So I was looking at my HearJapan folder and figured I can make a top ten album list. That’ll be cool. People that never used this thing are not going to explore the site in the last couple days, but give the people a last minute shopping list, it’s not too late for that. Why not.
Didn’t work out so great. Most of the stuff I got there is gone. Then there’s that credit system. When they made a big deal about redesigning the site a few months ago, I figured the credit thing would be the first thing they’d want to change.
[UPDATE: They did indeed change that. Rant removed.]
(I thought the site was hacked when I first tweeted him. I could use some more sleep.)
@jimhaku You don't need to by credits on HearJapan 2.0. You can buy what you need and checkout. Credits are only for those who want a deal
— HearJapan (@HearJapan) June 28, 2012
Anyway, here’s a list of bands/artists that were on there, at least:
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0.8 Byou to Shougeki
This band has done pretty well despite their extremely confusing name and you can get it the usual places.
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Clams
Cute shoegaze band, you can get some free tracks on last.fm, which I think is where I heard them first and was glad to find and pay for the full album. Now I am not glad because you can’t find that first album anywhere else. Amazon has the Sakura River EP.
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DJ Baku
[artist page]
Some interesting beat production, somewhat more post-rock than hip-hop. Apparently the 2008 release Dharma Dance is not a 3-track EP but a full album, which is available on iTunes. There was either a shorter Japan-only version or I only bought 3 tracks. I was mostly checking it for the doseone appearance, which is worth it if you like that kind of thing. -
OOIOO
Was planning to pick up these other albums but I guess that’s not happening. I recommend the 1st album. Pretty sure I paid $30 for the CD which is like a dollar a minute.
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Lite
Their new stuff with vocalist Caroline Lufkin is cool, but they seem to have picked up a Vampire Weekend influence. I prefer the first few, which…good luck, they ain’t there anymore.
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Maki Nomiya
Glad I got this stuff! I would have spent way to much for these couple new songs she did recently. (Or just gotten them somehow else.) There was the LOOKER single and a few songs she did with Fernanda Takai (Inc. a very cool cover of P5’s A Message Song, worth tracking down for completists.)
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Omodaka
Omodaka has a pretty solid formula of 8-bit beats and enka samples. My fave is the Plum Song EP. I think you can get his stuff anywhere now though.
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Tokyo-chutei-iki
Now this is the type of band that justified the entire service: an instrumental 10-man bari sax ensemble. I only got part of one of their albums and now I’m bummed I can’t get the rest of it. They have a facebook page.
Then there was the free stuff, or there used to be. There was at least one HearJapan branded promo comp. I’ve got one here from 2009 which included Quaff, Dirty Old Men, Asakusa Jinta, The Emeralds, Honey Sac, and Omodaka. Omodaka was the clear winner here, but The Emeralds were pretty good. (They continued more or less as the Rubies.) Asakusa Jinta is one of my favorite bands in theory, but none of their songs have grabbed me much. These other bands, I dunno.
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Japan Nite
At least two volumes of the promo comp for the popular North American package tour were on here. Included were Geeks, Bo-Peep, The Dolomites, Camisama, Red Bacteria Vacuum, White White Sisters, Vampilla, Suck Piggy, Ydestroyde, Zukanasisters, Sonodaband, DJ Teraoka and the Revolution, and Lolita No. 18. I did wind up getting the White White Sisters album but I got it on Amazon. Don’t have much to say about the other bands except that DJ Teraoka is sampling Seo Taiji.
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Next Music From Tokyo
There were two much shorter volumes in ’09 & ’10 for this smaller (Canada only) event that included Kulu Kulu Garden, Goomi, Mothercoat, Sgt., Susquatch and Uhnellys. I would say Japan Nite focuses on garage/punk bands and Next Music is more experimental stuff, but that’s not really true anymore, they got some weird stuff going on at Japan Nite now. I’d say the Next Music line up is less jokey or gimmicky bands. Mostly a general high-quality of various styles of post-rock by bands still working on the whole songwriting thing. Some of them will either get there or more likely splinter apart and form new groups that will.
Japan is still cool, right? Someone’s going to figure out how to sell this stuff, right? Let’s just watch this video I needed an excuse to post and contemplate life and shit:
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