JP Eiko Ishibashi – The Dream My Bones Dream Struggle For Pride – We Struggle For All Our Pride Hitsujibungaku – Wakamono Tachi Keiji Haino & Sumac – American Dollar Bill – Keep Facing Sideways You’re Too Hideous To Look At Head On Eartaker – Harmonics Quruli – Songline Palm – To Live Is To […]

When American musician Scott Murphy first came to Japan in 2001, he could only say a few phrases in Japanese. “I learned how to say little things on stage, like みんな、楽しんでる？ (Minna tanoshinderu, ‘Are you guys all having a good time?’)” he says. “When you say it on stage the kids just go crazy. So […]

Young acts like Yogee New Waves, Never Young Beach and DYGL are bringing feel-good vibes, but for something more moody check out The Novembers at the Red Marquee on Sunday, or the haunting post-rock combination of Jun Togawa with Vampilia. And don’t forget to see reformed shoegaze legends Slowdive on Sunday. Catch Nengu on the […]

When you’re an independent rock band, maintaining a do-it-yourself ethic long-term can be difficult. Many acts eventually have to scale back, and dreams of a musical career turn into the reality of having a really cool hobby. Uhnellys, however, have kept up the fight. “I see other bands our age and I can’t help but […]

Halfway through my conversation with Atsuo, drummer and spokesman for drone metal trio Boris, I bring out an original CD copy of the group’s 1996 release, “Absolutego.” “This sure brings back memories,” he says, looking at his band’s self-released debut. The record is, in a way, relevant to the group’s latest release, “Dear,” because depending […]

“Standing against those that ruin art,” was the tagline for the After Hours festival, which took place across four venues in Shibuya on April 9. The sponsor-free event, curated by the bands Mono, Downy and Envy, featured more than 30 artists from a wide range of backgrounds and genres, coming together to provide an antithesis […]

Musician Dustin Wong returned to Japan five years ago and, despite having grown up here, he encountered a few cultural differences after coming back. Sipping on a strawberry milkshake at a cafe near Shibuya Station, the composer and guitarist speaks carefully, but candidly, about those differences, one of which is a general lack of critical […]

It’s no secret that the Japanese music industry has a hollowing-out problem; you are either a pop act on a major label with high levels of exposure or an obscure underground act for whom not losing money on a show is a major success. Guitarist Nobukata Kawai of hardcore band Envy knows the latter reality […]

The term “noise music” has come to define a variety of artists and sounds, from guitar feedback to drones to white noise. Japan is certainly no stranger to the concept, birthing formidable pioneers of the genre such as Merzbow, Hijokaidan and Incapacitants over the years. However, singer Taichi Nagura of self-described “noise band” Endon has […]

Yoshiki Hayashi hardly sleeps. The drummer, pianist, songwriter and leader of rock band X Japan has been in and out of the country constantly these past few months, promoting his band’s new documentary film, “We Are X.” At the same time he has been performing solo concerts, recording and squeezing in all the things the […]