Hear full songs here: http://www.themodernist.com/recordings.html
Podcast with interviews here: http://nikkeisindex.blogspot.com
Neo Wave Nastros is a compilation of 4 bands from the Neo Wave of Japanese punk. These bands have taken the best elements of late 70's punk and accentuated them to create a newer, sleeker, more fuel-efficient model for export. Each band contributes 3 songs, the idea sort of being four 7" singles in one release.
First up is the manic energy of nanoX, a four-piece of bass, drums, guitar, and organ. The organ gives it a bit of XTC-style new wavey feel, with snatches of decipherable lyrics about "molecules" and "switching on." The band sets up a sound with the first two comparatively conventional song structures -- fast and fun -- then departs dramatically for the third, "Game Boys," a dark, spiraling near-instrumental.
Second is The Climax, easily the best-named band in Japan. Minoru Imagination on drums, Hatsui Romantic on guitar, Man Humane on bass, Billy-O Jones on guitar & vocals. The songs are both tough and poppy with a touch of Oi! in the choruses, and feature some of the most comprehensible English in Japan, such as the excellently crude "I used to look for a good fuck -- sick of fucks" on "Cliinex."
Third is Joystax, the fun of destruction. They're not afraid of some sonic experimentation, with crashes of amp clatter that sound like an explosion or a CD cleaning machine processed to sound like outer space, all woven into their sharp, aggressive, surprisingly attractive songs. The instruments blend nicely, the guitar catapulting from angular Gang of Four-style scraping to frankly disgustingly well-played solos, all never detracting from the driving demented groove.
And just when your head is ready to explode we send you out with the clarity of Ex-Boy. Their sound is in the feel of early 80's Europop, something along the lines of the Cure or the Smiths, a lot of reverb on everything, and then somehow played with a hint of rockabilly. Conceptually strange but you don't really notice when you hear the songs -- just a string of catchy guitar lines, great melodies, and wistful romanticism.
There are a lot of great bands in Japan but it's hard to find out about them, not to mention order anything from them, and even then CDs are price-fixed at around $20, plus pricey shipping to the US. These bands brought to you for this price is nothing short of a miracle! Praise be to Tokyo!
Hear full songs here: http://www.themodernist.com/recordings.html
Podcast with interviews here: http://nikkeisindex.blogspot.com
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