Oyuki kigan 0 Posted November 13, 2004 Share Posted November 13, 2004 Does this beast still exist? I have been on the hunt for some decent japanese punk rock, but have been largely unable to find anything...'punk'. Mind you, the Blue Hearts rock my socks. But beyond them, has anyone heard anything that is not the lyrics to some cliche pop song with a half-hearted attempt at a 'punk' structure? Any band that actually has something to say about their own society beyond cliche anti-racism setiments? Pissed off and wants to put a little vinegar in their vocals? Bands that actually want to stir shit up? Are there no japanese counterparts to the Dead Kennedys or Propagandi? Actually, the bands with the most heart seen to be all-girl ones. Perhaps the future lies with them... I have heard a few bands classified as 'punk', but for the most part, they do little musically or lycically. Lets see... Hi-Standard: Good guys, but the only good stuff i've heard has been their cover songs. Nicotine: OK show, but nothing special. NOFX clones Anarchy:Lyrics approaching insigtful, but stops short. Lolita #18: Rad. I'll leave them alone. Softball: Really good catchy tunes, but nothing in their lyrics i've undrstood as out-of -the-ordinary Shonen Knife: The old stuff is amazing.If only a little wierd. Bump of Chicken: From my high horse here, it looks pretty crappy. Snail Ramp: Ditto Mongol 500: Actually, they have something to say. perhaps its because they are from the politically charged Okinawan islands. But they seem so happy singing about how war sucks. C'mon guys, its OK to get a little angry when you sing! the happies: Actually, I say these guys once. I don't know what the hell the singer was screaming, but he was running around the stage barefoot having a fit, while the band played super dirty Ramones-style riffs. I loved it. Well, thats all I can think of offhand. I realize i have a pretty narrow view of punk, and i can't play an instrument to save my life, but hey, its punk rock, not rocket science, right? I guess its special to me becaus it speaks about things i care about, not in some candy-coated way. So if anyone has some really good Japanese punk rock, i would love to hear about it. Link to post Share on other sites
mattlucas 0 Posted November 13, 2004 Share Posted November 13, 2004 So what's a Japanese Punk show like?? Do they know how to mosh or is it pretty tame? Link to post Share on other sites
sakebomb 0 Posted November 13, 2004 Share Posted November 13, 2004 Try Sobut, kinda hardcore. Not sure about the lyrics. The CD I had was far from pop punk. Think Total Chaos, early Rancid ? Link to post Share on other sites
Oyuki kigan 0 Posted November 13, 2004 Author Share Posted November 13, 2004 All i could glean from SOBUT was that they wanted to be rancid. Like most things appropriated by japan, it is very good in mimicking the surface, but completely misses the point. Case in point, a live show. I saw this great ska band from Hokkaido called the Clowns. Super-fun, high-energy ska. Anywhere else, and it would pack the dance floor. When i saw them in a little live venue in Kitami, everybody just stood around and stared. You get the same thing when a techno DJ gets in front of the crowd. They just listlessly sway side to side and stare at the DJ, like he is some sort of star. LIKE WHAT THE F*CK DID YOU PAY THE COVER CHARGE FOR? TO DO THE SAME THING YOU WOULD WATCHING SMAP ON TV?!? Thats better. I've been holding that in for too long. Well. At least i had fun dancing. Go see a show for the experience. I have only seen shows in small towns, so i am biased. But almost any moderately-sized city has a venue (usually called a 'live house'). Drop in and check it out. Link to post Share on other sites
Davo 1 Posted November 13, 2004 Share Posted November 13, 2004 Check out 'The Boredoms' and ....umm can't really help you beyond that. Punk can mean a lot of things to a lot of people and those guys, the lead singer Eye in particular, are legends in the underground scene. Can't say I've heard anything of the likes of DKs, maybe vinegar only goes down well here in sushi . Must be some good Jpunk out there but I expect it's just not high profile at all. Link to post Share on other sites
connackers 0 Posted November 13, 2004 Share Posted November 13, 2004 Don`t know if it counts as i know nothing about them, but have got into The 5,6,7,8`s. Got a bit of their stuff after hearing Woo Hoo in Kill Bill. Mostly old cover versions, with no social commentary, or political undertones, but a lot of fun. Link to post Share on other sites
klingon 10 Posted November 15, 2004 Share Posted November 15, 2004 Are they the 'girl band'? Link to post Share on other sites
connackers 0 Posted November 15, 2004 Share Posted November 15, 2004 Yep, all girls. 3 of them. They`re playing in the restaurant/club before The Bride comes in and ruins the decor. Link to post Share on other sites
linalmeemow 0 Posted November 15, 2004 Share Posted November 15, 2004 There is a massive punk scene in Japan. I play drums in a band called the Happening. There's an english review of our album on the J Church website. We're loosely affiliated with the Snuffy Smile label, which deals mainly in Husker Du/Leatherface/Jawbreaker influenced bands but has released everything from the poppest of pop-punk to the hardest hardcore. It's the label that released the first Hi-Standard record and the first Husking Bee record. You can get Snuffy Smile releases at good record stores in Japan (Disk Union and the other indies). I'd recommend albums by I Excuse (like Leatherface only more spazzy), Pear of the West (the best pop-punk band in the world), The Urchin (more great pop) and Longball to Noone (kind of angular post-hardcore. Difficult to describe!). If you want something a bit less straightforward then I'd recommend envy. envy used to be a hardcore band, and I suppose still is but they make music like I've never heard before. Incredibly intense and heavy yet still really beutiful. They have 3 guitarists, which would normally make me think they're super-wanky, but they manage to make it work. envy is the best live band I've ever seen, and I've seen in excess of 1000 different bands... If anyone wants to know dates for punk gigs in Tokyo let me know and I'll post updates as I get them. Link to post Share on other sites
Oyuki kigan 0 Posted November 15, 2004 Author Share Posted November 15, 2004 Thank you. Thank you very much. I will try to check some of those bands out. I won't be back over there until next summer at the earliest, but i look forward to hearing some of this stuff. Actually, i briefly was in e-mail contact with this girl who was in a band on the Snuffy Smile label. Now, that was a few years ago, but when i typed "Japan political punk", in on google, her band was the only thing to come up. last time i e-mailed her, (she lived in the states and has perfect english), she said she was doing translating work and had her music projects on the side. I don't know if that helps at all. I always wanted to hear some of her stuff, but i could never to make it out to Tokyo from the sticks where i was living. I think her name is Kaori, if that helps at all. Link to post Share on other sites
linalmeemow 0 Posted November 15, 2004 Share Posted November 15, 2004 Her name is Kaori Yoshida. Her new band is called the Happening. I play the drums for them. Small world, eh? Link to post Share on other sites
Oyuki kigan 0 Posted November 16, 2004 Author Share Posted November 16, 2004 Ha ha ha. Crazy. I doubt she would remember me, the last time she e-mailed me was a year or two ago asking for support to help some Japanese anarchists who were having trouble with the police during the anti-war protests. If she does remember me, tell her i would still love to go record shopping with her and her friends when i get back over there. Well, with this news, is there any way i can get a hold of some of your guys stuff? And how would you describe the band's music? Link to post Share on other sites
linalmeemow 0 Posted November 16, 2004 Share Posted November 16, 2004 Depends where you are. I know the CD is being distro'ed in the UK and the US but I'm not sure where else. We've also got a split lp coming out with Petrograd in the New Year which should get wider distribution as they're more popular than we are! We play power-pop/pop-punk sort of stuff. I think it sounds like J Church/Discount/Jawbreaker though others may disagree. If you use MSN Messenger let me know and I'll send you a couple of tracks... Link to post Share on other sites
Oyuki kigan 0 Posted November 17, 2004 Author Share Posted November 17, 2004 I'm afraid i'm not on messenger. Is there any way of ordering a CD from you directly? Link to post Share on other sites
linalmeemow 0 Posted November 19, 2004 Share Posted November 19, 2004 hppnng@hotmail.com Email Kaori and she'll sort something out. Here's a review of the album by Lance J Church... http://www.j-church.com/articles/newsletter11-5.html Link to post Share on other sites
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