one for me so screw it, I'm gonna give you two. First is 'Thank You for the Music' the song that really made me think these guys were the real deal. The second is their brand new single called 'Standing There'. These guys are so genuine and sweet as long as they continue to create new music I'll always be able to imagine the 'what ifs' in a world without the Fishmans.
It's my 50th entry! Again. Apparently my math isn't too good. I blame Blogger as it tells me a slightly different story each time I log on. I'm not complaining though, because I probably wouldn't have written my last entry so quickly if I hadn't thought I had hit the big five oh.
Today's band is Mecha Nero and that's Mecha as in mechanic not as in the Japanese "very" to all you novice Japanese speakers. It was only through my poor katakana skills that I was able to establish that. Mecha Nero seems to borrow largely from bands ranging from Clammbon and Scarlet to heavier acts like the now sorta defunct Number Girl and Zazen Boys. Their first album came out in late 2005 so that makes them relatively new on the music scene. In fact it's only though my search for yesterday's Fishmans video that I came across them. So they are also very new to myself. It's a nice little discovery that I'm happy to share. Mecha Nero is one of those bands that if I were to show up at a live concert people at the door would greet me with one of those "what are you doing here?" faces. And I'd likely spend the remainder of the night standing in a crowd listening contently to my little discovery while the people around me think the same thing. And I don't blame them for that because foreigners are usually at the lame wannabe American hip hop joints trying to get with the Japanese girls. Luckily, some Japanese people would have the nerve to approach me when I was at these smaller clubs and I made a few really good friends. I really wanted to be a part of the "real Japan" and was happy to leave my country (read: rural Manitoba) at the door.
This video is from 'Mekurumeku Sekai' the bands first full-length album which features a 90's alternative sound with sweet Japanese female harmonies. It's a nice bit of pop if there ever was. It looks it was filmed on a cheap little consumer camera and I like it a lot. Many of my days walking down the suburban bits of Osaka felt like this video looks. I'm also quite smitten by the Degrassi Junior stylings of the drummer, if you're reading this please drop me a line!
It's my 50th entry! I am surprised because there are few things in my life I've done fifty times; I'd also be too embarrassed to name most of them. I thought a blog might be different than trying to maintain an entire website. I've tried running a site a handful of times and just found myself overwhelmed to the point that I give up in spite of my best intentions. Also, having something that I love to talk about helps. While there are only a few people who actually visit my blog there is a certain sense of self-satisfaction in knowing that I've hit a landmark entry. I've been saving myself for today, my favorite Japanese band and possibly my favorite band full stop. The Fishmans and their impact on the Japanese music scene is hard to ignore - unless you don't give a rats ass about Japanese music, then I guess it would be pretty easy. But I love these guys and many of the bands that are influenced by their music so I will dedicate the next few entries to their music and the bands that love them.
Fishmans was fronted by the late Sato Shinji who passed mysteriously in 1999. I have spoken with many fans at various Fishmans tribute nights in Osaka (and Nagoya) about his death and from what I gather, the doctors attributed his death to a cold. It's safe to say that even his fans are skeptical as Japan has a tenancy to protect its heros. Sato, who couldn't have weighed in at much more than a hundred pounds may well have succumb to the world's most common virus and I'm happy to leave it at that. What started off as a clever and unique Ska/pop/rock band quickly evolved into something much more. Fishmans was composed of Sato on vocal and guitar, Kin-ichi Motegi on drums, Yuzuru Kashiwabara on bass, Hakase Sun on keyboard and Kensuke Ojima on guitar. Dreamy meandering and silly, often nonsensical lyrics became fused with progressive basslines, reggae infused keyboards, psychedelic synths and explosive violin solos. Many attribute the change in sound to the producer Zak who, while not the most prolific producer in the world, has an helped direct many powerful artists.
Since Fishmans, all of the remaining members have either formed or joined amazing bands and their influence on the scene continues to gain momentum. Last year a massive tribute concert to the Fishmans was realized as the 'Long Season Revue'. Video images created by artists from various fields who were influenced by Sato were shown together breathtaking performances by UA, Ikuko Harada from Clammbon, Chung-Ho Sai from Bonobos, and Pod from the Thai band, Moderndog proving that the music that is still as fresh as ever.
Today's video is from their 1997 studio effort, Uchu Nippon Setagaya. I first heard this album from a friend that I like to think of as my Japanese brother, Atsu. I was staying over night at his Kobe apartment when Atsu, who is as mad for music as I am, started playing a selection of Japanese artists that he considered to be the most interesting. When he popped in this album I fell in love immediately. It was so different from everything else I had ever heard from Japan or elsewhere. All throughout University, my friends and I had been searching for that perfect band. That night in Atsu's apartment I found it, I was home. Today's video is a remix of 'Walking in the Rhythm' edited down for MTV friendly video play. I really like the remix but it can't hold a candle to the album version, which is an epic 12 minutes and 54 seconds. That song played at Atsu's as I was supposed to be going to sleep. In a state of total awe I couldn't sleep - I got up and played it again.
I'm the type of guy that wakes up one morning and says to myself, 'Hmmm, I wonder how they rock it in Thailand' and I make it my mission for the day to find out. That's why I am such a fan of the web and yes, file sharing. I look at the net as the world's biggest music shop. I never cared for that Nickelback and so long ago I decided to look past mere words and see music as the universal language it is. And I am very glad I have or I would have never discovered Moderndog. Formed ten years ago, Modern Dog is drummer Pawin Suwannacheep, guitarist May T. Nojinda and vocalist Thanachai "Pod" Ujjin. An expectation shattering, constantly surprising rock band that shifts between dark radio hits and darker electronic experiments. They have sold over two million records in Thailand of their four albums. Their most recent, released in November 2004, contained three number one singles, That Song, was co-writtten and arranged by Yuka Honda (ex. Cibo Matto) and produced by acclaimed Scottish producer Tony Doogan (Belle & Sebastian/Mogwai). It featured guest appearances by Yumiko Ohno of Buffalo Daughter and Sean Lennon. Most recently, in 2005, Pod visited Japan and toured with the former members of the Japanese indie band, Fishmans along side other Japanese indie heavyweights in tribute to the Fishmans' vocalist Sato Shinji who passed away in 1999.
Today's video is called Found and a bunch of Thai words that I couldn't begin to translate the title but starting today I will try to find english translation for all the foreign songs posted in this blog. You will find them below the video.
There is nothing in life I enjoy more
than music. Like Tower Records says,
No Music No Life. This blog is dedicated
to the music that makes me smile.
I hope you’ll like it too!
The picture of me is by my awesome
sister, Kelly! It makes me smile a lot!
I first heard Bonobos on Soulseek totally by accident. I would always look at different users' lists and if they had a lot of music that I liked than I would try to download some of the bands that I didn't know. The first song I ever played was from their Hover Hover album and I thought it was remarkable how much like the Fishmans they sounded. It seems that my thinking was in the right place because a few days later I picked up "Sweet Dreams for the Fishmans", a tribute album and front and center were the Bonobos.
While Bonobos owes much of it's sound to their fishy counterparts, the music isn't trapped in time. The Bonobos are constantly reinventing and innovating their music. It certainly doesn't hurt that vocalist Sai sounds very much like Sato. In many ways I think of Bonobos being the literal reincarnation of the Fishmans. As mentioned, Bonobos is fronted by Chung-ho Sai on vocals and guitar, Yasuyuki Sasaki also on guitar, hottie Natsuko Morimoto on bass, Izumi Matsui on percussions and Bondo Tsuji on drums.
I am happy to say that I had a chance to see the band perform live in the 40 degree heat of the Onsen Matsuri mini-music festival held in Osaka's Osaka Castle Park. They are full of cute and quiet energy. The music played at these sorts of festivals in Japan is usually quite varied so it was kinda hard to gauge the audience when it came to their performance (they were sandwiched between a crappy funk band and dull female vocalist on piano) but I could see a few people who turned up especially for these guys. I know I enjoyed the performance but could have done without the minor heat stroke. I think I was the only joker without some sort of hat. Funny I'd be self-conscious of that as being the only white person in attendance kept me visible enough.
Shortly after, Bonobos' Sai performed with members of the Fishmans at the Long Season Review Tribute Concert. These performances resulted in my favorite Bonobos effort, the mini-album, Golden Days. As usual the choice of the perfect video is always a tough one for me so screw it, I'm gonna give you two. First is 'Thank You for the Music' the song that really made me think these guys were the real deal. The second is their brand new single called 'Standing There'. These guys are so genuine and sweet as long as they continue to create new music I'll always be able to imagine the 'what ifs' in a world without the Fishmans.
