Power ballads bring all the feels in the cheesiest way. And if
you’re sentimental like I am, you want your feels as cheesy as possible.
The best power ballads are hyper-emotional rock songs that
are over the top big! Big sounds, big emotions, big hair. They must be just the
right tempo for slow dancing or dramatically falling in heap. And there has
to be a crescendo. This is crucially important to drown out the
sound of your audible wailing as you lament your lost love.
If you're an 80's kid, this playlist is dripping with nostalgia. Padded out with a Wham! song or two, some Spandau Ballet and Madonna's 'Like a Prayer' this would have been the playlist of choice for 10 year old me.
So if you’re looking for something to belt out your lungs to…
or hanging for a good cry, this playlist has got you covered.
I’ve been feeling cautiously optimistic lately. Most likely because of the imminent reprieve from the bitter cold of winter. Here comes the sun and not a moment too soon! In my haste to shake off the winter blues, I’ve put aside the goth rock, post-punk and industrial metal to embrace some more mellow, hopeful sounds.
I’ve been listening to a lot of Tropicália music. Tropicália is a Brazilian artistic movement that began in the late 1960’s and was rooted in political upheaval and a desire for social change. Following the overthrow of the elected government of President João Goulart in 1964, Brazil's newly installed military government was cracking down on dissent in all forms, including strict censorship of media and critical songs.
In response, Brazilian artists fought for creative freedom through the revolutionary movement Tropicália; an artistic movement that includes music, film, visual and performing arts. Tropicália music combines traditional Brazilian music with elements of pop, rock and jazz.
Smooth moves and good vibes is a playlist inspired by Tropicália, but it's a mixed bag of French electro, krautrock, afro funk, 80’s pop and a bunch of other gold thrown in for good measure.
I have a soft spot for math rock. And no, you don't have to be good at maths to dig it.
Math rock is a sub-genre of progressive rock; a broad term which covers pretty much any style of rock that pushes the boundaries of conventional rock music.
It's no secret that I'm a fan of the unconventional and math rock certainly fits the bill. So called because of it’s unusual, frequently changing time signatures; math rock has tight rhythms with precise changes in style and tone. There's lots of stopping and starting and changes in tempo. This creates a jarring affect which can feel a bit frantic. Math rock has unusual time signatures which are technically complex and harder to play, so people who play math rock are really skilful.
Math rock became a notable genre in the late 1980s - early 1990s and some my favourite bands that are considered math rock, like Polvo and Shellac, started back then. There's also a lot of great Japanese math rock bands like Tricot.
I discovered math rock in my early 20s. I always listened to a lot of punk and post punk music and the math rock sound is not dissimilar. It's noisy, chaotic and often interspersed with delicate melodies. And it's powerfully emotive. But what really got me about math rock is all that noise and chaos is actually very controlled in a masterful way. I love that.
So, do you want to hear some math rock? Because I've got you covered! I've put together the perfect playlist so you can dive head first into the sonically complex world of math rock. All you have to do is hit play.
I know most of you thought I was dead, but no, actually what happened was I got really, really quiet. For almost five years. And I know that's a long time between blog posts, but what is it they say? If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all?
It's not really fair to say nothing nice has happened in music in the last five years. We've seen the runaway success of Amyl and the Sniffers and the debut of Silk Sonic. We heard the true story of Wham! resulting in vindication for Andrew Ridgeley (I freaking love that guy). And St. Vincent, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Janelle Monae, Public Image Ltd. and Blur all released new albums.
Post COVID, it seems every band and artist is touring, and even though I don't know anyone personally who was able to get tickets for Taylor Swift's upcoming Melbourne show, somebody somewhere must have snagged one. And the nicest thing of all? Guitar Wolf played at my local. Guitar Wolf!! At my local!!!
While it's true I have not blogged for many years, I have not given up making stellar playlists. You could even say it's a hobby of mine. I love to think about the way songs fit together thematically to tell a story, or express a mood or feeling.
This playlist pulls togther a collection of tunes that span decades and musical styles; ranging from The Zombies' 1960's psychedelic rock and the lovely Yé-yé sounds of Françoise
Hardy, to the smooth soul of Erykah Badu, the hard rocking Rollins Band and the drum n' bass stylings of Josh Abrahams. You know, to remind us all that it's complicated.
It's taken almost all month, but here it is; my first post for 2019. Happy new year to you all, by the way. I feel good about the year to come. The future's so bright, I gotta wear shades. The shades also stop the scorching, Australian sun from burning my eyes out. Seriously, it has been so freaking hot. Temperatures of the likes we've never seen before. No such thing as climate change, my arse!
So, the Roxy talks Music January Playlist has a very positive vibe. It wasn't intentional, it just turned out that way. But it's definitely reflective of my current outlook. It's crazy that it's taken me so long to put some Roxy Music on a playlist, but I really have been listening to them a lot lately, and I have to say, there's no better way to start the year. Aaaaand.... Weezer's version of TLC's 'No Scrubs' from their recently released Teal album of covers makes me laugh.
I took the last couple of months off from Roxy talks Music to recharge my batteries, binge on Netflix and try to make sense of this crazy thing called life. But now I'm back with a fresh new playlist for the holiday season. Of course it includes Run DMC's 'Christmas in Hollis' because, well duh.
On the subject of 'the holiday season', it can be a complicated time. Sometimes sad, sometimes joyous, sometimes riddled with anxiety. I'm getting some freaking awesome Lego this year, so colour me excited! Also, I suspect there may be a record or two waiting for me under the tree. Fingers crossed one of them is Juliana Hatfield's 1995 album 'Only Everything' recently repressed and released on coloured vinyl by Run Out Groove. During my break from Roxy talks Music, I managed to catch the Mystery Lights at one of my locals. That's amazing for three reasons; one: I already knew and loved the Mystery Lights, two: they are a freaking fantastic garage rock band all the way from New York (which is worlds away from my regional Victorian city), and three: it only cost me ten bucks to see them live. Wow did they rock! They were super high-energy with a somewhat 1960's psychedelic, Westcoast sound. They sounded great, the crowd was pumped and it felt very much like an intimate jam session at times.
On a more sombre note, legendary Buzzcocks frontman Pete Shelley passed away this month. The Buzzcocks were hugely influential pioneers of pop punk. In Shelley's honour, I've included everybody's favourite Buzzcocks song 'Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)' on the Roxy talks Music - December Playlist. I hope you enjoy it.
I've been feeling sentimental of late. I think I'm a sentimental person generally, but lately almost everything makes me emotional. Emotions! Gah!! Who needs them, amiright? I think that's why quite a few of the songs on this month's playlist are sentimental. Some just in general, some specifically for me. It wasn't intentional, that's just the way the cards have fallen. Again, not much new music here, but I plan to rectify that in the coming months. That said, I did discover Meg Myers, who's second full length album 'Take me to the Disco' was released in July this year. Stephen Kallao wrote a profile on Myers for NPR's World Cafe: essential and emerging artists, describing her sound as 'a bit like Nine Inch Nails got into a fight with the Pixies'. THAT got my attention. 'Numb' the second track on the album, is very Pixiesish - with the loud/quiet shifts and the long, wistful guitar licks.
Look, The Roxy talks Music - September Playlist may be sentimental, but it's not all melancholia. There's a light at the end of the long, wintry tunnel. Spring has sprung! And I'm about ready to kick up my heels and go out for a dance.
So, put it on and play it loud, my people! And maybe I'll catch you out there on the dance floor.
Today is my husband's 10th Father's Day. It's also the second since my dad passed away. For these reasons and a few others, I felt inspired to make a special Father's Day playlist.
These are all 'dad' songs to me because they have some kind of connection in my mind to a dad in my life; whether it be my own dad, or my husband or my father-in-law, or all three simultaneously (hello, Billy Joel!) My dad was a big lover of music and passed that love on to me. My husband and I share a love of music also, and it is a huge part of our family life. Because of this, our daughter is developing her own passion for music. She's into J-Pop and K-Pop at the moment, which isn't really my thing, but love what you love, I always say! So to all the dads out there, and everyone who has a dad, or is thinking of a dad... this playlist is for you.
It would be remiss of me not to acknowledge Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, who sadly passed away this month. My first experience of Frankiln was in the 1980's with Eurythmics song 'Sisters Are Doin' It For Themselves'. Being a young girl under 10 years old, and a Eurythmics fan to boot, I remember thinking she must have been someone pretty special to be singing a duet with Annie Lennox. How right I was! Growing up when and where I did, I'd have to be living in a vacuum not to know who Aretha Franklin was. She was hugely influential on most of the artists I was listening to and in addition to the impressive number of iconic hits she had throughout the 1960's and 70's, she sang duets with huge stars like George Michael and Whitney Houston. After I saw Franklin in the 'Blues Brothers' for the first time in my teens, I knew she was legendary.
We also lost another music great this month, with the passing of rock guitarist and songwriter Spencer P Jones. Jones has played in a hell of a lot of bands since the 1970's, but my absolute favourite is Beasts of Bourbon (I freaking love that band!). He was a fantastic guitarist and he will be missed. The Roxy talks Music - August Playlist is a bit of a mixed bag. Both Franklin and Jones are represented, as is the always controversial Madonna, who celebrated her 60th birthday this month. Happy 60th Madonna! Keep expressing your bad self!
I went to see Ant Man and The Wasp the other night. One of my favourite jokes in the movie was a story that Ant Man's Mexican-American friend Luis tells about his grandmother who owns a restaurant with a jukebox that only plays Morrissey. 'What a hilarious and obscure joke!' I thought. Later I learned that the joke wasn't obscure at all and that Morrissey is hugely popular among Mexican-Americans. How could a pasty, whiny white man from England possibly resonate so strongly with so many Latino people? For one, it's been noted that Morrissey's music bears a similarity to Mexican folk music of the early 20th century. Songs that speak of lost or unrequited love, which apparently is what a lot of Mexican-Americans sing and cry about when they drink. There is also the desire to exist in a place where one truly belongs, and the longing, alienation and angst that this can stir within a person. Journalist, Raf Noboa y Rivera describes the experience of being 'not quite American; not wholly Latino, living in all the spaces in between'. Is there anyone who embodies this angst and otherness better than Morrissey (who himself is a first generation immigrant, born of Irish parents, but raised in England)? I think not. I'm not too proud to admit that I was once a Smiths fan. Growing up, I experienced those very same feelings of loneliness, isolation and not quite belonging. But I am privileged not to feel those things now and so my connection to The Smiths has become nothing more than a footnote in the story of my life. Also, Morrissey has said some pretty dumb things. Even so, I want to share with you some of my favourite Smiths songs. Because, why not?
Big Mouth Strikes Again
I love the reference to Joan of Arc in this song. Morrissey's comparison to her is completely inappropriate but I think that's the point. Then again, it's Morrissey so, you know, maybe not? How Soon Is Now?
Because I'm human and I need to be loved, god dammit!!! Also, this was a staple at my regular goth club hangout back in the late 1990's and a surefire way to get me on the dance floor. Is It Really So Strange?
Fifteen-year-old me would shut myself in my bedroom and play this song very loudly, singing along to the words while thinking about my high school crush. Probably just like millions of other awkward teenagers.
Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now
Because I was a goth. That's my only excuse for loving this song. Shut up.
Last night, one of my dearest, most treasured friends passed away. It still doesn't seem quite real. It's hard to imagine a world without him in it.
He was a special sort of person. So incredibly talented and good at everything he tried his hand at. I was jealous of that. He had a tough as nails exterior and got a kick out of pushing people's buttons. He loved to shock. But underneath all of that, he was a big softy. A hopeless romantic with a heart as big as the moon. As a friend he was all in, always had your back, never let you down. And he gave very sage and very blunt advice. He never judged me, even when I acted like a butt-head, and was always there for me through thick and thin. I never doubted that for a second. This month's playlist is for you, my friend. To Strudel Head from Parmesan Dwarf. I'll always love you and never forget you.
As we Melburnians hurtle towards the depths of winter, I'm starting to notice those nasty winter blues seeping into my psyche like so much mildew. It would be so easy just to give in; put on some Radiohead and cry into my pillow. But no! I'm not going to do that! Screw you winter, take your Radiohead and shove it!
The Roxy talks Music June playlist is a collection of songs that warm the cockles of my heart and make me feel good. There's nothing new on here, but that's okay. Sometimes all you need is the company of old friends to remind you that life can be pretty good. P.S. Gabriella Cohen's new album Pink Is The Colour Of Unconditional Loveis a freaking delight. It's indie pop at it's finest, with a refreshing and diverse range of styles from 60's pop to psychedelic jazz rock to bossa nova and beyond. Give it a spin, you won't regret it.
I've been listening to a lot of new (and new to me) stuff lately and this month's playlist definitely reflects that. At the moment I can't get enough of the new album Blue Poles by Jack Ladder & The Dreamlanders. Jack Ladder is a singer/songwriter/guitarist from Sydney with a very new wave, Bryan Ferry sound (his real name is actually Tim Rogers, but there's already a Tim Rogers and, like the Highlander, there can only be one).
When I'm not listening to Jack Ladder, it's got to be the glam/southern rock stylings of Kyle Craft, the post post punk rockers Parquet Courts or New Yorker, Shilpa Ray who blends punk rock with a 1960's pop sound similar to the The Shangri-Las or The Ronettes, but with a razor sharp edge. And as the weather gets steadily colder, I'm embracing my fast approaching middle age by enjoying a glass of sherry in the evenings before bed. And with my glass of sherry, the smooth soulful sounds of Donny Hathway, or the great lady, Dusty Springfield. So pour yourself a glass of sherry, get comfortable, and tune into the Roxy talks Music - May Playlist...
I was super excited when I found out The Mavis's, a beloved band from my adolescence, are doing a 20th anniversary tour for their album Pink Pills. It's been twenty years already?? Bloody hell!! I remember the first time I heard The Mavis's. A high school friend made me a mix tape with the song 'Moon Drone Gold' on it, from their 1996 debut album Venus Returning. I loved it so hard, I went and laid down thirty of my hard earned bucks for the CD (remember when CD's cost $30?) While I was revisting the most excellent music of the Mavis's, I started thinking about all the other Aussie bands I was getting into back in the days when I was just discovering that for me, life without music is really no life at all. And that's what inspired the Roxy talks Music April playlist. These are the bands I went to see play at festivals and all ages gigs at mechanics halls. These are the bands I moshed and crowd surfed to. These are the songs of my youth. *It's worth noting that Headless Chickens are actually a New Zealand band, but as they are the first band I ever saw live (they opened for Arrested Development at Festival Hall, Melbourne in 1992) I decided to include them. Also, they were really cool.
Everyone has those artists, songs or albums that opened up their minds a little bit. You know, when someone says ‘I never really listened to hip hop, but then I heard De La Soul,’ or, ‘I don’t like country music, except for Johnny Cash,’ or, ‘you won’t catch me listening to disco … unless it’s the Bee Gees’ (has anyone ever said that???)
Well here are a few albums that opened my mind to the possibility that maybe I’m not satisfied just listening to ‘what I know I like and I’m happy not to listen to anything else, thanks very much.’
I Got Next was the first hip hop album that blew my mind. I hadn’t actively listened to hip hop much, aside from the fact that I owned a copy of Cypress Hill’s Black Sunday, but my brother was a mad hip hop fan and he used to play it loud, day and night. That’s how I got wind of KRS-One; hearing his jazzy beats and catchy rhymes blaring from my brother’s shitty ghetto blaster through the closed bedroom door. Deciding this was hardly the best way to experience KRS-One, I borrowed my brother’s CD copy of I Got Next. It completely changed the way I thought about hip hop. Seventeen year old me had always dismissed hip hop as gangsta. As a woman, I found it offensive. But KRS-One was political and preached empowerment. And he was funky. ‘The real hip hop is over here!’ rapped KRS-One and I was down.
My dad loved Carole King. He had a bunch of Carole King records, but Tapestry was the only one I ever played. After Dad taught me how to use his record player, I played Tapestry constantly. Dad had other records too, and sometimes I’d spin one or two of those, but I always came back Carole. It’s not the kind of album I’d usually play back then. I was all about Jane’s Addiction or Sonic Youth or The Cure. I might have listened to Tori Amos once in awhile, but not seriously. But to me, Tapestry was beautiful and sweet and soulful. These days Tapestry is still just as beautiful to me, but it'sbittersweet too. Because it reminds me of Dad, who passed away last year. I have his copy and I still play it often. And I thank him for teaching me the joy of music. All music. And also Carole King.
I was given a copy of Chiastic Slide for my birthday one year in my early 20’s. Up until then my experience of electronic music had been limited. Aside from the electro new wave of my youth, it was whatever house music or dark drum and bass had been playing at the last rave or club I’d been at. And Aphex Twin, of course. But I had no idea electronic music could make me feel the way Chiastic Slide did. It was completely lovely with all of it’s gorgeous, intricate sounds. Like listening to clockwork. And so I discovered Intelligent dance music (or IDM for short) and artists like Squarepusher and Beefcake. In fact IDM resonated so much with me that I made my own IDM music under the name Twinkle Noodle Stara few years ago. Although I don’t listen to it much anymore, every now and then I revisit Chiastic Slide, or Squarepusher’s Go Plastic when I’m feeling a little nostalgic.
We're only halfway through March and already there has been so much fantastic new music released since I last blogged. A couple of brilliant tracks from Janelle Monae's forthcoming album Dirty Computer, a rocking new album from Albert Hammond, Jr., new music from The Kills and a mind-blowing new album of previously unreleased recordings by Jimi Hendrix. But as much as I've been listening to new music, I've always got time to revisit the classics and uncover old gems that I've previously overlooked. Aside from the 1980's revival I've been enjoying this month, I also discovered Otis Junior and Dr. Dundiff's incredibly cool, smooth hip hop album from 2017,Hemispheres, which I can't get enough of and thoroughly recommend. Check it out if you're not already familiar. And now, without further ado, here's a sample of my March sounds for your listening pleasure....
As much as I love writing about music, I love making playlists. Finding just the right combination of songs that sound awesome together to convey a particular mood or message. And it's another great way to share the music I love with the world.
So, I'm trying something new: Roxy talks Music monthly playlists. Once a month I'll post a collection of songs that mean something to me. Whether it's new music I've been listening to lately, old favourites I listen to all the time, or something that is particularly significant to me this day for whatever reason.
So I hope you enjoy the very first Roxy talks Music playlist, specially designed for the month of February. Happy listening!
2018 11 songs Length: 34:39 Available to buy on vinyl or CD or digital download Dream Wife are a British punk rock trio based in London. Comprising of Rakel Mjöll on lead vocals, Alice Go on guitar and Bella Podpadec on bass, the band released their self titled debut album in January this year to critical acclaim. Its super fun, sugar-coated punk pop, with Mjöll’s accent (she’s an Icelandic native) giving it a fresh sound. Mjöll, Go and Podpadec met at art college and formed Dream Wife in 2014. The band is named after the 1953 romantic comedy starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr and romance is rife on the album; on songs like ‘Let’s Make Out,’ ‘Taste,’ and ‘Spend The Night.’ Although it’s a far more liberated brand of romance than the 1950’s version. The band count David Bowie and Madonna among their influences. I imagine this would be the kind of album Madonna may have made herself if she was a punk rocker in the 1980’s or 90’s. The album mixes honeyed pop melodies and harmonies with raw garage rock. Mjöll’s vocal range is interesting; shifting from sweet to powerful with so many inflections in between. ‘Let’s Make Out’ is a prime example. On ‘Act My Age’ Mjöll seems to be channeling Karen O of Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Flashes of the 90’s rock band Elastica can also be heard throughout the album, in the mighty guitar riffs on ‘Fire’ and the catchy as hell, ‘Hey Heartbreaker.’ Dream Wife spruik a strong message of women’s autonomy. Songs like ‘Somebody’ (“I am not my body / I am somebody”), ‘Spend The Night’ (“Spend the night with me / I would like to know you better”) and ‘Let’s Make Out’ (“Or are you too shy? Or are we too shy?”) reject the notion of women’s sexual submissiveness; much like the Riot grrrl punk rock of the 90’s and bands like L7, Sleater Kinney and Bikini Kill. But Dream Wife are girly too, with the lush pop melodies of ‘Kids’ and ‘Love You Without Reason’ and herein lies their great appeal. Don’t get the wrong idea though, Dream Wife still have plenty of hardcore rage; ‘F.U.U’ attests to this. ‘Dream Wife’ is a brash and sparkling punk rock debut. It is party punk rock at its best and I can’t wait to hear more from this exciting new band.
2017 13 songs Length: 51:16 Available to buy on CD or digital download Derrick Anderson has been around. Previously a member of 1990’s power pop band The Andersons!, Los- Angeles based Anderson is the current bassist for The Bangles and has toured and recorded with The Kinks’ Dave Davies, The Smithereens and Matthew Sweet, among others. It’s no surprise then that Anderson’s debut album, ‘A World of My Own’ is a power pop dream. Crunchy, guitar-driven songs with strong melodies, catchy hooks and happy harmonies. Anderson has a smooth voice too. The complete package puts this album up there with anything by Teenage Fanclub, Matthew Sweet or The Smithereens. The album starts strong with the opening track ‘Send Me Down a Sign.’ Energetic with an infectious hook, it could easily be a Teenage Fanclub song. ‘Phyllis & Sharon’ has the same kind of energy with powerful guitar riffs, and I’d challenge anybody to keep their foot still through the entirety of either song. ‘Happiness’ instantly made me think of Matthew Sweet, who it turns out plays guitar on the track. Sweet is not the only guest star on the album either, with The Smithereens featuring on the sweet sounding, dreamy ‘Waiting For You’ and also ‘Send Me Down a Sign’. Debbi and Vicki Peterson from The Bangles, and The Muffs’ Kim Shattuck backup Anderson on ‘When I Was Your Man’ with indie pop style jangly guitars, hand claps and backing vocals. The Bangles frontwoman, Susanna Hoffs joins the Peterson sisters for backup vocals on the lilting lullabies ‘Something New’ and ‘Spring.’ Anderson’s debut, although unashamedly power pop, is not limited to one sound. ‘You Don’t Have to Hurt No More’ is tinged with funk and ‘A Mother’s Love’ sounds like 1960’s bubblegum pop. Anderson really rocks out too; with pounding drums and driving guitars on ‘Checking Out’ and the stand out classic rock and roll track ‘Stop Messin’ About’, which is reminiscent of Little Richard. To top it all off, Anderson closes the album with a mind blowing, psychedelic blues rock version of the Beatles’ ‘Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)’. ‘A World of My Own’ showcases Anderson’s many talents as a songwriter and musician, not least of all his knack for blues, psychedelic and classic rock and roll. It’s also a quintessential power pop album. If power pop is your thing (and it’s definitely mine), you need ‘A World of My Own’ in your life.
Recently I was lucky enough to visit the Land of the Rising Sun. I had an amazing time taking in all the sights and sounds of Tokyo, touring Nagano Prefecture, and making the treacherous, snow covered climb to Jigokudani Monkey Park to see the snow monkeys in the hot springs.
Aaaaaaand….. I went record shopping!!!!!! It was so much fun digging through records I had no idea about (aside from the fact they were helpfully organised by genre in English). I was a little hesitant at first, but my husband convinced me that buying a bunch of Japanese records without any prior knowledge would be a wild and funky ride when we finally got home and listened to them.
As it turns out, he was right! Not one of the records we took a punt on was a dud. And some of them rocked my world. So I’ve made a list of my favourites.
‘Jump Up’ and ‘Futurama’ were the last (and most expensive) records we bought on our trip. They were also the only ones that weren’t second hand. We bought them from a Disk Union store in Ochanomizu, Tokyo. Disk Union is kind of like JB HI-FI with stores in multiple locations, except they sell second hand records as well as new ones, and there are specialist Disk Union stores, like the Shinjuku Soul/Blues Hall and the Ochanomizu Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Building.
Supercar were a Japanese rock band, active from 1995 to 2005, and their first three albums had recently been issued on vinyl for the first time. The covers are very bright and caught my eye. I’ll admit I cheated a little here. I didn’t want to spend up big on a couple of fancy looking records and take them home only to find out that they weren’t my bag. Disk Union had a bunch of copies of both albums, so that night back at the hotel, I looked them up on YouTube and listened to a few of their songs. I’m so glad I did! They made awesome 90’s shoegazing, electro, indie rock that blew me away. I’m a fan of Jesus and Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine, so Supercar are totally my thing. The next day we headed back to Disk Union, and it’s lucky we did because we picked up the last two copies that were left. Phew!
I picked up ‘Tiny Bubbles’ in a Cash Converters type store in Ueno, Tokyo for 300 JPY (roughly $3 AUD). ‘What the hell,’ I figured, ‘ there’s a cat on the cover and if it turns out to be crappy, it was only three bucks.’ Later on we saw the same record hanging on the wall at Disk Union. ‘That’s got to be a sign,’ said my husband. ‘It’s either really good, or really cheesy.’ We found out afterwards from a Japanese friend of ours that Southern All Stars were huge in Japan. They formed in 1974 and were active through to 2008. They have since reformed in 2013. ‘Tiny Bubbles’ is a fantastic funky, jazz rock album with a 1970’s sound that made me think of Supertramp. It was definitely a $3 gamble that paid off big time.
‘Electric Moon’ was a recommendation from the super helpful guy working at Good Times , a record shop in Nagano. I was buying a Pet Shop Boys record (I know, I know… I didn’t just buy Japanese records!) and asked for suggestions of Japanese bands that were similar. His English wasn’t great, but it wasn’t bad and was much better than my Japanese, and between the two of us and my husband, we managed to come up with some options for 1980’s Japanese indie rock and 1990’s Japanese punk. The 80’s stuff was cheaper, so we settled on a couple of those. One had a 1980’s hair band sound with a cool frontwoman (awesome!) and the other was Der Zibet’s ‘Electric Moon,’ which is classic, 80’s electro, new romantic, like Spandau Ballet or Adam and the Ants.
Hajime Tachibana was the guitarist in the short-lived but highly regarded Japanese new wave band The Plastics in the late 1970s - early 1980s. After the band broke up, he released several solo albums. ‘Low Powers’ was the only album he released with the band, Low Powers. The album, ‘Low Powers’ is mellow, lo-fi, 90’s indie rock and has a great version of the Beatles’ ‘Eight Days a Week’. I found this gem while flicking through the Japanese 90s indie rock section at Coconuts Disk in Ekoda, Tokyo.
Okay, so this is not a record or even an album… it’s a CD single. I’m including it though, because every record and music store we went to, we were specifically looking for anything by Yura Yura Teikoku and this was the ONLY THING WE COULD FIND!!! Yura Yura Teikoku is a Japanese psychedelic rock band that was active from 1989 - 2010 and fronted by Shintaro Sakamoto. My husband and I first heard about them after buying Shintaro Sakamoto’sdebut solo album ‘How To Live With A Phantom,’ which is now one of the most played records in our house. It’s like the best, most interesting lounge music I have ever heard! We wouldn’t normally buy a CD single, but made an exception in this case because we were so excited to find it. And to be fair, it has two songs that are both over 7 and 9 minutes long respectively. Also, it’s pretty freaking cool.
I want to give a special mention to Blankey Jet City. Sadly, I discovered them too late to buy any of their music, but they are the Japan’s answer to The Strokes… except they formed eleven years before The Strokes were even a band. So, I guess The Strokes is North America’s answer to Blankey Jet City. You totally rock, Japan!
