Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Mom


Meet mom, a duo from Texas, consisting of a guy playing an acoustic guitar and a cello and a guy that enjoys playing the violin. Both of these gentlemen also make use of some small-time gadgets and electronica. Their ep Little Brite is a pleasant surprise coming out of the DFW!

Friday, July 18, 2008

Fabulous Diamonds



Adorably known to friends and family in Australia as Jarrod and Nisa, The Fabulous Diamonds' beguiling truck is a mesmerizing mix of synth, dub, and percussion, woven around honey-ache vocal stylings recalling (in spirit) past Aussie noisemakers Scattered Order or Makers Of The Dead Travel Fast, as well as those of Augustus Pablo, Young Marble Giants, and Suicide. . Their one previous release was a 7-inch co-released by Nervous Jerk and Misteltone, and it garnered praise from the Blogosphere and a smattering of airplay on discerning freeform radio stations around the US. This LP on Siltbreeze has been in the works for the better part of a year; its release coincides their first American tour (along with Siltbreeze labelmates, Psychedelic Horseshit).

Yura Yura Teikoku


A uniquely Japanese hybrid of Jimi Hendrix, Les Rallizes DesNudes, the Velvet Underground, 60's Japanese pop and the 13th Floor Elevators.
Yura Yura Teikoku started as a four piece in 1989. They were fixtures in Tokyo's underground psychedelic scene - they played at the legendary hole-in-the-wall UFO CLUB in Koenji and appeared on premier Japanese psych label PSF's "Tokyo Flashback" compilations. They released a demo cassette and two CDs on their own Jigoku (Hell) label and eventually signed to Captain Trip records, for which they recorded a proper album and a live CD. Their early material was proggy, heavy-psych with lots of dueling guitar solos and bombastic drumwork. Friends who attended shows of this era recall being frightened by singer Sakamoto Shintaro, who at the time shaved off his eyebrows and wore his waist-long hair parted down the middle, traditional Japanese ghost-style. Their fan's devotion was a sign of things to come -- many audience members mimicked Sakamoto and shaved off their own eyebrows. Yura Yura Teikoku were good - Kamekawa Chiyo's hypnotic basslines and Sakamoto's piercing voice distinguished the band from their peers - but material from the early years pales in comparison to their later masterpieces.
In 1992 their second guitar player left and the band went through a succession of drummers. In 1997 current drummer Shibata Ichiro joined the group and the ecstatic psych-pop sound for which Yura Yura Teikoku would become famous was born. In 1998 Tokyo's MIDI Records released the three-piece's first major album, 333. Every music magazine in the country lavished the record with praise and their fan base exploded overnight. Yura Yura Teikoku songs popped up in karaoke booths and their shows were swamped with worshipping fans. Since 1999, getting tickets to one of their performances has been near impossible - shows sell out in a matter of minutes. What happened?
Yura Yura Teikoku are the first and only Japanese underground psychedelic rock group to have achieved "overground" success. Yura Yura Teikoku look and sound like no other band in Japan, and their widespread popularity strikes most followers of underground psychedelic music as just plain...weird. For me, what's really weird is that they've followed their masterpiece 333 with four albums of equal brilliance, inspiration and growth. They've become more experimental with each album yet continue to attract more fans.
Well if they're so good, you might be wondering, why haven't I heard about them? I've got a million Fushitsusha records, I've got my Boredoms and my Cornelius records, I even scored some Tomokawa Kazuki CDs off the Forced Exposure website, but why haven't I ever seen a Yura Yura Teikoku record in America? My response -- I HAVE NO IDEA! Yura Yura Teikoku has been criminally overlooked outside Japan.

Sunday, July 06, 2008

Lost and Found Video Night #4


I stumbled upon these Lost & Found Videos and I feel i should share some of them with you.

Volume #4 is the All Music Edition and its got some hits and misses. My favorite part is the David Lee Roth scene. HaHa! I just imagine being at some of these incredible shows that are featured on this compilation of lost gems. Enjoy!

1. Bikini clad beach Go Go girls
2. Jordache commercial
3. Bridget Bardot sings Contact
4. the band Kiss in a Japanese TV commercial
5. Barbeque Killers perform
5. Dusty Springfield Live from the TV show Dusty
6. Hot Butters' Popcorn
7. The Tams perform What Kind of Fool Do You Think I am?
8. The Butthole Surfers perform on the Scott and Gary Show, 1984
9. Tom Jones performs Show Me, 1968
10. The Cramps perform at a Mental Institution
11. Marianne Faithful sings
12. The Yeti song
13. Night Flight featuring The Residents
14. A drunken David Lee Roth insults The Clash
15. The Cash Crew: early 80's rap video
16. Bill Hicks and the Rainbows
17. Throbbing Gristle, Live!
18. Scott Walker performs "Matilda"
19. Joy Division on British television
20. Hall and Oats perform "You've Lost That Loving Feeling"
21. Zacherley costume dance party
22. The Small Faces
23. The Dramatics perform on Darktown Strutters
24. Black Sabbath
25. The Kids of Whitney High
26. Jane Berkin and Serge Gainsbourg perform Melody Nelson
27. Popol Vuh, Krautrock
28. The Monks perform on German TV
29. Alice Cooper
30. Anna Karina from Anna
31. Tony Clifton performs with Dinah Shore
32. B-52's on Saturday Night Live
33. Liberache and Debbie Reynolds perform a song from Annie
34. Ornette Coleman on Saturday Night Live
35. Pink Floyd with Syd Barett, Live!

Running Time: 1 hr. 30 min
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Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Silence is Better

I made a mix again.




· Voice of the Seven Woods – Solitary Breathing
· Mythical Beast – Maria Sabina
· Avey Tare – I’m your eagle kisser
· Svarte Greiner – Kobbergruve Endelig Jeg Fant
· Diamond Vampires – Forever
· Padded Cell – Are you anywhere?
· Ricardo Tobar – El Sunset
· Prince Paul – I Want You (I’m an 80’s Man)
· Harvey Milk – After all I’ve done for you, this is how you repay me
· Crystal Antlers – Parting Song for the Torn Sky
· The Child Ballads – Cheekbone Hollows
· White Denim –
· Girls - Hellhole Ratrace
· Eden Express – Ocean Samba (Tristeza)
· Tindersticks – The other side of the world
· Bersarin Quartett – St. Petersburg