Clik here to view.
Kalafina: Seventh Heaven
I’ve had a .flac version of Seventh Heaven on my HD for a while now but when I was in Akihabara I was able to pick up the legal version (I decided against the limited edition since I was worried about...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Mono: Gone (a collection of EPs 2000-2007)
In the space of a year or two I’ve grown to appreciate the sound of instrumentalists Mono, mainly because I’ve been a long-standing fan of experimental guitar-driven soundscapes. My initial reaction to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Kalafina: Red Moon
I first heard the songwriting of Yuki Kajiura through the soundtrack to Koichi Mashimo’s Noir but for me her style became intrinsically linked to a certain visual aesthetic after the haunting Portrait...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Several girls galore (the alluring aroma of Perfume)
The PC’s on the blink again. It’ll be over a week before I can put right whatever’s wrong so in the meantime I’m working on the backup machine, my trusty four-year-old low-spec laptop. So here I am,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
mudy on the 昨晩: pavilion
I wish it were easier for us overseas listeners to sample the eclectic and inventive independent Japanese music scene. We often have to rely on the efforts of bilingual fellow fans and/or word of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Mass of the Fermenting Dregs are my new favourite band
One of the first things I learned when getting into Jpop/Jrock was this: never judge a band by their name. Mass of the Fermenting Dregs (or Masu Dore to their fans) seem to follow the same path as the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
You gave me Page & Plant, I give you Yuki Kajiura
I should have reviewed After Eden by now since I bought the thing on release day but like many things, I never got around to it. Even after watching the live DVD that arrived last week I still don’t...
View ArticleClik here to view.
For my Parents: the new record from MONO
There’s always that nervous feeling when you hear any new material from one of your favourite bands for the first time. If it’s different from what’s gone before it may clash with whatever expectations...
View ArticleClik here to view.
My thoughts on Kalafina’s new album, ‘Consolation’
I realised I never said anything on here about Kalafina’s 2011 LP After Eden, despite going into the official shop in Shibuya and picking up a copy on release day. It’s a really nice record with some...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Why Boris are relevant to my interests, and yours
If you are interested in ‘alternative’ Japanese contemporary music (as in, stuff that isn’t in the charts or a tie-in to an anime show) you may have heard of Boris. I heard their songs for the first...
View Article