Sonny and Starcuts

Some guys from a band called Sonny and Starcuts got a hold of my band, The National Pool, about a year ago just to say hi. I checked them out and was instantly into it. Their sound is minimalist glitch electronica with some guitar added in from time to time. As far as I know they don’t have a CD out but some of their songs should be available for free download. Even though nobody knows about them here since they’re fairly underground, they still hold some sentimental value for me since they were the first Japanese band that I was really into.

The Pillows

I first heard about The Pillows from someone’s blog on Myspace and checked them out. They’ve been around for about 15 years and their music is a mix of Pop, Rock, and J-Pop. Even though they’ve been around for so long, when I bring up their names it always seems to draw blank stares. They hold a little bit of sentimental value for me since they’re the first Japanese music that I heard and like before coming to Japan.

The Pillows Wikipedia Page
The Pillows on Myspace

Here’s the video for “Instant Music”:

Japanese Music – The Band Apart

From time to time I’ll bring you a Japanese musical artist that catches my attention and would probably be worth your time to listen to. For the most part, don’t expect many Japanese people to know about these artists since I tend to like some pretty weird and rare music.

I first saw The Band Apart play in Nashville for only $5 at The 5 Spot and it was a great time. Their music is poppy yet intricate and smart. I had the chance to talk to them and try out some of my Japanese skills for the first time after their show and they were really nice people. I found a flyer for one of their shows in Japan recently and the price was a staggering $50-$70.

Here’s the video for my favorite song by them called “Still Awake.” It’s kind of a boring video, but a great song:

Here’s the link to their Myspace page.

Music: Myspace.com/TheNationalPool
Email: thenationalpool@gmail.com
Pictures: Flicker/TheNationalPool

Japanese Music – Cornelius

From time to time I’ll bring you a Japanese musical artist that catches my attention and would probably be worth your time to listen to. For the most part, don’t expect many Japanese people to know about these artists since I tend to like some pretty weird and rare music.

Cornelius is one artist that has already had some degree of popularity in America, but if you haven’t heard about him yet I highly recommend checking him out. I first found out about him from Uhh Yeah Dude and then I downloaded The Gum EP. It’s pretty experimental Electronica/Rock that often has catchy hooks.

I’ll let the video speak for itself.

Music: Myspace.com/TheNationalPool
Email: thenationalpool@gmail.com
Pictures: Flicker/TheNationalPool

Japanese Music – Perfume

From time to time I’ll bring you a Japanese musical artist that catches my attention and would probably be worth your time to listen to. For the most part, don’t expect many Japanese people to know about these artists since I tend to like some pretty weird and rare music.

Perfume is the first major label group that I’ve heard and liked since I’ve been in Japan. I found out about them from an ex-girlfriend and they’re by the far the most poppy and girly group I’ve ever heard. However, Perfume’s teeny-bop is steeped in Electronica and House which is why I took a liking to it. I can really only take listening to one or two of their songs before I get fed up. I wouldn’t say that they’re great…only interesting mainly because of the production behind them.

Here’s a link to a fansite I found.

Here’s is a video of the only song I really like called “Electro World.”

Music: Myspace.com/TheNationalPool
Email: thenationalpool@gmail.com
Pictures: Flicker/TheNationalPool