ローザ・ルクセンブルグ - ぷりぷり

ローザ・ルクセンブルグ (or, errr, "Rosa Luxemburg" . . . as in the the marxist theorist?) were an incredibly upbeat rock band who's style and sound are completely unlike anything i've ever heard before. they are the most playful, fun pop rock (for lack of a better genre title) band i've ever heard. if i had to compare them to something, i guess it would be to IPPU-DO, or maybe some of the stuff on Nagomu Records. as far as modern bands go, it's quite possible that Sakurai Ao of cali≠gari was inspired by ローザ・ルクセンブルグ.

they premiered with their song "Chinese Boy" (i think i translated that right) which is on this album (second track), so i'm going to assume this is their first album (information is very meager on the western internet; they don't even have a proper discogs). even though my japanese is greatly lacking (i can read it, but will have no idea what it means for the most part), i was still able to discover what might be a news article explaining that the vocalist died from brain trauma in hawaii.

i'm stunned by that album art, by the way.


1. おもちゃの血
2. 在中国的少年
3. 原宿エブリデイ~ブルーライトヨコハマ~
4. イヨマンテ
5. 北京犬
6. 大きなたまご
7. アイスクリン
8. バカボンの国のポンパラスの種
9. だけどジュリー
10. ぶらぶら
11. ニカラグアの星
12. 毬絵
13. 少女の夢(もろヴァージョン)


ENJOY

中森明菜 - CRUISE

中森明菜's 1989 album CRUISE is an absolute masterpiece. that's all that can be said. every song is perfect. her deep, thick voice flows over the ballads on this album like the sweetest milk. truly a delight.

1. URAGIRI
2. 赤い不思議)
3. さよならじゃ終わらない
4. LIAR
5. 乱火
6. Close Your Eyes
7. Standing In Blue
8. 風は空の彼方
9. SINGER
10. 雨が降ってた…

ENJOY

水玉消防団 - 乙女の祈りはダッダッダッ!

水玉消防団 (mizutama shobodan) were a post-punk act that released their first album, 乙女の祈りはダッダッダッ!, in 1981. this is the album i show people when they ask me about post-punk. considering how much post-punk gets posted here, that should say something.

i don't know much about this band. essentially, i only have knowledge of the vocalist, Tenko. she seems to be fairly well known in the avant-garde arena. she even had a relationship with Fred Frith. her rough, sarcastic voice is perhaps the best part about this band.

this is the band that (in a previous post) i compared to early sioxsie sioux and the banshees. essentially, this is what siouxsie sioux wanted to sound like with her early punk sound, but she never quite had the aggression or chaotic sound that 水玉消防団 had.

if you only download one album from this blog, then you should make it this one.


ENJOY

有頂天 - ピース

as requested.

ENJOY

有頂天 - AISSLE

Uchoten (有頂天) were a very strange new wave band from 1980s japan. it's very difficult to describe Uchoten, because there's not much else that sounds like them. perhaps the best comparison could be the pop albums that Picky Picnic did, or the albums that Togawa Jun did with her band Yapoos. the vocalist's voice is very angelic and often childlike (much like the vocalist from picky picnic), very gentle on the ears.

another thing picky and Uchoten have in common; they were both signed to the same label, NAGAMU RECORDS.

edit: i'll post another album by Uchoten later tonight. look forward to it!

AISSLE

山口百恵 - GOLDEN FLIGHT

not much to say about this (as i don't know much about Yamaguchi Momoe's [山口百恵] life or career, except that it was successful), but this is a prime example of good 1970s/80s idol pop from japan. very melancholic and jazz-influenced. i definitely suggest you check this one out.

1. MADE IN U.F.O.
2. BLACK CAB (ロンドン・タクシー)
3. LIVERPOOL EXPRESS
4. AIR MAIL
5. CHECK OUT LOVE
6. 愛の TWILIGHT TIME
7. PORTBELLO の銀時計
8. 嵐ヶ丘
9. SEINEより愛をこめて
10. IMITATION GOLD


enjoy