Oorutaichi - Cosmic Coco, Singing For a Billion Imu's Hearty Pi

With an album name like "Cosmic Coco, Singing For a Billion Imu's Hearty Pi", song titles like "Merry Ether Party" and not to mention the epic twenty four sided, three meter long gatefold sleeve that it comes packaged in you know you're in for something special. And it's that proviso that I'm breaking my own rule on not uploading new releases. It's just simply too damn good not to share. Oorutaichi has been making music since 1999 and is also the founding member of the wonderful bizarre folk/pop band "Urichipangoon". Oorutaichi's music covers all sorts of musical spectrums and on his latest solo outing sounds something like if Animal Collective joined forces with Bjork and Four Tet to produce an album of floor stomping dance tunes. And yes it's every bit as wonderful and brilliant as that potentially sounds. The album features 2 bonus track remixes from Eye of the Boredoms and Daedelus. 2011 is off to a great start.

Oorutaichi is currently touring his album with various shows across Japan before he'll be heading overseas for some more shows so keep your eyes open. .

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Ichiji Kujiru - Live At Shinjuku Motion (いちぢくぢる - ライブ@新宿モーシオン)



In japanese the word "Fuzakeru" (ふざける) means to playaround or joke about and it's a phrase often attatched to Kansai's bizarre and wonderful underground scene. Bands like the Oshiri Pens Penz and Kyojin Yueni Dekai exemplify the progressive but humorous approach to music left behind by the legacy of Osaka's underground legends The Boredoms. Ichi Kujiru are another such band. This drums and bass Kyoto two piece have just released their first album so I won't be uploading that just yet out of respect for the band but I will upload a 3-track CDR recording of a show they played at Tokyo's Shinjuku Motion. Amongst Ichiru's stop/start punk numbers are songs about wanting to be a girl, noodles, bananas and pricing schemes. Sadly much of the humour in the lyrics and the band's inbetween song ad libbed gags will be lost in translation but will probably seem no less bizarre. 

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Bonkura Touge - Asobou ze (ぼんくら峠 - 遊ぼうぜ)

Don't let that rather serene looking cover fool you. Bonkura are a fukuoka drums and vocals duo. That's right no guitars just some harsh, fast drums and the sort of gargled rants you expect to see the local town drunk screaming at unassuming passers by. Most of the tracks on this self released CD clock in under the 1 minute mark with the notable exception of the albums "epic" 11 minute closer. It's fast, it's silly and it's loud. If this band ever head round your neck of the woods be sure to check them out. An extremely entertaining live band.

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Maruo Maruko - Kameko No Sora (丸尾丸子- カメ子の空)

Thought I'd bring in the new year with something a little special. This is a 2009 self released album from the wonderful Maruo Maruko. This time around we have 7 studio recorded tracks which some tracks from her first CDR making a return but featuring different instruments and arrangements. Maruo is in my opinion one of the best singer/songwriters in Japan at the moment. Her music has such a beautiful sense of melody and a truly hypnotic understanding of understatement and space. Not to mention that spinetingling voice of hers. Music to get lost in. 
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