I'm listening to Otome No Roman - dunno if it's a good starting point, but I figured you want to go with one of the early ones, plus it has a beautiful cover. In fact looking through his catalogue now I think his covers really stand out.
I appreciate how bare it is - reminds me of some early 70s Italian stuff - but yeah, when the band picks up is when it really shines. The use of strings is great. You're right about his voice, it's an acquired taste, he doesn't seem to have much of a range, but his voice is pretty in its own way. Anyway, will probably check out Zipangu Boy next - this one ain't 'synthpop' in the least :)
― frogbs, Thursday, 5 December 2024 14:42 (two months ago) link
As good a starting point as any. Otome no Roman is an innaresting one. Colorful -- ambitious -- against-the-time enough to make me think "1972, you say?"
I think it's a case of Agata trying on clothes that would fit him much better on the next two albums (1974's Alas, No Mercy / 1976's Zipangu Boy). But it's been growing on me. He's busy working out his preferred balance between crazy and gentle / loud and quiet / full-band and solitary. And then he goes and does amazing things like overdub himself onto a gramophone playing a grainy old record:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCaPIHv_nq4
He pulls a similar trick on Alas, No Mercy. The opener is a cover of a tune from a 1925 operetta, except with the lyrics rewritten in Japanese. The arrangement is all cinematic pomp, over-the-top operatic group vocals, no sign of Agata himself -- but he takes a verse when the song's almost over, and that moment when the chorus of singers goes silent and Agata's frail, emotion-laced voice suddenly picks up the melody instead, singing just behind the beat, gives me chills every time. Gave me chills just now as I listened again:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sdxq4A6pmTw
But in case the European '20s throwback feel of the song frightens you off -- the opener is a fake-out. The rest of the album is a lush (thanks to arranger Makoto Yano) and layered (thanks to producer Takashi Matsumoto) take on folk-rock (except with some sea shanties, and one noise/punk freak-out about the invention of radio), Agata really stretching his wings.
― TheNuNuNu, Monday, 9 December 2024 10:21 (two months ago) link
plus it has a beautiful cover. In fact looking through his catalogue now I think his covers really stand out.
Looks like it's by Seiichi Hayashi. Wracking my brains for why Agata's name was familiar to me despite not being very familiar with the YMO orbit, and then remembered his first big hit was based on Hayashi's Red-Colored Elegy manga, and that decades later he directed films based on it and a short manga by Oji Suzuki, another alum of avant-manga magazine Garo.
― gjoon1, Monday, 9 December 2024 11:38 (two months ago) link
The influence of manga on early Japanese rock! One of the first songs Takashi Matsumoto wrote for Happy End (Haru yo koi, the Ohtaki song that opens their first self-titled) was directly inspired by a Shinji Nagashima manga. I adore unabashed fanfiction in songwriting, especially when the band/artist *doesn't* think their music has to become parody / self-effacing to accommodate the content.
― TheNuNuNu, Monday, 9 December 2024 12:57 (two months ago) link
I haven't looked into Agata's film work yet, but there's lots of it, and it seems well-regarded. Here's a clip from his '75 independent arthouse film I'm No Angel (Boku wa tenshi ja naiyo). Agata is the animated, smiling one. The others are Eiichi Ohtaki of Happy End, with moustache; and Tadanori Yokoo, with cat; this is the guy who brought Hosono to India, got fully co-credited on Cochin Moon, and did the cover art. Agata's the only one of the three who looks comfortable acting. Watching it as my Agata obsession was beginning made me think, "No wonder the dramatic monologues on the '70s records are so good."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGmQ8R-nALc
― TheNuNuNu, Monday, 9 December 2024 13:09 (two months ago) link
This hits harder in the context of the album, where it's the second-to-last track. But even orphaned, it's a beautiful song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DKK5Ixod0A
― TheNuNuNu, Monday, 13 January 2025 05:06 (four weeks ago) link
And for stirmonster, a killer 2008 performance of Submarine:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uPyFdX4pRo
― TheNuNuNu, Monday, 13 January 2025 05:14 (four weeks ago) link