The feminine duet YanaKiku have a light, energetic pop style with some good harmonies and a unique stage presence. The unusual outfits they are wearing they call Kimo-Cos by which they mean Kimono Cosplay, which all by itself would make them a perfect band for any Anime Con to invite to their stage. Since they just formed in 2012 they don’t have a huge catalog of music yet, but they are off to a nice start. The first track is called Fujiyama Disco, the second is PakuPaku Kingoyo.
Tango Alpha Tango is an amazing band, and not very long ago they got to present a whole mini-concert over at KEXP-FM. That is a worthwhile endeavor for any group, check out their performance and see what you think.
The band is possibly called Extremity Maiden Guess, and the first track is Killer Ball, an interesting combination of Jazz, Progressive Rock, and Rap, done so the words become another part of the rhythm driving the music. That track was from their second mini-album; the next one is Take Off That Dress from their first EP How To Take Off That Dress, giving you a good grasp on their musical range. The third tune is called Black Parade, and is also from their first EP, which explains why they are using the same outfits, props, and visual themes for the video. This band definitely has an interesting sound and style, I look forward to hearing a lot more from them. One of the many things I like about them is they are not afraid to go somewhere else in mid-song and then pull it back in to the original music, tying it all together nicely.
This week we have the music of Shishamo, a relatively new band who debuted in November of 2013. The first track is from that album, called approximately What she was able to do to me, and the second is I Do Not Want To Go. All three of the band members graduated from the Design And Arts track of their high school, which pretty much explains their video style. They are touring right now, and have another track coming out in July called summer festival with you, the single release for their new album.
The first track is called Robot Roh Night by the band Shinsei Kamattechan, who seem to like graphics a lot and are using a Hatsune Miku kind of singer/ vocal processing, as near as I can tell. The second song is Front Memory, and also spends as much time putting together the graphics as creating the music. Nothing deeply intellectual here, just some good upbeat silly fun; until you translate the lyrics, at which point all bets are off. The band formed in 2007 and gained a following through streaming music videos, in part because of their tendency to stream live songs and mini-concerts using unusual and eccentric processes with no advanced warning. A lot like what Jack White does online with his music, come to think of it. They were indie for years, but signed up with Warner Music Japan once they got big. The final track is Whistling Flower Child, or at least I think that is what whistling yellow flower-chan means.
A new tune from Passepied, the song being Tokyo City Underground MV, and yes, the MV does mean Music Video. The lead vocalist is also a graphics artist and helps create the animations for her videos, as you may have noticed from Wednesday’s post. This track is from their new album, and will be in stores on June 18th, and available on iTunes at the same time. I also included another track which was from a mini-album released just a month or two back.