Buffalo Daughter's "Shaggy Head Dressers"

Artist: Buffalo Daughter (Japan)
Album: Shaggy Head Dressers (1994)

Short one, thank God. As usual (lately,that is) I'm at school.

Well, track one, Message From Buffalo, seems to be exactly that: a message from buffalo. For thirty seconds.

Dr.Moooooooooooooooooooooog is second. Christ, what's with all the filler? It's a damn mini-album and you're using so much filler, why not just make a maxi-single? For Christ's sake.
Finally it starts up at 1:12 with some weird eighties sounding keyboard. Similar to Apogee and Perigee, it seems. As long as the singer isn't Jun Togawa things should be fine with me.
Well, things aren't exactly going quickly so far. It's seems endless or something. It's not bad, just not particularly interesting.

In my opinion, that's the worst a band could be. At least I'll be remembering how Godawfully bad Boredoms are months from now, but something tells me that if things continue like this, I'll forget Buffalo Daughter.

Alright, alright, here I go with my biases judgements on the first two songs as usual. I'll listen to track 3, Cold Summer and hope that maybe I can get something from it.
Again, it sounds eighties, which I don't think is a plus considering this is from fucking 1994.

Well, broken English: check. I kind of figured I'd get that from the title of the album.
So far, pretty boring. Strangely enough it's fairly original, just low energy and just doesn't impress me much.
Maybe if I were in a different mood I would like this. Even then, it's nothing extraordinary.
And apparently a "hot winter is coming soon". She has repeated this about ten times.

Uh-huh.

Health or Die... Okay? I guess the title almost makes sense?
Well, this one is better. I can't really pinpoint anything wrong, in fact, I like it a bit. But just a bit. Nothing to get really excited about. It's just Shibuya-Kei.

Alright, California Blues.
As sad as it is, I really don't have many complaints. I just don't particularly like it.
I imagine those more involved in the Shibuya movement would get a kick out of it, though. But, maybe you should just stick to Pizzicato Five or Flipper's Guitar in that case (though, I haven't heard much of their material, either).

Apologies, this review is lacking in the usual anger, disappointment and resentment.

Well, here is the last track, Daisy. It starts with some man attempting to communicate with a bird and then saying that birds can't talk? I don't really know. All I know is the stabs on guitar are a little annoying.
The vocalist is nothing special, I forgot to mention that. It's definitely not bad, but it's got too much of a sweet, J-pop vibe to it, in my opinion. However, it's pleasant, especially in this song. In fact, I rather like it when the chorus comes along. It didn't stand out in the others, though.

Well, what can I say?

3 out of 5

I think that's the perfect rating. It's really just good. Nothing too special, though. I'd only get ahold of it if you are exploring the main acts of Shibuya-Kei.

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Blankey Jet City's "Red Guitar and the Truth"

Artist: Blankey Jet City (Japan)
Album: Red Guitar and the Truth (1991)

You will have to pardon my lack of cursing in this review. I'm afraid I'm at school.
Oh hell with it. My teacher doesn't pay attention much anyway. Let's begin.

I'll admit it, I don't have much faith in this one. Blankey Jet City? They're a Japanese band from the early 90s, right? Retch.

Well, Track one is Cat Was Dead. Oh. Okay. So it sounds interesting? What is this? Huh. Peculiar. It has the same faux-fifties sound that Black Cats were going for, except it isn't... a failure? It sounds modern and interesting?
Oh wait. The vocals. I forgot. They're.... annoying. For most of these Japanese bands the vocals tend to ruin everything. I have no idea why, either. No, I am not biased towards Japanaese music. (cough)
The second he starts singing, it really goes downhill. Which is a shame because the guitars are absolutely fantastic. I mean fantastic. I'm actually angry at the vocalist right now. I could cuss my ass off right now, but--

Boku no Kokoro wo Torimodosu Tame ni... Again, the music itself is just great. I suppose the vocals aren't as obnoxious here. They're tolerable. They sound a little like Ryuichi from Luna Sea. Maybe. I don't know. The chorus just sounds so Luna Sea-esque. Hell, so is the guitar solo.

Track three is Mune ga Koware Sou. Here's hoping for the best.
At this point, the vocalist just needs to redeem himself and I'll be a-okay. But something in me doubts that will happen.
Sigh. What a loss.
Okay. I have something positive to say: this isn't the worst thing to come from this blog. Right? Right. Moving on.

Furyou Shounen no Uta...
At first... I was going to bitch about the vocals again. But you know what? I actually like them in this. Yeah, I said it. I said something positive for once.
I can't turn it up very loud, but from what I hear I rather like it.
I... like... it... ???
Dare I say it, this band has a pretty neat sound.

Track five is Texas. Well, I'm already relieved to hear it has no southern influences.
Either I'm becoming more tolerant or I didn't listen close enough, but the vocals aren't quite as bad as I thought. Either way, I was wrong, so fuck me.
Pretty cool solo, though.
If only it weren't so painfully... 90s Japan.

I must be confusing the poor reader. Oh, who am I kidding, who reads this anyhow?

Track six is Kouen. I really do love their oldies style. Refreshing, that's what it is.
Maybe I'll give this a better listen when I'm at home, because I really do like it despite all my complaints. Right now I just can't hear over some people talking to really listen to it in its entirety.

Now the singing in Gaadoreeru ni Suwari Nagara really sounds like Ryuichi. Take that as a good thing or a bad thing, because I'm undecided.
In fact, the vocals sound a lot like some vocalist in Free-Will at the time... In fact, were Blankey Jet City part of Free-Will?
Nnnnno, they were not. Toshiba and Polydor, apparently. And no, I don't know the vocalist or any of his work. I'm probably just going mad.

I think sometime I'll check out their other work. I just know that the vocals didn't change, but I feel that they have some serious potential. No, no, no, wait. They are good. There are things I would change, though.

I've listened to Ate no Nai Sekai and alas, have no lasting opinions.

Kurutta Asahi... Just... sigh. Oh well. It blends together with the rest of it. Yawn.

The last track is Mother. It better be good. Partly because class is almost over (yay, one period left), and because I feel I wasn't sufficiently wowed by Blankey Jet City.
I've noticed that the rockibilly aspect has been lost completely. The past couple songs have, I mean. And I miss it. This just sounds like a lot of punk bands. In the 90s. In Japan. Killer combination. But not really.
I'm not biased, I swear.

3 out of 5.
Sorry, you guys. You're good, just not good enough.

Aunt Sally's "Aunt Sally"

Artist: Aunt Sally (Japan)
Album: Aunt Sally

I don't know if I've been dreading this review or looking forward to it..
I know a bit about Aunt Sally. I've heard a little of their work. It's weird. So, I know what I'm getting into by reviewing this.
Basically, they were a Japanese punk band in the late 70s. Anyhoo, let's start the review.

Track one is Aunt Sally. Aunt Sally's track "Aunt Sally" from the album Aunt Sally. Wow.
Well, it starts off normal, I guess. Um, now it just sounds like random stabs on the guitar. It's kind of painful to listen to, actually. And here is Phew on vocals. God, she is just awful. But, that's to be expected.
Is this even music? I can't tell you how confused I am right now. My god, it's 6 and a half minutes, too. Is it like this throughout the whole song?!... To be honest, I don't really get it.

Kagami begins with someone who is very bad at whistling... Then it goes into this cheery little tune, where Phew begins singing, "Dododo da dododo da dododo da doo dah". I kind of like it. Am I insane?

Sameta Kajiba De deems a hell of a lot darker than the last track. It feels very surreal. Again, I really like this one. I just don't know what the hell was up with that first track. Maybe I should have given Aunt Sally a second chance all this time. See, I heard the first track a long while back and fled, never to return. Now, I'm back to them. And I like it. I... like... it?

The fourth track, Hi Ga Kuchite really shows us how terrible of a vocalist Phew is. Really, the girl can't sing. But, that just makes it creepy and unique. I guess.
Um. So that was strange. Next track.

Subete Urimono starts with massive amounts of bass, funky keyboards and frantic singing. I actually don't know if I like it or hate it. I'm leaning towards "love it". Especially when they just start spouting nonsense at the halfway mark. To say the least, this is one to remember.

After such a chaotic track, they probably are going to follow up with something a bit slower? Well, I guess Essay is slower. It's really just odd. And hey, there are those keyboards again. I like those. Keep those in your songs, Aunt Sally.
The keyboards in the background kind of sounds like the skating level in California Games for the Sega Genesis...

I Was Chosen is all in English (I think?). Christ, I can't understand a word, haha!
I really like it. Like After Dinner, this must be brain wash.
Actually, if you like After Dinner, I would give Aunt Sally a try. They fall into the same category of "this is so fucking weird, what am I listening to".

Uh-huh. Tenki sounds like it will make some sense? Please do, I'm so confused right now.
Really, it is the most contemporary of the whole record so far. Of course, it's only 48 seconds of normal until the next track.

I wonder why all their songs are so damn short? Well, here's Frank Ni. I'm getting the feeling that their guitarist doesn't even know how to play his damn instrument. Not to mention Phew sounds like she's hiccuping every couple seconds.
I'm painting a bad picture. It's not necessary terrible or anything, it's just... I don't understand most of it. It's so odd that my mind can't handle it, I guess.

Speaking of confusion, here's Muyu no Shounen. It's just random guitar sounds with Phew singing very lowly for a minute.

Alrighty, the last track is Lorelei. Somehow her voice is worse in this track than the others. She's slurring, for Christ's sake!...
Sigh. My mind is blown.

3 out of 5.
I enjoyed listening to it, definitely. I'd recommend it just because you'll never hear anything like it. I can't say it's necessarily good music, but it's really interesting. A punk fan would probably be very interested in this album, I think.

Audio Active's "Tokyo Space Cowboys"

Artist: Audio Active (Japan)
Album: Tokyo Space Cowboys

Auditory Nerve Declaration...
"Hello everyone. We are Audio Active"
Well, hello Audio Active.
"from the outer space"
Oh, okay, that's cool, I guess...
"This is a first time for us.."
Uh-oh.
"to have some sound experiences.."
What?
"in the earth."
Okay, okay, you're in space, I have realized that.
There's a lot more of commentary after that, but whatever. He tells me to turn the volume up to maximum and that a lot of stuff will happen to me. He sounds really high.

Well, anyway. Track two is Space Children. It sounds just like how I expected, very.. martian-like. Wait, what the fuck? Those are some interesting vocals. Don't know how I feel so far... It's kind of synth-funk, if that makes sense... Probably not. I'm a bit bored by the 2 minute mark, but luckily the vocals come in by this time. They kind of annoy me, it sounds like Japanese guys trying ever so hard to sound black. But, maybe that's what they're going for. Either way, it's interesting, to say the least. I'd probably appreciate it a lot more if I were high.

Burning of the Midnight Lamp... I'm getting the feeling that this band is very mellow and druggy. Very. To be honest, I'm not too big on the Bob Marley fad and I don't understand drugs, so maybe that's why I can't fully appreciate it. (haha) It just is getting a little boring right now.

Track four is Free the Marijuana. I wonder what this song is about? Ohh, I can't even imagine.
Again, it's very reggae. I don't really like reggae.
(And I guess I agree with the song, we should legalize it.. But, my political opinions don't matter, this is a music review blog! I use that loosely, though.)
It's good, just not my "thing".

Auditory Nerve Dub Part 2...
....No, I'm not turning the volume up higher, stop asking me! You can't turn volume up to outer space, how high are you?!
Oh my god, I understand that you are Audio Active from outer space!! Honestly, I'm sensing some pretension from this band, maybe.

Okay, okay, Ala-Mecka-Bickally Dub. That's an awfully strange title, maybe the song will be the same. Well, it seems like they're throwing in more funk in here. I suppose that's nice. But, again, it gets kind of boring. It kind of feels like they could do more with it. In fact, this song gets kind of obnoxious after about 2 minutes.

Alarm Alarm... Ahhh, I'm getting kind of tired, to tell you the truth. It's just a bit too mellow for me to listen to this time of night (yes, 11:33 PM is the time I get sleepy, shut up).
I mean... ah. I don't have many opinions about it. I think reggae is kind of annoying, so naturally I won't like this much. I like their songs that have more techno influences more.

Well, The Giants Garden has a story? This band gets points for originality, I'll give them that. It's not my kind of music, but it is one of a kind.
And I have to say, I love how monotone the story is told. I enjoyed listening to it, I even laughed at a couple parts. I'm not entirely sure what it all means or how it relates to anything, but that's alright. I think.

Don't Fumble - Just be Humble. Aww, what a sweet message. Maybe. I don't know. It could be. I question whether this band even knows what they're singing. My god, are they high.

Sunset Doesn't Mean That We Lose the Sun. Hey, that's kind of a thoughtful title, huh? Too bad he repeats it like all hell at the beginning. Not to mention that overused reggae sound (you know what I'm talking about) that I absolutely detest. I don't like it very much. It's pretty repetitive and unoriginal.

This song, Wanna-Na, is the second track from the end. I'm kind of relieved, it's not exactly a thrilling album to just sit down and listen to.
Augh, it's 7 minutes long. Damn it all, I just want to go to bed!.. Why must you do this, Audio Active?
Well, despite my discomfort, I'm liking this song more than the others. His vocals are an improvement, I think. He doesn't seem to be trying too hard on this one, and it's pretty refreshing. Even if most of the lyrics are gibberish, it's still fun to listen to.

Wanna-Na Dub is the last track, and obviously it's more techno (luckily). It's really just Wanna-Na dubbified (yes, dubbified. It's my new word). It's pretty interesting to listen to. It's nice to hear a purely electronic song after all that annoying reggae. (Why do I have a reggae album if I hate reggae anyhow?!)

Okay, okay.
3 out of 5

I really debated the score. It's a good album, and I can recognize that despite my dislike of the genre. I think real fans of reggae or dub music like this would really enjoy it, but with people with tastes like mine, it's probably closer to a 2 and 1/2 or 2 out of 5. To each their own.

Akira Mitake's "Out of Reach"

Artist: Akira Mitake (Japan)
Album: Out of Reach (1983)

This is my first time listening to any of Akira Mitake's work, who was a member of one of my favorite bands, Ippu Do. As far as I know, he was the keyboardist, violinist, synths and marimba. This time, I actually have faith in this and know who the artist is. No doubt it will be New Wave, synth-pop influenced, which I obviously adore.
So, let the fun begin with Akira Mitake's "Out of Reach".

Violation, the first track, already grabs my attention, which is great. It's like writing, you really need a hook to keep the reader (or in this case, listener) interested enough to go on. And I am interested. Score for Mitake.

The second track is Can't Touch, Even Watch. I was wondering if this was going to be a purely instrumental record, but there is indeed singing. I can't say his voice is necessarily good, but it's nice to listen to and somehow works. I was going to say "This is why he wasn't the vocalist for Ippu Do, then", but I think he might have a better voice than Masami! (Hahaha, sorry Masami.)
There definitely are a lot of similarities to Ippu Do. That rubbery bass seems to be obligitory in this sort of New Wave music, huh? I'm definitely not complaining, the bass sounds pretty neat.
The Engrish is charming, too.

Lonely Man starts with little snipits of English, which makes the little girl in me go "Aww! He's trying so hard". (cough) But enough about that.
It's kind of entrancing, in a way. It's slow and less energetic than most of Ippu Do, but it still keeps my attention.

Modern System has more energy than the last three tracks, and definitely a lot more keyboard and bass heavy than the others, which had much of Mitake's violin. Again, pretty necessary for New Wave, haha.

Circus... Every band has to have at least one circus related song (just like "Sakura", God damn), so I suppose this is Mitake's take on it. It's refreshing to hear that it doesn't have that overused merry-go-round music nearly all songs entitled "Circus" use. You know what I'm talking about.

Toyko Great Town...
(hee)
I promised I wouldn't make any more remarks about the Engrish.
(hee ha ha)
Okay, okay.
I don't have much to say about this track. I don't think I'll remember it as much as the other tracks, although around the middle of the song, it begins to pick up pace before slowing right back down. Not my favorite on this record.

The fifth track, Glass Talk, is another bass/synth heavy song. As you can tell, I have a bit of a boner for bass, to put it crudely. Again, I'm not really too impressed, it feels like the album is running out of steam by this point. But maybe that's because the only up-beat track was Modern System, and I'm burnt out on slow songs at the moment!...

Hold on Me is the sixth tra--
(ha ha ha ha!...)
Okay, it's correct English, but it just sounds funny. I'll compose myself.
I definitely like this song more than the previous two, but I still feel as if the first four tracks held up better. But, there is still one more song before the end of the album, maybe it will change my mind.

I was hoping for a more high energy song to end Out of Reach, but, alas, Mr. Junk sounds like the slowest of all the tracks!...
Nevertheless, I'm really liking it. It's very pleasing to listen to, partly because his vocals seem more up to par. Hell, at a few parts, he sounds pretty decent! (I mean that in the kindest way possible.) Technically, his voice is bad, but like I said, it's fun to listen to. I rather like it.
Mr. Junk is a good end to the album, it's a bit more contemporary compared to the six other tracks and hardly even has the New Wave influences. I might mistake it for (gasp) a normal song that would play on the radio!! Oh my.

So, that's the end.

I think I'll give it a 3 out of 5. I'd recommend it for Ippu Do fans, and maybe to New Wave/synth-pop fans, but it's hardly revolutionary or extraordinary. I enjoyed listening to it, and it is a good album, but it is nothing more than "good".