So these five ordinary college students from Japan released one of my favorite albums of 2008 -- an instrumental math-rock (two of the guitarists areeconomics majors anyway) ditty known as 'VOI'. Fans of toe or Battles will feel right at home -- minus toe's more spacious gaps of simplicity or Battles' recent usage of gnomes for vocalists.
If you haven't heard this album yet, do yourself a favor a take a slice out of Japan's (seemingly never-ending) instrumental pie.
Behold...The Arctopus blew me away when I heard the band's first EP as a 3-piece (originally used a drum-machine, now they have a drumming machine), 'Nano-Nucleonic Cyborg Summoning'. The original EP is only 3 songs, but the re-release in 2006 has a handful of re-worked songs and live recordings.
This band is a technical overload, thanks in part to the 12-string Warr guitar used by Colin Marston (which covers the range of both bass and guitar), but also by Arctopus' metal/classical influence.
The first full-length 'Skullgrid' came out in 2007 and was among my favorites last year (though I still think N-NCS is their best) -- all three members are outstanding musicians and deserve a listen. Czech it:
Aye, so I'm going to be gone over this weekend, so I've decided to just up some various albums for you lads/lasses. Let me know what you think and feel free to request an artist/genre for when I get back.
The first is Korekyojinn's 'Isotope'. Korekyojinn is a trio consisting of Kido Natsuki (Bondage Fruit), Yoshida Tatsuya (Ruins), and Nasuno Mitsuru (Altered States). This album is mostly a live recording (though you probably won't even realize it) in a small Tokyo club, and is simply one of the most amazing (and chaotic) instrumental ensembles ever recorded.
The next is from J.A.M, with their album 'Just A Maestro'. This album just came out this year in Japan -- also another trio -- consisting of a now-familiar artist,Soil & "Pimp" Sessions. This album features the bass player, keys, and drummer of Soil & "Pimp". If you've checked out the stuff from S&P, you know this will deliver. If you haven't, I posted it just down there, so you got no excuse, mang.
Finally I leave you with The Gaslamp Killer, and his 2008 hour-long mash up album 'I Spit On Your Grave'. Think trip-hop with fuzzy psychedelic guitars over the likes of Flying Lotus and others, and you should already be on-board. GLK is constantly putting out new mixes and material so keep an eye out.
eLZhi (member of Detroit's Slum Village) put out this album exclusively in Europe while on tour in April -- a precursor to the July 29th full-length 'The Preface'. The album is produced primarily by another Slum vet -- Black Milk -- who keeps it fresh. eLZhi doesn't get the recognition he deserves, so RECOGNIZE -- HIT THAT REC. BUTTON SON.
SOIL & "PIMP" SESSIONS is an explosive Japanese jazz band, comprised of six musicians; Shacho (agitator, spirit), Tabu zombie (trumpet), Motoharu (sax), Josei (piano), Akita Goldman (bass) and Midorin (drums).
At its core, the group is about giving pulsating live performances. SOIL & "PIMP" SESSIONS combine the highest musicianship with the coolest of cool sounds and atmosphere. Their brand of jazz is rough around the edges, unadulterated entertainment and constantly kept at boiling point.
Each member brings his own unique talent and perspective. They originally met at a club event in Tokyo in 2001. The Tokyo club scene was dominated by DJs until SOIL & "PIMP" SESSIONS arrived, breaking the mold as live pioneers. Calling their music "DEATH JAZZ", they gained recognition for performing an original form of aggressive alternative jazz. The band comments; "We always felt that in the world of jazz, there was an unwritten rule that the musicians were to concentrate on their techniques and the audience were simply there to admire, like a transmitter/ receiver relationship. We wanted to break away from that and create exciting jazz with far more interaction between the players and the audience". Shacho, who holds a rather unusual title in a jazz band as "the agitator", plays a key role in this by stirring and stimulating the audience.
It did not take long for SOIL & "PIMP" SESSIONS to become one of the hottest new bands in Japan and become favorites of major festivals including Fuji Rock. Their international breakthrough came when Gilles Peterson, the renowned British DJ, introduced them through his Radio 1 show "WorldWide". In the summer of 2005, by invitation from Giles, the band traveled to the UK to perform on his program. The name spread further via the international jazz network and at the BBC World Wide Award later that year, SOIL & "PIMP" SESSIONS was awarded with the "John Peel Play More Jazz Award".
If you're unfamiliar, I'd suggest starting with 'Pimp of the Year' first (as it's my favorite), but all of these are top-notch releases. This is the complete discography minus two singles, but the majority of those songs are included on these albums/EP's. Time to get Pimp-slapped:
Ad Astra Per Aspera (or "Through hardships to the stars") is a Kansas-based indie/punk/tropical band who first caught my attention with their fabulous 2004 EP, 'Cubic Zirconia'. The five-piece is literally a labor of love -- two of the members are married, another two dating, and I'm guessing the bass-player does mad drugs and gets all the groupies.Maybe.
The 2006 follow-up full length 'Catapult Calypso' is another solid release, though the EP is hard to top. Currently they're back in the studio working on four separate 7" releases (the first of which is done, and you can hear the 2 songs on their myspace):
"Each 7" is dedicated to a specific influence. Originally we wanted each 7" to be genre-specific, but we've already strayed from that. The first 7" then well be a Rock / Avant-Rock influence. The second 7" is Afro-Pop influenced. The third 7" will contain two instrumental songs that i call "slow-burners." The fourth 7" influence is undetermined. Punk? Hardcore? Country? Sasquatch?"
Exciting band worth checking out -- I put both of these in one link.
The Big Sleep crafted one of my favorite releases (so far) of 2008 -- a cascading rock album coated in lush keys, two great complementary vocalists, and thick and effective guitar tones blasted through feedback and effect-pedals. The Brooklyn trio are garnering attention for their wonderful live show -- most recently winning over concert-goers at Bonnaroo with their powerful and dynamic stage presence.
Whether it's the driving tempo of "Slow Race" or the atmospheric head-trip of "Organs", 'Sleep Forever' is guaranteed to impress by effortlessly turning over stones in rock music. Highly recommend checking this out.
VOI
VOI
