good japanese indie stuff?

Aight let's post some more bits I've been listening to:

Sayuu

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dyVEBOFxHg

Downy [covering This Heat]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wp8tgrI5U_E

Clammbon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIsAQQ7jBJE

Gesu No Kiwami Otomoe

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

Atlantis Airport

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6Bp3zr2Dlc

Haisuinonasa

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT8mSZBJzJA

this is pretty rad https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53mOa0B3nN4

there seems to be lots of great japanese indie and psychedelic rock - can anyone point towards some choice compilations / playlists / threads?

doesn't even have to be new what's up w this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKY38Nx8dSo

well if we want to talk old stuff i like the '80s comp "welcome to dreamland - another japan". what else have i been enjoying... luxembourg kouen, which is a japanese musette group. early '80s hardcore band the stalin. rosa luxemburg, mid '80s, sounds kind of like james chance and the contortions. hiroyuki namba's "hikousen no ue synthesizer hiki". the most recent ichiko aoba record. hoppy kamiyama's optical*8 from the '90s. i don't know it's none of it shibuya-kei like kirinji or whatever (i also love kirinji) but that's the japanese stuff i've been listening to.

oh! and pale cocoon. have you heard pale cocoon? somebody made an anime named for them. the anime is really good. so is the band.

I know Pale Cocoon through Soft Selection 84, which was a really good cassette comp of early 80s lo-fi synth pop.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbo4bcl9Jss

those are great recommendations, thanks!

love chelmico and their luscious jackson vibe. saw the first video playing on one of the dozens of monitors in truly mind-bending japanese variety store village vanguard:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvA1AHKXUfY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yiaAfAb7-0

ha, those are great

can't find them on Spotify - wonder if I need to spell it in japanese?

yeah those are nice

a lot of japanese music doesn't seem to be on spotify yet, they only got it fairly recently i think

I've always like this group
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cM7dQUu1VY

but I think they are from Hong Kong. Sorry

I used to order from these labels: FlyRec, Rally and Noble. Gutevolk makes nice pop songs.

The new Gesu No Kiwami Otome is wonderful! This track was already released on an EP, but I can see why they wanted to include it again:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJdNqxOykw8

I only know some older stuff but I love it dearly and still listen to it a ton. 800 Cherries, Corniche Chamomile, Citrus, Sugar Plant. I have a handful of stellar comps that I can't remember the names of right now but can report back on.

ahh 800 Cherries there's a band I haven't thought about in a long time <3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-P9CH55838Y

i'm so hyped about the new gesu no kiwami otome, they're one of my favorite bands right now

yesterday i was checking out haru nemuri's first album, i'm liking it, will have to listen more. she put out an ep called "atom heart mother" last year, which i'll also have to check out - just the title is from floyd i think

I liked the harunemuri too - need to listen to that again. I only discovered GNKO with the last album, but they've been on regular rotation since - it suits so many moods! I love all their retro organ sounds.

'Youtopia' by You'll Melt More! was a favourite of mine from last year though it's more straight up pop-punk than indie:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzc1xhQUlTs

any idea what the lyrics are?

Alas, I do not. I was wondering the same thing.

hmm we should try and recruit some japanese ilxors

I'm just hearing Coaltar of the Deepers' No Thank You for the first time and I had no idea it was going to be this good. I've listened to some of their other albums and loved them, but this is something else. It is the least chilled-out shoegaze imaginable, with liberal death metal interruptions and twinkly emo chords scattered about. It's so insanely great that they've had to pace it out with some little ambient palette-cleansers so you don't get heartburn listening to it.

Yes that's a great album. I still remember how absolutely caught off guard I was the first time I heard the middle bit of Star Love!

I like YMM too, I think their albums are probably a bit long for what they are but the last track on their 2015 album is fucking incredible. Speaking of alt-idol stuff I've been really digging Sora Tob Sakana over the last year or so, given that they're essentially the new Haisuinonasa (who might be still going? I'm not sure).

Also while I'm at it, this is one of my albums of the year:

https://kikuo.bandcamp.com/album/kikuo-miku-5

Not sure how much appeal it has around here but if you want odd electro pop fronted by a piece of software Kikuo's got your back

wow that Kikuo Miku album is bonkers. it's not really my thing (often too carnival-esque) but still fascinating.

I haven't been keeping up with Gesu no Kiwami Otome but they're usually enjoyable so I'll check out their recent stuff.

my favourite japanese album this year is of Wednesday Campanella's Galapagos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_epnF4YjQo

That Kikuo album is great. Like OPN at a computer games circus, with sweet vocals.

I'm listening too. It's pretty crazy!

Unfortunately, I think a lot of this really good stuff doesn't crossover to US audiences as easily as stuff like Polysics, Boredoms, etc. because it's more "serious" and doesn't fall in line with our stereotypes about "wacky japanese people." It's a shame.

???

That crazy talk

the biggest difference is that Polysics and Boredoms both actively sought out US audiences by signing to US labels and Zazen Boys never have

Yeah, distribution in the West and a bias towards singing in English are the main factors, see also P5, Cibo Matto, Plastics, Sadistic Mika Band, YMO, Buffalo Daughter and so on.

Enjoyable listicle thingy -

https://overblown.co.uk/top-20-japanese-albums-of-all-time/

Long Season is great and all but it's really overrated compared to Uchu Nippon Setagaya which is the real best Fishmans album

but I'd never heard of Quruli and the blurb there sounded very promising so I gave a few tracks a listen and they're pretty great so I'm looking forward to diving in

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icCgF5UFoNo

this rules so much

that song is great, quruli are also new to me. i was disappointed by the list not containing pale cocoon, but then i saw there was a list of 20 more. but pale cocoon isn't on that either!

That’s a bizarre list that could only have been put together by a foreigner

yeah obviously it's pretty pretentious to call it the Best Japanese Albums Ever but i'm thankful for the Quruli rec from it, i'm loving Team Rock a lot

That’s a bizarre list that could only have been put together by a foreigner

― F# A# (∞)

the fact that it's in english probably a giveaway there

listening to the kikuo album now
this is super fun

one of these days I'll start a Mitsume thread, they are my fav japanese indie stuff for sure, vibe is similar to Real Estate, but they're super precise and effective in their playing, here's their latest jam:

https://open.spotify.com/album/66wH8kDC79uNWsphS5OM8p

anyone recommend a spotify list to follow/shuffle?

Here's one entry point: https://open.spotify.com/user/thesoundsofspotify/playlist/0ZvU7A9di2xjWA5b8Z9x3u?si=zcvHPJHXQjCP_qTa1VLXNA

oh fuck how did i miss quruli getting mentioned in this thread, unbelievable band

incorrect number girl and supercar picks on that list imo

(i prefer num-heavymetallica and futurama respectively, but also every number girl and supercar album rules so why am i even complaining)

i thought there was a japanese band called "incorrect number girl"

xp thanks will check it out!

co-signing Wed Camp and Gesu No Kiwame Otome.

liked this from earlier this year, reminds me of a more laid-back Studio:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ORo2y4pQnY

the always enjoyable Paellas:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buabL8wjMmQ

another band i really like is Sakanaction who are basically the proper dance-rock band I wish Bloc Party had turned into. i think they're supposed to finally release a new album later this year

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2I25AFSBm2g

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Maq09mKVnQ