good japanese indie stuff?

Not strictly indie but here's some lovely eclectic art-pop

https://open.spotify.com/album/66sWn3QHTYhNIPuCOL8RfK

Digging the hell out of this. Can't easily find the album that just came out, unfortunately. Any good?

https//www.youtube.com/watch?v=od7FH9dlfok

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=od7FH9dlfok

I like the way Japanese indie bands all seem to be heavily influenced by The Sea And Cake. Or is it some other, more obvious influence?

That Ai Kamano record is sounding great, thanks uug.

Even though they're not exactly "indie" (more psych rock), this is probably a good thread to encourage UK ilx0rs to go see Kuunatic when they come back over here this summer.

Forgot that it's good practice to actually say what the links are, but anyway, glad someone likes it!

I keep meaning to bring up Jyocho as well so I'll do that now, they're sort of math-rock with a strong influence from Midwest emo. That's not particularly unusual but they do it in a way that make my eyes moist, their album from last year is lovely stuff

https://open.spotify.com/album/7mRW1P9lDdXC47czngKQ2F

are eX-girl indie?

just found out they're a thing again. there's a single. guess i'm gonna have to buy it.

https://i1.wp.com/exgirl.lolitapunk.jp/info/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/28DC7929-1D6A-4B50-B927-EA57B1645D2B.jpeg?resize=724%2C1024

whoa, I was listening to them just yesterday. I wonder if it's the same line-up

this is what the official page says:

http://exgirl.lolitapunk.jp/info/

It is a pleasure to be able to announce everyone on eX – Girl reunion today.Last summer, when I returned from Mt. Hakusan, which was opened for climbers 1,300 years ago.
Suddenly, I thought I wanted to play again as ‘eX-Girl’, which was the rock band consisted of three women who were playing
mainly in overseas for 10 years since 1997.
At that time, I did not tell anyone that story.But the next day, suddenly from the US record label called Secret Records contacted me and told they were interested in releasing the sound source
from old ex-Girl on a vinyl.Yes! All of a sudden!And we released it in the US at the end of last year.Also, I received a message asking for having a live concert tour in the US.
I answered, “If I could find a new member.”
To find someone who can sing, play musical instruments, with atmosphere and mental strength, and also can do performance must be quite difficult, I thought.
However, I found them!Both of them are beautiful women who “love Mother Earth”.
I am so delighted and am thinking this must be heaven’s discretion!We will be playing in the US in the next spring, and in Europe in the summer.As we are a new member, and in 11 years absence, we are going to have several live performance in Japan, and will continue to
power up.The first reunion live concert will be held at Kichijoji GB on Thursday, 18th October, 2018!We are psychedelic, spacious and unique rock band with the concept of “Came to save the Earth from the Planet Kero Kero!”Please do come to the first celebration live concert of our reunion!

Looks like they were at SXSW. I honestly had no idea. Been listening to them a bit lately as well and just assumed they were totally defunct.

new mitsume album, ghosts, is out today

it's a keeper

I'd like to actually hear what it sounds like before spending $8, but eX-girl's new single is being released Stateside by Alternative Tentacles:

https://alternativetentacles.com/product/the-crown-of-dr-keroninstein/

Their last album was on Alternative Tentacles, and is fantastic

tbh I only know their last 2 albums - are the first 5 similar cos I should probably listen to those at some point

Yes, pretty much. One is almost entirely acapella. Kero Kero Kero is really good and less 'proggy' than the last two albums.

New Yogee New Waves album is really good, particularly this track

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2a2Z5mRfRw

Does Shintaro Sakamoto count, or is he too popular/western

new Sakanaction double came out last month without me realising. great video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxqYUbNR-c0

i'm on track 3 and can confirm this album is REALLY REALLY GOOD.

never heard of this group but that video is indeed great, captures a vibe that's very in right now

the album doesn't quite reach the same heights as "Music" or "Yoru no Odoriko" from the s/t and probably leans a little more mellow/MOR than i'd prefer from them overall but they're still enjoyable as always. their run of singles over the past 6 years is still pretty strong when compiled on this album, especially "Shin Takarajima" and "Sayonara wa Emotion". out of the new stuff "Wasurerarenaino" is definitely my favourite and yeah the video is great too - they have a knack for excellent videos

Posted this in the J-pop thread too.

Agree with all of the above - the album is great but definitely could have used some editing. Either way, they're easily my favourite band of the past five years or so - an instinctive knack for building and releasing tension, soaring pop choruses, great videos, morose but with a sense of humour about it. Everything I love in a band pretty much.

Nice video, checking that album out! Sort of strikes me as vaporwave and future funk being reflected back from where the bulk of the sounds came from.... or are those movements not as western in origin as I'm thinking? I lived in Japan for a couple years in the 00s and just sort of remember those sounds just being everywhere out in the air (radio/TV), while I was more concerned with the local indie and hiphop of the time. It was all a good mix. Got to dip into this thread's suggestions some more.

vaporwave/future funk etc. have been heavily drawing from and sampling 80s japanese city pop in addition to western disco etc., and over the past decade or so there's also been a city pop revival in japan, though much more mainstream than in the west where it's mostly just been a hip influence and sample source etc. though there is "plastic love"'s bizarre youtube popularity

oh i think i misread that a bit but anyway, "wasurerarenaino" is very much in the tradition of that city pop revival rather than any western vaporwave/future funk influence i'd think. there has been the occasional actual crossover from vaporwave back to the city pop revival, most notably 'vaporwave idol group' Especia whose music was city pop revival music but also drew heavily on vaporwave aesthetics after their producers stumbled upon some vaporwave on soundcloud via its heavy use of japanese text lol.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e089x6ba1Zo

hahaha. no you got me. this is exactly the kind of link i was curious about. I'd only even heard of "city pop" recently. Living there it was just like, oh this is what 'new wave' was over here?

Thanks!

I'm never far away from being in a Clammbon phase, I keep all they rekkids close to hand despite the fact the last three EPs have been available only in Japan and not in normal shops but music instrument shops, coffee houses and little stationery shops in Kichijoji back streets, severely testing my fanhood, but they're more than worth the hassle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3lCCKXe998

I saw Clammbon perform live a zillion years ago and they did a serviceable cover of Judee Sill's "That's The Spirit", let me see if I can find it on the 'tube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlNdjcBW3J4

(this would have been ~2005, forget who they were opening for...)

I am jealous !

Sakanaction album is kind of dull (to me) outside that incredible first track. The video, oh my. One of the best I've ever seen.

Love these guys -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BfmNBlzHFY

Ha, I love that. That pace shift really gets in your head!

this is messing with my brain

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdQk3rMnU9M

beautifully bonkers

this is awesome, thanks

I hope there's more to come. I've been playing the hell out of Endangered Species over the last couple weeks and it is a fantastic record.

japanese indie mp3 store and stream, looks to be tenniscoats-focused and -run https://minnakikeru.com/

some interesting stuff

I love this band so much -

https://croissantchicago.bandcamp.com/album/crankshaft

This is great. You would probably like a lot of other stuff in the vocaloid scene.

if you can point me to bands that use it but aren't J-Pop, Techno or more traditional vocaloid music, I'd be super interested to hear.

two recent singles from AprilBlue who sound kind of like the Beths but with a bit of a shoegaze thing going on:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycnxITz8LpU
AprilBlue - Clarity

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiOPbeOgPko
AprilBlue - シーサイド

If I may shill for myself and my friends for one sec.

Japan Alternative Sessions, a radio show I started a few years back has been reactivated, it's not just indie/alt we cover as much ground as possible, old and new music. The plan is to do a 2 hour+ show once a month and put it out on Mixcloud and YouTube or wherever else we can.

This is the latest edition:

https://www.mixcloud.com/JapanAlternativeSessions/japan-alternative-sessions-edition-70/

Stumbled across this little gem today, really great debut, for fans of Clammbon, Tricot, Spangle Call Lilli Line etc:

https://ungulatestokyo.bandcamp.com/album/ungl-009-downt-downt