Posts Tagged ‘Japan’

Shoegazer Sunday: Luna Tango Covering Slowdive’s “When The Sun Hits”

Sunday, November 15th, 2015

Here’s a nice cover of Slowdive’s “When the Sun Hits” by Luna Tango.

Who are Luna Tango you ask?

As far as I can tell, they’re not even a musical group, they’re a music circle at Japan’s Chuo University.

Shoegazer Sunday: The Kritzler’s “Scarlet Sometimes”

Sunday, August 2nd, 2015

A pleasant Shoegazey song set to someone’s video of their vacation in Japan. It’s actually pretty cool.

At some point The Kritzlers apparently became Cochlear Kill.

Teaching Robots to Sword-Fight

Thursday, June 11th, 2015

Via Scott Adams comes word that a team in Japan is teaching robots to fight with swords.

I’ve seen enough movies to know that this won’t end well.

But honestly, this entire post is just an excuse to show the robot sword fight from Exterminator City.

(Remember, that’s the best scene of the worst film ever made…)

Shoegazer Sunday: Sugar Plant’s “Rise”

Sunday, July 20th, 2014

Sugar Plant are on the softer end of Japanese Shoegaze. Here they are with “Rise.”

Their Happy EP (which includes “Rise”) is available from iTunes.

Shoegazer Sunday: Bertoia’s “Snow Slide”

Sunday, June 15th, 2014

How long has it been since I featured an obscure Japanese Shoegazer band? Well that’s too long!

Here’s Bertoia‘s “Snow Slide,” which proves once again that low-rent costumes and dreamquest fantasies are a fine hook to hang a music video on…

Shoegazer Sunday: Civic’s “Innocent”

Sunday, May 25th, 2014

Here’s “Innocent,” another track of Japanese band Civic‘s debut album Toilet Monster.

Civic gets compared to Supercar, and while I can hear the resemblance, Civic has a rawer sound, like a garage band who just started meshing a few weeks ago. I like that high energy rawness, and some have labeled Civic “Noise Pop,” if that’s a real thing.

I’ve found and ordered Toilet Monster from a domestic source, and I hope to have a more detailed report if/when it comes in.

Another Insane Lego Ball Machine

Friday, April 18th, 2014

A while back I featured this Lego ball machine from Japan.

Well, this one (also from Japan) is twice as insane.

It may even be from the same guy.

(Hat tip: Lou Anders‘ Facebook page.)

Shoegazer Sunday: Meeks’ Covering The Beatles’ “Across the Universe”

Sunday, March 9th, 2014

A Shoegaze cover of The Beatles’ “Across the Universe”?

Yep.

Would you believe that Japan’s Meeks has done an entire album of Shoegaze Beatles covers called Beatless?

Insanely Awesome Japanese Lego Ball Machine

Friday, December 13th, 2013

Happy Friday the 13th!

I’m not a LEGO fanatic, but I know two people who are, so I thought I’d put this up for them:

This is for Kurt Baty and Steve Jackson, who now need to step up their LEGO game…

Japanese Pop Punk Band SpecialThanks

Wednesday, April 10th, 2013

While plumbing the depths and breadths of YouTube for suitable Shoegazer Sunday entries, sometimes I stumble across something interesting that doesn’t fit in the Shoegaze label. Today let’s take a look at Japanese band SpecialThanks.

The first 20 seconds of silence is just to mess with you.

So a pop-punk band with a deadly cute female lead who sings in English that sounds like a cross between Blink-182 and [Insert Current Teenage Female Pop Sensation Here]. This is the sort of Japanese cross-cultural pop artifact that Bruce Sterling circa 1992 would have been all over. As it stands, I’m pretty sure some canny American record label would make millions signing them over here…