Well, here I am...over a month later. It's not like I abandoned the thread or anything - I just haven't found anything I think was worth sharing, and I've been kinda dry in terms of new music - It's either Modest Mouse or Neutral Milk Hotel these days. Nothing new, really.

But I was going through my folders, and I sort of rediscovered this nice little compilation of Japanese indie artists I downloaded back in December-ish (I'll try and find the link if there's enough interest generated and all - I'll even post two more songs from the comp, it's varied in terms of genres), and it featured this particular band. Actually I found the compilation to begin with because of this band (only place I could find this damn song).
But at the start of it all, I found the video through Te (you know Te, the post-rock band from Japan? like Toe, just totally 100% more manlybadass instead of pretty and frail). Digressions, digressions. Anyway, I was browsing Youtube, watching Te take their instruments to town, smooth as can be, and I click on this quasi-randomly after Te kills the song (I uh...thought the kanji looked cool), and proceed to flip all of my shit.

A revolving nipple, a frontman in drag, spinning canister of fish with chunky guitar riffs in the background. No, this was not of the world I knew. I was in shock and I was in awe by what I had witnessed (five times in a row, mind you). So, naturally, I wanted more. But I can't read Japanese, and I only had their pretty damn cool-looking name to go on. So I did just that. I even found an album~
I think I'm entitled to a bit of pride there - I found an album for a band who's name I'm not even sure on. I think it's "88Kyaso..." or something like that. I know that it's related to some kind of Buddhist practice. I remember that much.

However, words don't do it justice, so just watch it. And you'd want to listen as well, because the song is pretty damned badass, strange video accompaniment aside. Even more so than Te for sure, simply because of that gorgeous chorus, and the sweet contrast between the verses and the chorus - And those chunky riffs out of nowhere...It's "unique" to say the least.

>>1442
> simply because of that gorgeous chorus, and the sweet contrast between the verses and the chorus - And those chunky riffs out of nowhere.
This is what I like about a lot of Japanese music. Most European of American bands wouldn't put a big three-chord chorus in an otherwise mathy or proggish song for fear of sounding too simple or poppy. Not that this band is especially technical or anything, but still. It seems like Japanese musicians embrace pop elements a bit more readily. That's the impression I get at least, I guess I haven't listened to an inordinate amount of Japanese music.
I liked all the random shit towards the end of the video.

>>1451
>It seems like Japanese musicians embrace pop elements a bit more readily
Oh, for sure. That's one of the most powerful elements of Japanese music - No matter how batshit insane or feedback-laden the song is, there will always be some accessible element to it.

Anyway, I was going to post a song from that compilation again, but I can always do that later.

Naht - Mizu

This is Naht covering bloodthirsty butchers. They sound sort of like Cowpers, but the vocals are a little more Western-sounding and they're more geared towards that late-90's post-hardcoe sound than Cowpers.

Ittō - s/t EP
http://www.mediafire.com/?vcbb3hw566ric9m

These guys are pretty damn fantastic. They're pretty heavy. Remind me a lot of Capsule (I think I posted them in the old thread) and Ampere (just with songs over 30 seconds). Lot of energy and melodies in their stuff. I'm all over them right now. Looking forward to more releases.

Oh, from Chicago, not Japan.

I haven't posted in this thread in forever. So I figure I'll come out of hiatus with some pretty cool collections from my favorite band of all time. Basically, I just want to talk about Modest Mouse, haha.

Modest Mouse - Rarities and Unreleased Material
>Indie/quirky amphetamine rock
http://www.mediafire.com/?zzwmzwjym3k

Modest Mouse - Compilation
>Indie/quirky amphetamine rock
http://www.mediafire.com/?d7n4akjblt8rl52

Modest Mouse - Tube Fruit, All Smiles and Chocolate
>Lo-fi (the lowest), childish, naive, fun
http://www.mediafire.com/?ech0ycll8vqwpkb

Modest Mouse - Uncle Bunny Faces
>Naive lo-fi again. Way heavier, noisier.
http://www.mediafire.com/?45s4q5cg58eb9gu

Modest Mouse - The Lonesome Crowded West Sessions
>Very rough recordings of most songs from my favorite album of all time, a few tracks from their first album, and two untitled tracks that never got into production.
http://www.mediafire.com/?cyzgwij2yzm

Modest Mouse - The Moon & Antarctica Demos
>Demos from their 3rd and critically acclaimed album. It basically just sounds like a downgraded version of the original album, but they're nice to listen to sometimes
http://www.mediafire.com/?tglryjmyzzr

...Anyway, I always liked Modest Mouse because I love how they manage to convey so many of the, well, feelings I'm feeling. Both through their music, and their lyrics. Isaac Brock was more or less a meth'd up, depressed redneck for most of the late 90's. That's pretty /tc/, if I say so myself. He's like...the anti-rockstar, and I love that.
Songs like Teeth Like God's Shoeshine, a blistering track that explores what leads to drug abuse - Depression, loss of the things promised every person in life, the ''happiness that comes from hurting deep down inside'' - Are the most beautiful thing in the world to me. I was really damn proud of myself when I figured that out.

Along with the slower tracks, like, say, Heart Cooks Brain (which follows Teeth, in almost perfect ordering), that address the human condition, and how we follow our heart rather than our brain.

Okay, so I wrote this all out at like, 7. It's now 11:30. I'm going to finish it up, though, so get ready for that. Check that, 2:45 AM now. God damn it, haha.

The posted track is the best track in the collection - If not Modest Mouse's best song. It's a live jam, and it's called Beta Carotene. It's a song that's really important to me. Have you ever felt that way about a song? Like, I simply love the vibes it oozes. It's definitely one of my favorite Modest Mouse tracks, but not my favorite - I couldn't even begin to decide that.

They're definitely my favorite band of all time. I can enjoy even the most absurd, noisy tracks from them (Ignoring Each Other, Together For It, I'm looking at you). I adore them, more than any other band, ever. It's just a shame I'm never going to see them live, in 1997. I can only see the ''new Modest Mouse'', which, while I enjoy their newer music, it simply doesn't compare to their high-speed indie rock of the late 90's.

>It's a song that's really important to me. Have you ever felt that way about a song?
Yes.

Interesting read, by the way. Keep your passion high.

Anyhow, I checked out Modest Mouse, and I'm glad I did. I enjoy their sense artistic exploration, all with superb musicality. I think I'll introduce them to my mom as well, they have the kind of rythme that she likes.

>>1571
Psh, I wish my mother was into Modest Mouse. Both of my benefactors think their music is "weird". They're right, of course, but that makes them want to reject it for some reason. Eh.

So, it's been...4 months since I last posted here - My internet was cut, and it sucked, but it's no big deal. I didn't even miss out on Zazen Boys' new album, Stories, which I'll post here after a short review (that's probably full of a bunch of weird contradictions, as I can't carry an idea in a handbasket).

-

Overall, it's closest to Zazen Boys II in how the songs are structured. It's not quite ZB4, with it's rigid, tight, almost pop-y tracks, and it's definitely not ZBIII, with songs that are either the loosest shit that side of the Pacific, or so tight they're almost suffocating. Mukai's experience in Kimonos (alongside Leo Imai) definitely influenced this record - Some songs sound like they'd perfectly belong on Kimonos eponymous debut. Except it still retains that Zazen Boys "madness" that I love. In the first track alone, Mukai asks the listener to dance. "Dance with your pants on," which is the kind of absurdity I've come to expect from this chill-ass dude (this is a man who was smoking three cigarettes at once in a PV).

My personal favorite track is Potato Salad, the only tack that can be considered a lead single. (listen to it here - http://soundcloud.com/matsuristudio/zazen-boys-potato-salad). Potato Salad shows that Zazen Boys still know what's up - When the song shifts gears almost halfway through, it's as if you're taken to some kind of strange, wonderful party. It's also pretty math-y, which is what I like. It has a stuttering beat to it that keeps driving on through the entire track. I also really love the fact that it seems to bridge the gap which separated Zazen Boys II and ZB4 - It fuses the math-rock insanity of the former, while retaining the chilled-out electronic atmosphere of the latter.
A runner up is Sandpaper Zarazara (the attached track), which is probably one of the crazier songs on the album. There's a lot going on during it. I love how Mukai shouts "Sando-papah...zarazara" towards the end. It definitely shows that he's gaining more confidence in his voice as an instrument, adding to the music - Unlike in Number Girl, where his voice was really deep in the mix, as he was really not confident in his singing.
Overall, I'd say it's an 8/10 album. But I indulge in hyperbole, especially with Shutoku's projects, so it's probably objectively in between 6-7.5/10.
It's tied with Zazen Boys 4 for the second place on my ranking - The first being ZBII. Mukai mostly does what I was hoping he'd do with this; Fusing the electronic elements that make his music cool, alongside the math-y, crazy parts.
However, he still keeps his own little meta-mythos in it, which I think proves that he's the coolest motherfucker in Japan at this point in time - Mentioning UFO's (which have been mentioned since the NG days), and he's still using his catchphrase ("kurikae sareru shogyou mujou, Yomigareru seiteki shoudou") which has been present on every Zazen Boys release since ZB1.

Enjoy, chaps. It's the first ZB release in 4 years.
http://www.mediafire.com/?6r3g8jyho2091ia