‘Your Kingdom Your world’ live
(some e-bow action here)
The Depreciation Guild - Spirit Youth
Kanine, 20108.2
Shoegaze, like so many other genres pioneered over two decades ago, has seen a somewhat uncomfortable revival in recent years. If you’re an optimist, you’ve welcomed the flood of shoegaze-styled groups. If you’re a pessimist, you’ve hated the revival of a genre that reached its peak when a lot of its modern practitioners were still in diapers. And if you’re a realist (like me), you acknowledge the fact that most of it will certainly be monotonous and just plain bad, but some of it may well be great.
The recent revivals have been full of some crap music and some harsh criticism, with creators of the latter pointing to the lack of creativity or music on the level of those “Golden Years”. To be fair, shoegaze especially isn’t exactly a genre where originality and virtuosity are the main focus. Even now, shoegaze bands can certainly create convincing and passionate music, but with a style of music so rigidly defined and perfected already, it’s hard not to say, “This just sounds like a cheap and insincere My Bloody Valentine (Or Jesus and Mary Chain or Slowdive) imitation.” That’s obviously a poor attitude to have, but it resonates some truth.
The more clever bands have mixed shoegaze with other influences, and with varying degrees of success. The Depreciation Guild (lead by The Pains of Being Pure at Heart’s drummer Kurt Feldman) certainly developed an interesting take in their 5 years together, mixed with equal parts dream pop, a heavy dose of 80s darkwave/synthpop, and most surprisingly, the Famicom (or Super Nintendo) crunch to create a dramatic and dreamy swirl of reverb-heavy guitars and 8-bit washes endlessly described as “blip blops”. On The Depreciation Guild’s first LP, In Her Gentle Jaws, the chiptune video game sound had an exceedingly more prominent role, and was more of an exercise in melding Cocteau Twins-guitar with the nostalgia-inducing Famicom sound chip. Predictably, despite being a good album, the use of what some would consider “cheesy” Super NES melodies and drums clashed with the dramatic sound and tone of the guitars and lyrics, and was perhaps, understandably, thought of as gimmicky. TDG, to their credit, recognized this and sought out to make an album that proved their use of the Famicom was just as another instrument, and not a novelty item.
The chiptune sound on Spirit Youth has a less prominent, but much more refined role. The bright scatters of digital chirping flow with the tracks rather than sticking out at you, and this coupled with the use of real drums and bass give Spirit Youth a much more dynamic and serious “band” sound. Overall, The Depreciation Guild have always been on the dreamier and softer side of the shoegazer coin, as there is basically no feedback or discordant guitar tones. The lack of emphasis of harsher textures may be enough to not even consider this a shoegaze album at all, but the comparatively abrasive tracks “Crucify You” and “Through The Snow” provide the most thrilling moments on the album.
Which I feel is the only real negative thing I can say about this record. There is a distinct lack of abrasiveness. The melodramatic vocals and synths sometimes call to mind the more saccharine qualities of J-Pop and 80s synthpop, which can be a bit distasteful at times. Spirit Youth is also confusing in that I can’t decide whether it’s a POP! (as in the independent punk-ethos pop) or pop (as in “I want to be in the Top 40”) album. Despite that, and if you can get over the tooth-rotting sweetness, Spirit Youth is a pretty great album. The songwriting is strong and intricate, and the melodies are memorable. At the very least, these guys truly meant what they were doing, and it’s a shame the couldn’t have done more.
“Existence… well, why does it matter? I exist in the best terms I can. The past is now part of my future. The present is well out of hand.”
Control (2007)
This movie wounded me rather badly
I normally listen to Korean bands, and since we're on the case of shoegaze, the band 'sleepstalker' is outstanding really. They're post-rock/dreampop that uses an older sound of shoegaze to add in more melody and slower tempos to create this really cool ambient sound. Anyway, thought you should check them out, most of their music is on their bandcamp page. And uh yes, just thought I'd throw in that recommendation haha.
Thank you. I just made a post about it.
A special thank you to lostmentality for recommending this Korean Post-Rock band.
To be honest…It’s hard to listen to Loveless and Souvlaki
Those endless memories attached to songs. It is amazing how one can remember in vivid detail of where they were, what the weather was like, or a friend’s presence; hell even their state of mind when an album of such greatness is listened to for the first time. There are some albums that can be eternally played with no loss of love or affection. And then there are some albums, that might take years for you to be ready to experience them again. It isn’t just records like souvlaki and loveless that were mentally banned. Rather it was because of this mindset that I found myself wishing and searching for more of it; something fresh and new.
It pleases me so much to see on tumblr many from Generation Y/Z finding so much love from early shoegaze. At the same time going through my tracked tags I keep rolling my eyes every time someone blogs the song “Sometimes” by My Bloody Valentine. I get it, I totally do. It is one of their best songs among many. It would just be nice to every so often see posts from their earlier Twee’ish album Ecstasy and Wine. Or someone posting Slowdive’s Losing Today rather then dagger.
[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]
Shut up you guys I like my shoegaze okay?
I was at a party recently and I mentioned shoegaze as being something I’ve been exploring a lot lately, and this portly motherfucker in a meticulously planned outfit did that snort so accurately associated with the pompous. The following dialog ensued:
Me: “No shoegaze for you? Don’t like it?”
He: “No. Never.”
Me: “I guess I’m easy. You tack detached, soothing vocals onto abrasive, ambient instrumentation and I get slimy. Why don’t you like it? Did you hear Loveless and just frown?”
He: “No. Never heard it.”
Me: “Ah, sorry, that’s just what turns most people off. It’s a motherfucking beast of an album though, I recommend it. What album turned you off though?”
He: “None of it.”
Me: “None of it? So you’ve never listened to any shoegaze?”
He: “No.”
Me: “But you don’t like it.”
He: “No.”
Me: “Do you see how I’m getting confused here.”
He: “No.”
Me: “Well you see, you are scoffing at me for enjoying something you have no concept of. You look like a metalhead. Forgive the stereotype, but you have long-ass hair, an esoteric graphic tee, and you’re wearing a black hoodie with black shorts and black shoes. Are you indeed a metalhead?”
He: “Yeah, a bit I guess.”
Me: “That’s cool. I take it you get a lot of shit for being a metalhead. How would you feel if I just started laughing at you for listening to metal when I had no fucking clue who like, Opeth or whoever you listen to were?”
He: “I don’t know man, shoegaze is just a dumb name for something.”
It totally is a fucking stupid name. Staring at shoes I mean what the fuck man what does that say about music. It should be called Dickfuzz, because it’s fuzzy sounding and it makes my dick hard. That’s the whole point of that story - irrational, pompous douchebag metalheads are turned off by an awesome genre of mostly quality shit because it has a stupid goddamn name. Listen to this shit - it’s gorgeous, it’s catchy, it has a ridiculously infectious beat and an incredibly warm atmosphere to it. The percussion is crazy, too. LISTEN AND LOVE, MY SUBJECTS, LISTEN AND LOVE.
I tried so hard to influence the scene into changing the name to Simon Reynold’s description of shoegaze as blissrock. Alas it still hasn’t caught on.. I think from now on I’ll just refer to it all as Dickfuzz.
[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]
I came up with the idea of this Japanese shoegaze Week after writing a nostalgic anecdote a few weeks ago about the first time I heard Cryuff in the Bedroom. Having a rather strange band name combined with an obsession with futball, CitB are not only still going strong today, but are active friends with other bands through out the world.
The band was formed in 1998 buy musicians Yusuke Hata (guitar/vox), Shigekazu Sannohe (guitar, vox), and Hideyuki Hironaka (bass)*. The band quickly released several EPs and a singles before debuting their first full length called Perfect Silence in 2002. Singer and Guitarist Yusuke has a distinctive charm to his singing style. I have always felt that he has a special talent for reaching inside you and pulling out some some deep rooted emotions. I get such an impression on songs like Plastique Bag, LVLF, Bored Parade, and Carillon Blue (posted above).
The band followed up their stellar debut a year later with the album Hikarihimawari. Perfect Silence was a hard album to top, yet Hikarihimawari doesn’t disappoint. But after that, Cruyff went silent. I wouldn’t hear much about CitB for the next five years. Then out of nowhere, they released their 2008 album Saudargia. Coming back in full form with another outstanding release in an already impressive discography. A couple of years later we get their latest release; 2010s Ukiyogunjou (and a remix album the same year). Cruyff goes back on the road for a few tour dates for their latest release, eventually playing a show with Ringo Deathstarr during their Japan Tour. I can only hope that CitB sticks around for a lot longer. While the band doesn’t tour that often or very far from their home town. It is still wonderful to know that somewhere in my daydreams I am seeing them live for the first time. I can’t have that if they call it quits.
*I couldn’t find any lengthy biography about the band, or past members. Would like to know who the drummer is/was cause the drums on all the releases are phenomenal.
[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]
Well this post should be pretty easy. Because I can’t find a single thing on the internet about them. They might as well have been a “one-record-wonder” along with a bunch of other shoegaze bands that I’m just to tired to remember off the top of my head. So they remain a mystery. The least I can do is talk about their one and only record. It’s six track self titled album.. and it is outstanding.
The immediate song I uploaded above was to showcase an obvious influence from Nick McCabe of the Verve. Especially by the end of the song. It is an instrumental track, but there was some pretty yummy male vocals on their first track “Cicada Homesick”. If you could please listen to the dreamy duet female vocals on 燈京 (kyoto Light), you have to hear it..it’s creepy layered and haunting.
Their final song on the record called My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean, reminds me of a lost Seven Percent Solution song. The bands Spectrum of genres is delightful. It’s shoegazey, its dream-poppy, ending on a contemporary space-rock sound. I uploaded the whole thing on my soundcloud just for anybody who really wants to give it a listen.
[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]
Just great. Bufferins webpages for Myspace and Discogs.com say this is Emo. Nor can I figure it out. None of the albums I have, The 2000 Self Titled, and the 2001 album koboreochiru-mono pop up anywhere other then places and friends who shared it to me like a decade ago. I’ll just let you decide.
Super Walls of Sound [check], Female Japanese vocals [check].
That was the 90s in Japan…now things get rather interesting.
Heading into the new millenium with Japanese bands meant that finding them becomes easier thanks to the increased use of the internet and well the arrival of better search engines. Like I mentioned before, places like Blisscent.group, and Dream Pop Links did help some. But the P2P networks were also a huge source of music discovery. There were so many new shoegaze bands popping up all around the world during this period that it wasn’t just Japan having a “second coming”.
Living in the US, i have noticed quite a large amount of bands. My attempt to categorize just how many shoegaze bands were popping into existence became overwhelming, and that was just in 2004-2007 (myspace days). I gave up looking on bandcamp as of late cause well I lost my page, and also with the arrival of Glo-fi/Chillwave artists tend to get mashed up and finding those pure blissrock bands became more and more difficult. And don’t get my started on the Doomgaze shit. Seriously, as I mentioned before there has been one band that really pulled off Shoegaze+Metal and it wasn’t Alcest or Jesu; it was Coaltar of the Deepers.
I’ve seen a fair share of great bands not just in Japan come and go. Hell, I’ve even had the chance to meet one of the legendary Japanese shoegaze bands back in 2005, and follow them around the East coast during their tour with Airiel. I’ll get more into that a few posts in. Personally, I wish I could have included more 90s bands from Japan, but I’ve not not discovered them yet. I’m sure some of my forum friends may be a bit more savvy to whom I missed on my list. And perhaps I may go back and include even after this week is over.
More posts to come starting tomorrow as I attempt to write them all out and catch up from my lack of posts today. Thanks again for following my odd eclectic ramblings on obscurity.
[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]
Supercar is another undefined Japanese alternative band that should not be forgotten for their success and musical talents. Not unlike Coaltar of the Deepers, Supercar had a wide spectrum of experimentation under their belt, especially later in their discography. Their first full length album Three Out Change was the biggest contribution to the Japanese noise-pop scene. Opening with the solid song Creme Soda; the following songs are full of outstanding noisy hooks, finishing off with the epic 12 minute song Trip Sky. I had a hard time between choosing Creme Soda or another song called Hello. There is such a huge nod to Ride on the above track..
I can not say I’m disappointed that the later records deviated from their first record. There is a strong sense of song writing on all their records and they should be applauded for their experimentation. It is just too bad that by the time I was really getting into them, they break up in 2005.
[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]
Sugar plant are a Japanese band, Chinatsu Shoyama and Shin’ichi Ogawa. Other members of the band usually include a keyboardist and drummer, but are fluid, and members change continuously. Chinatsu and Shin’ichi formed the band in 1993, when they met at university, and took the name from a sugar factory in Kawasaki City. After producing a two song demo tape, they sent it out to overseas leabels,and soon released their debut single “Orange Filter” through the German label, A Turntable Friend.
Sugar plant signed to the Japanese label Wonder Release, and soon after released their first album, “hiding place”, which was also released through the American label, Pop Narcotic. 1995 saw sugar plant embark on a two month, 25 date American tour, which saw their profile growing strongly. They played with bands such as Lois, Magnetic Fields, Versus, Helium and the Dambuilders. The mini-album “cage of the sun” is released in both America and Japan at the start of 1996, and in March they begin recording their major label debut, “after after hours”, at Studio Red, Philadelphia.
In April they commenced their second American tour, this time 35 dates. Artists they play with on the tour include Jessamine, Babe the blue OX, Mojave 3 and Windy and Carl. By this time Chinatsu and Shin’ichi are becoming very interested in trance techno music, and go to techno clubs regularly in Tokyo. In August, sugar plant make their major debut with “after after hours”, which is released in Japan through Pony Canyon. Play at Club Quattro in Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka, and commence an Autumn tour of festivals. The mini-album, “trance mellow” is released in Japan. ”after after hours” is released in America in March 1997, climbing to number 52 in the national CMJ chart. Sugar plant begin their third tour of America, which sees them playing in over 40 cities to constant attention. During the tour they are interviewed by over 64 newspapers, magazines and fanzines. Showing their versatility and their wide range of their appeal, they play at a large techno trance festival to rapturous attention, with the legendary Japanese punk band, The Boredoms, as well as DJs playing trance, drum and bass and ambient styles. The “happy” mini-album is released in January, 1998, in Japan. It is released as a double set (happy/trance mellow) in America in June.
They have been the front act for bands such as Silver Apples and Yo La Tengo, in Japan. A French band, a reminiscent drive remixes “rise” and it is put out on the compilation “The colour of your dreams” in 1999 in Japan. Also an instrumental song “oneness” is out on the compilation “spiritual fantasy”. In September, they go to a studio to make a full length album. ”dryfruit” is released in February 2000 in Japan.
text by Brian Munro
A bit lazy on this post. But Brian’s bio on the Sugar Plant website was pretty well written. I remember sugar plant from the late 90’s. A friend had a copy of After After Hours. But hardly ever saw any copies of any of their CD’s at the local music store. Lucky for all of us, their discography seems to be easy to come by. Fairly affordable on Amazon and Ebay, yet nothing on Tonevendor.
A rather fitting song since it is raining/snowing outside… eternal sadness.
