Anime and Gaming are hugely popular by comparison, with scores of people willing to back-translate or write detailed threads/articles about any technical or creative aspect of those spheres, there are next to no people writing in English about the history and nuances of Japanese music and what does exist is largely speculation (like Cope's book, which is bit of a joke)
Not being able to properly translate Kanji yet by automated means, pretty much precludes any occidental person from going from back over it's written history, unless they are prepared to pay or spend years learning it.
You're totally right about Japanese not believing or understanding that Westerners may appreciate their music, even Hosono kinda apologised from the Barbican stage before he sung a song in Japanese.
I once asked the guy behind the counter at Disk Union's bookstore if he knew of any books about Japanese Music in Eigo, he shook his head sadly and looked at me as if I was the biggest, sorriest nerd in the universe.
― MaresNest, Saturday, 25 August 2018 15:58 (five years ago) link
Is Quit Your Band by Ian Martin any good? I leafed through it in a Kinokuniya in Shibuya earlier this year and it seemed interesting but not in enough depth to be worth a purchase, but that was a quick impression from someone worried about how heavy a suitcase I'd have to bring back.
― droit au butt (Euler), Saturday, 25 August 2018 16:56 (five years ago) link
Ian is a really strong writer yeah, he has good taste, lives for the minutiae of the live house scene in Kichijoji and writes really well about Japanese music, you can get it on kindle I think.
― MaresNest, Saturday, 25 August 2018 17:26 (five years ago) link
i am pretty shocked that moonriders are as unknown as they are considering the tremendous love people (including people here!) have for the earthbound soundtrack.
― Arch Bacon (rushomancy), Saturday, 25 August 2018 18:39 (five years ago) link
Yeah definitely, or the Beatniks, or P-Model or a bunch of others.
― MaresNest, Saturday, 25 August 2018 21:06 (five years ago) link
my japanese teachers were mostly amused that i knew so much old japanese music but one of my professors introduced me to rc succession which was her favorite band back in the day and thought it was cool i was interested
― clouds, Saturday, 25 August 2018 22:27 (five years ago) link
https://pitchfork.com/news/mac-demarco-covers-haruomi-hosonos-honey-moon-listen/
― MaresNest, Monday, 27 August 2018 12:14 (five years ago) link
i can't figure out what people love about Pacific. apart from the closing track, i just can't get into it at all. it's muzak lounge exotica, something that sounds interesting to me, conceptually. but in practice it sounds like generic background music for old advertisements? i keep re-listening to it every few months, thinking i'm missing a buried gem. i want to believe
― Karl Malone, Monday, 10 September 2018 18:00 (five years ago) link
I like it, but I'm sated with the mp3s I downloaded off slsk years ago, it's one of the two reissues I've decided I don't need to buy (House is the other). I also like muzak lounge exotica, and also Pat Metheny, so ymmv
On a more positive note, I had forgotten until listening earlier this week how utterly amazing Omni Sight Seeing is and I think it may replace Cochin Moon as my favorite. Always remembered it as "'Pleocene' and some other cool songs," but "Laugh-Gas," holy shit
― Paul Ponzi, Monday, 10 September 2018 18:27 (five years ago) link
I actually love all of Pacific except for the closing track which sounds like it should belong on the Austin Powers soundtrack. It took me a while but amidst the cheese there are some great songs on there... plus the musicianship is sublime. My wife still remains unconvinced however.
― millmeister, Tuesday, 11 September 2018 16:09 (five years ago) link
I really like his cover of "Caravan". I know this is a dumb cliché but his music really does sound wrong in all the right ways.
It's too bad his solo career effectively ended in '96. I mean hard to fault the dude for spending the last 20 years reconnecting with old friends and covering songs from his childhood but I can't help but wonder what would happen if he'd kept active and up to date the way the other YMO guys did.
― frogbs, Tuesday, 11 September 2018 18:04 (five years ago) link
We got a couple of those Light In The Attic reissues at work last week. They look fantastic. They also sent us a few promo CDs to check out. For some reason I'd never got round to Cochin Moon before. What a great album. I'll definitely be picking that one up when it comes in later this month.
― kitchen person, Tuesday, 11 September 2018 18:09 (five years ago) link
I adore Pacific but Cosmic Surfin is certainly out of place and I definitely prefer the YMO version of it. the album is advertisement background music, but really great background music! Passion Flower is just filled with hook upon hook upon hook
― ufo, Tuesday, 11 September 2018 18:11 (five years ago) link
http://4columns.org/dayal-geeta/haruomi-hosono
― stirmonster, Saturday, 22 September 2018 11:52 (five years ago) link
'Cochin Moon' is probably my favorite thing from the extended YMO oeuvre, and one of my very favorite electronic records of all time. Given its total mastery in 1978 of electronics into a distinctively electronic but nearly organic in depth/texture worth (and yet completely purposeful whole, i.e. not just weird bleeps and blorps a la earlier electronic experimentation) I'm surprised it doesn't get more love. The addition of Hosono's enduring trans/pan-cultural exchange--which seeming has a near mainstream currency today--would seem to make it ripe for rediscovery on a slightly scale than whoever bought it at the time + geeks like me who shelled out for Japanese imports over the ensuing decades. To me, it's a really ageless record, and I don't think many would necessarily date it to its point of origin.
Hopefully Pitchfork or some such with large cachet does an ecstatic breathless write-up and gets it a lot more ears ; )
― Soundslike, Saturday, 22 September 2018 13:46 (five years ago) link
the pictures on this instagram post <3<3<3
https://www.instagram.com/p/BphN6rigS2i/
― Herb Achelors (NickB), Monday, 29 October 2018 14:15 (five years ago) link
What are these for, a new TV special?
― bamboohouses, Monday, 29 October 2018 14:20 (five years ago) link
i wish i knew!
― Herb Achelors (NickB), Monday, 29 October 2018 14:22 (five years ago) link
Some context!
Haruomi Hosono new album out in January also when Yellow Magic Show 2 will be broadcast on NHK.. https://t.co/eoY1JxnmEo— Far Side Music (@farsidemusic) October 30, 2018
(apparently, Hosono has a new album in January and the pics are from a TV special broadcasting in Japan on 2nd January)
― bamboohouses, Wednesday, 31 October 2018 11:44 (five years ago) link
Thanks, been trying to figure this out as well, you'd think YMO (and related) FB pages would have some sort of an English translation also.
― MaresNest, Wednesday, 31 October 2018 11:51 (five years ago) link
the Light in the Attic vinyls look to be all sold out, damn. wonder if they'll repress them.
― frogbs, Saturday, 8 December 2018 22:40 (five years ago) link
the cds are plentiful and cheap and have pretty extensive booklets
― adam, Sunday, 9 December 2018 01:38 (five years ago) link
lol what the hell is this
https://rateyourmusic.com/release/single/mac-demarco-haruomi-hosono/honey-moon/
― frogbs, Friday, 21 December 2018 15:36 (five years ago) link
https://thevinylfactory.com/news/mac-demarco-haruomi-hosono-honey-moon-cover/
this is the context
― ufo, Friday, 21 December 2018 15:43 (five years ago) link
ah - was thinking of the '93 track from Medicine Lodge
― frogbs, Friday, 21 December 2018 15:48 (five years ago) link
Hochono House (a new re-recording of Hosono House) is out 6th March:https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/international/8493278/haruomi-hosono-classic-1973-new-album-Hochono-House
A Hosono TV special was broadcast 2nd Jan on NHK in Japan - a few clips have surfaced on Youtube of the YMO performances (see below - with Gen Hoshino!). Anyone got any clues / invites to Asian TV t0rr3nt trackers / links to where one might be able to watch the whole thing?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qpf0uehEJlM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_EnF3xN3CA
― bamboohouses, Wednesday, 16 January 2019 17:33 (five years ago) link
Bless yer! I just checked Jpopsuki, nothing come up as yet, will keep an eye out.
― MaresNest, Wednesday, 16 January 2019 17:59 (five years ago) link
Awesome.
― So, This Leaked (Capitaine Jay Vee), Wednesday, 16 January 2019 18:06 (five years ago) link
lmao those clips rule. amazing how in line this is with YMO's sense of humor circa Xoo Multiplies or "Kimi ni Mune Kyun"
― frogbs, Wednesday, 16 January 2019 19:51 (five years ago) link
just took out Nokto de la Galaksia Fervojo (something about exceptionally cold days makes me want to listen to it) and holy hell, this music is absolutely haunted. it's got to be the loneliest-sounding record I've ever heard.
― frogbs, Thursday, 31 January 2019 21:14 (five years ago) link
I like the version of Pleocene, it's so beautiful
― MaresNest, Thursday, 31 January 2019 21:28 (five years ago) link
hah incredible, I remember thinking "he's used this melody before" but didn't catch what it was, obviously the clue was in the title
this track gets me every time, it's quite simply one of the most beautiful pieces of music I've ever heard. I've never thought of him as a solo piano composer but this is just amazing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDoOSJnNxn4
― frogbs, Thursday, 31 January 2019 21:37 (five years ago) link
You can watch the whole thing here too, dubbed obviously...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_3SvpTH_pk
― MaresNest, Thursday, 31 January 2019 21:37 (five years ago) link
The main title theme is also astoundingly beautiful, I even like the crunchy 8-bit percussion samples.
― MaresNest, Thursday, 31 January 2019 21:45 (five years ago) link
btw I have been listening to his latest album (Vu Ja De) and it's pretty cool. first disc is more boogie-woogie covers (fun, but whatever), while the second is a pretty interesting trawl through the archives, taking a lot of his old stuff and re-doing them in this new/old style. most of it is from collabs and commercials, some of it is either new or just stuff that was in the vaults ("Pecora" sounds like a Endless Talking track). there's a version of "Retort" from Omni Sight Seeing with vocals, you almost don't recognize it at first.
I'm kind of lukewarm on this latest stuff, but this one is very nice. I wonder if he's going to write new music again soon?
― frogbs, Monday, 4 February 2019 22:10 (five years ago) link
Have we talked about the Shoplifters soundtrack? It's on Spotify. It's brief (18 mins) but there's shades of his Monad era sound palette. (And the film is an absolute blinder.)
I was a little resistant to the boogie-woogie stuff at first, but it all clicks into place when you start thinking of it as an anthropological study on a non-native music. It's exactly what he was doing with folk music in the 70s - breaking apart trad American forms to study how they work.
Judging by the single, the new Hosono House re-recording sounds like it'll be quite electronic?
― bamboohouses, Tuesday, 5 February 2019 11:49 (five years ago) link
Also, the new two disc version of Nokto de la Galaksia Fervojo is now on Spotify - CD2 is I believe unreleased stuff from the period?
Disc 1: https://open.spotify.com/album/0jonjaeaCQqbwtDXM8T4v3?si=oZg8uRGAQqiM7JmEOSWmFw Disc 2: https://open.spotify.com/album/7d9h6mAPGTNp8VJrAoDMc7?si=YbnKg1XNQJCZnaY9P31gXQ
― bamboohouses, Tuesday, 5 February 2019 12:27 (five years ago) link
re: the boogie-woogie stuff, yeah i see it as part of their overarching omnivorous stylistic synthesis.. in the same way that many of their tunes (sakamoto's especially) bring to mind actual early 20th century tin pan alley stuff
― brimstead, Tuesday, 5 February 2019 19:50 (five years ago) link
just by browsing the 30 sec samples the second disc sounds like a bunch of alternate versions of pieces from the original soundtrack, plus some Endless Talking remixes (track 10 is "Birdoj")
obviously, I have to have it (I don't use Spotify), but I'm not really sure how
― frogbs, Tuesday, 5 February 2019 20:06 (five years ago) link
Not sure where you're based, frogbs, but Farside are selling the CDs in the UK:http://www.farsidemusic.com/cgi-bin/sh000001.pl?WD=hosono%20nokto&PN=CD%2ehtml#SID=257?a1_21FSD7454
― bamboohouses, Wednesday, 6 February 2019 09:35 (five years ago) link
Hey thanks! My search for the 2cd turned up empty yesterday.
― Uptown VONC (Le Bateau Ivre), Wednesday, 6 February 2019 09:59 (five years ago) link
I'm seeing something about a new album and US dates too?
― MaresNest, Wednesday, 6 February 2019 12:24 (five years ago) link
Oh, a re-recording of Hosono House? Weird!
https://pitchfork.com/news/haruomi-hosono-announces-us-tour-dates-new-hochono-house-album/?fbclid=IwAR1NyUe_UB3bgRAXCI-tM93_000RrWaw1gFNyVx0arjq4dYYR9nsGE0CA74
― MaresNest, Wednesday, 6 February 2019 12:25 (five years ago) link
Ha yeah that is pretty odd. That new version of 薔薇と野獣 sounds pretty neat though. So clean and loungy.
― Uptown VONC (Le Bateau Ivre), Wednesday, 6 February 2019 12:28 (five years ago) link
are those the original vocals?
― frogbs, Wednesday, 6 February 2019 14:34 (five years ago) link
Exclaim says:
The newly imagined album will feature Hosono rearranging, recording and restructuring the songs of his '73 solo effort, with the musician playing all the instruments himself, as well as producing, engineering and mixing the record.For a taste of that, you can hear "Bara To Yaju (new ver.)" down below, which takes the familiar track in some very newfound directions.
For a taste of that, you can hear "Bara To Yaju (new ver.)" down below, which takes the familiar track in some very newfound directions.
This is the new cover apparently:
https://exclaim.ca//images/hosono_3.jpg
― Uptown VONC (Le Bateau Ivre), Wednesday, 6 February 2019 14:48 (five years ago) link
we discussed this a few years ago (lol), but this deserves to be discussed some more. this is still my favorite thing i've heard from hosono (although i know i've only scratched the surface):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34UutDrXV2Q
the first two of the three tracks (up to about 30 minutes) is music commissioned to be played in Muji stores in Japan in the mid-80s, although apparently they never played it in-store. the third track, is from a muji compilation.
more here: http://filmstatic.blogspot.com/2017/09/rediscovering-haruomi-hosonos-watering.html
i was reminded of it because i one of the new vampire weekend songs samples it heavily
― Karl Malone, Sunday, 10 February 2019 06:28 (five years ago) link
the original cassette can be yours for only $450!
https://www.discogs.com/%E7%B4%B0%E9%87%8E%E6%99%B4%E8%87%A3-%E8%8A%B1%E3%81%AB%E6%B0%B4/release/7890029
apparently it came with an 80-page book!!
https://i.imgur.com/psckQjz.jpg
― Karl Malone, Sunday, 10 February 2019 06:37 (five years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQSzyhfd9dI
sorry to bump this thread again but Hosono's cover of "Asatoya Yunta" is some of the most magical shit I've ever heard. Hosono sounds like he's singing backwards!!
― frogbs, Wednesday, 27 February 2019 03:58 (five years ago) link
just discovered the Vampire Weekend sample, that is incredible. props to them for that.
by the way KM - that vid you linked (the "Watering a Flower" album) has probably the best comment section I've ever seen on YouTube
― frogbs, Thursday, 7 March 2019 23:06 (five years ago) link