Zazen Boys!

Okay, somehow I only just discovered these guys yesterday, even though they seem to be fairly well known in Japan and are totally up my alley. All I've heard is Zazen Boys 4, and I understand that their previous albums were quite different in style. Nevertheless, I don't get why this isn't getting more exposure -- it's brilliant stuff, and seems to seamlessly incorporate so many different reference points into something that's undeniably fun and engaging. (At different points I'm reminded of Battles, Rick James, no wave, Lindstrom, Chicago house, Boredoms, and Yes.) Why wasn't this on more year-end lists? Even on ILM the discussion seemed to be limited to a few stray comments on the Japanese indie thread.

So who has heard this? Is it as brilliant as I've convinced myself it is or am I just crazy?

lol i guess i gotta hear this

previous albums were very very very different. Zazen 4 was all set to break out in the states being produced here by Flaming Lips guy and all, but I think the few fanatics who'd been following them were thrown by just how different it was and hesitated to yell about it (myself included)

the new one is more techno / drum machine based than ever -- the first three albums were more about prog pop metal overkill & three sets of distortion plug-ins set across the drums, let alone the guitars. Like a J-pop version of the Ruins with histrionic vocals.

there's stuff about them scattered on other threads, mostly the Shiina Ringo thread (their collaborations were how I found out about them.

finally, 'Riff Man' which is what is the monster, as dleone noted

listened to the songs on their myspace, pretty cool shit (vocals aside)

listening to this again, how in hell did I miss 'Honnoji' the first time? this is pretty much what they're all about, ok let me try this album again

No Time, Crazy Days Crazy Feelings, Riff Man = three songs that never left my top 25 most played for about a year there.

usually very allergic to filesharing on ILM but one song shouldn't hurt, and these guys should be huge

Hmmm, the song you just linked is actually the only thing I've heard by them outside of their current album. It's great, but if that's representative of their previous sound, I can understand how people who had followed them before ZB4 might not "get" this album. It seems like they used to be going for a sort of Ruins-lite vibe, like you said, whereas the new one makes more sense in the context of funkier stuff like James Chance or space-disco. It is mathy I guess, but in more of a Battles-gone-funk sort of way.

i also found out about them through the shiina ringo connection, and their version of "kimochi" with her is one of my favourite ever songs. the previous albums i found a bit too proggy but this new one sounds promising.

there's plenty of stuff on youtube btw, like this mindbending live version of "kimochi":

Yeah, pretty good. I should have downloaded a bunch of their stuff when I saw it.

As long as we're posting youtube clips:

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...shit, can someone fix that?

You can just copy and paste the url and it automatically will make it into a little picture for you without you adding any code.

er, totally knew that. thanks!

I think I like the new sound better than the old sound (but I'm not a real fan or anything--this is just an adjunct to Shiina Ringo for me at this point, but I kind of like a few of there songs, at least).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-Nfjg1HU2A

Well, if you needed video evidence that this band is operating on a level beyond most conceptions of "levels."

ZAZEN BOYS II is, incidentally, sometimes my favorite record, all rhythmic abandon and occasional Prince references ("You Make Me Feel So Bad").

Also this thread needs more videos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlvwVu9efq4

I think everything is the "best thing ever" but I sometimes am really convinced that this is the best music video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-ZjYq8-SHw

This song and video convinced me long ago that I was destined to let ZAZEN BOYS forever pollute my blood. It is basically a math rock song but it'll break your brain.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyY4FL7ztDE

Zazen Boys II is my fav from them. Himitsu Girl's top secret too. Mukai's the man

zazen boys are great! though perhaps cause "weekend" was the first thing i ever heard by them, i preferred IV and was more put off by their earlier, harder stuff.

all right, i was embarrassing in 2009

anyway, hope there's a zazen boys record in 2012. did anyone check out the kimonos record from 2010 (mukai shutoku's collaboration w/ leo imai)? sort of talking heads/police-ish style, with synth darkness

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiMiq45_VfA

Number Girl were way better.

probably!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDov0DF2pZ4

oh, another awesome thing about the kimonos record is it contains this yellow magic orchestra cover

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gi8futLRbM

well not ymo exactly but haruomi hosono. close enough

Whoa!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYG5jU_GilY

shiina sings a bunch of the backing vocals on zazen boys ii as well

I knew there was some connection (I don't really know my Zazen Boys as much as I would like) but I wasn't expecting this. It's the total package. For example, the generic background music is ridiculous.

number girl is shiina's favorite band, and there was a shiina tour where she formed a pre-tokyo jihen band with number girl guitarist tabuchi

favorite song is RIFF MAN

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfaA9sH_xo8

and especially in the live version, when they finally drop the direct reference to the original inspiration -- watch from 4:00

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5OGe47h_JU

(Anything (of any type, musically speaking) you think I would like from 2012, Milton? It's been pretty dry for me but I haven't been looking that hard either.)

(At least tissue box design seems to be thriving.)

If you like this track, the entire album is guaranteed to sustain your interest

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xN09THSNo_k

That's really something.

New Zazen Boys:

http://soundcloud.com/matsuristudio/zazen-boys-potato-salad

At no listen, it sounds kind of like a return to a little more of an edge (after 4) but with sweet electronic or keyboard sounds in the mix, kept on from 4. But I'm not the expert some of you are.

Mmmm. This is pretty good.

new album's out on the fifth and i may just import the thing

although i remember buying zazen boys 4 on itunes pretty much the day it came out, hope there's a similar thing planned for this release

I feel like I should buy a geiger counter before I import anything from Japan. Not trying to be obnoxious, I seriously think it's potentially that bad. You can't have all that radiation constantly being released.

Just found this while looking for the song on youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mVpGmoES3w

Oddly I could see this working as a Jpop song!

OSCA style dance moves.

That's actually kind of scary to watch.

Way beyond OSCA dance moves, actually. I hadn't seen that much of it when I said that.

THIS ALBUM RULES

GET DRUNK AND LISTEN TO THIS ALBUM

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/stories/id559888590

This is pretty good, but the vocals just get too annoying after a while, which is my main problem with the Zazen Boys. Otherwise, they sometimes hit some really nice, maybe fresh, combinations of timbre and rhythm.

So far I don't think there's anything else on here as good as "Potato Salad."

aha i think most of the record is better than "potato salad"

Hmmm.

"a morning of bursting sound" especially, which has this whole rising action aspect that reminds me of '90s emo

'90s emo

My favorite. No, no, I'm sure it could be good as re-purposed by Zazen Boys.

You're so obviously influence by McKuen!

shoot i hate to be wrong

"Morning of Bursting Sound" reminds me more of some sort of pretty well done 80s fusion by bands whose names I've mostly forgotten now. Plus vocals, obviously.

Although for some reason I like the brief moment when his voice gets very John Lydon like on this.

I have to admit "Morning of Bursting Sound" is growing on me a bit. It has an epic feel to it.

I'm liking this a bit more at this point, but possibly because I am letting it sit in the background more when I listen to it. And since "Ankokuya" just came on, let me mention that it reminds me, particularly in its rhythm section, really specifically of parts of Fred Frith's Speechless.

this record is so good. starting to consider it my favorite of theirs

oh hell this is on spotify http://open.spotify.com/album/1g3QRORSzdLU6E00Iuo2wG

people get on this!

I know there is at least a handful of people here who would like this if they checked it out. Getting them to check it out is another matter.

Re-listening to 4, why don't these guys make more records?? They tour all the time, tsk....

When you revived this I hoped it was because they'd announced something :(

Sorry! :) This is the closest thing of late anyway.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8WU-Jx3Ha0

Yes, they're one of the groups you've introduced me to, I don't listen to a large amount of hiphop but I like how awkward and lopsided their beats can be (I know the above isn't the best example of that)

miss these dudes. from what i can tell from their website, the bassist left the band (again) :\

still the greatest music video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsuyY5MTM_E

first NUMBER GIRL thread, i think?

spending today remembering how rad stories is

i like to think i am constantly checking their youtube for new material but i guess i'm not? because kimonos did this remote cover of "this must be the place" a month ago that is absolutely destroying me rn

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hwk165YkJuo

there are also some live videos they uploaded last year ;_;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wcu19bg9CIc

god that live performance is fucking phenomenal

zazen boys ranked:

4 / i don’t wanna be with you
stories
2
3 / himitsu girl’s top secret
1

New album!!!

Translation warning but you'll get the gist.

ZAZEN BOYS ' new album "Land" will be released on January 24, 2024.

This album, released for the first time in 11 years and four months since the previous album ``Stories'', includes a total of 13 songs, including new songs ``Barracuda'', ``Greetings to Tchaikovsky'', and ``Eternal Girl''. Regarding this work, Hidenori Mukai (Vo, G, Key) commented, ``The title of ZAZEN BOYS' new album is ``Land''.Here is a song about a person who continues to be haunted by the sunset of the turbulent world.'' There is.

Additionally, additional performances for the currently ongoing tour “ZAZEN BOYS TOUR MATSURI SESSION 2023” have been decided. A total of 5 new performances have been added, from Kumamoto B.9 V1 on February 3rd to DIAMOND HALL in Aichi on March 20th. TICKET FROG is currently accepting official advance reservations for tickets until 23:59 on November 12th.

ahh!!!!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bh2K_JorLIM

i should've posted the official video bc it's awesome!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6C8wFKd1t0

Today's the day!

this album is soooooo freakin good

their most relaxed. which sounds really good on them!

Had no idea they had a new album coming out. What a treat! "Barakuda" is funky as hell

Does it sound like a very early Chili Peppers, or am I mad.

I thought it sounded like Remain in Light-era Talking Heads, or otherwise Fela-influenced. But I am loathe to compare anything I like to RHCP.

Even (and maybe especially) when the comparison is warranted

I was thinking like, the first two RHCP records but idk. I love how the arrangments are slightly more stripped down, there's an openness I don't often hear.

One thing I'm hearing (and it might be my imagination) is an increased weariness in Mukai's voice. He sounds ever-so-slightly older & sadder...? It absolutely doesn't help that I don't know Japanese.

here are the translations:

ZAZEN BOYS らんど LEO今井による歌詞対訳
ZAZEN BOYS - Rando Lyrics english translations by Leo Imaihttps://t.co/dNaxhhbZXs pic.twitter.com/8bJGfxrJiS

— Matsuri Studio (@MatsuriStudio) January 24, 2024

really gorgeous lyrics but yeah a pretty melancholy record

btw i have come pretty close to comparing zazen boys to rhcp in the past, just haven't quite had the courage

By Leo Imai no less!