Archive for the ‘Ippu-Do’ Category

Japanese Covers of the Classics (and Time of the Season)

Sunday, April 29th, 2018

April is in full effect! And longtime readers of Lost Turntable know that means I’m currently getting my ass kicked with my legendary April bad luck. It’s been a pretty rough one; a drastic fibro flare-up, workplace drama, and a lot of wasted money on shoes (DON’T BUY SHOES ONLINE EVER IT’S NOT WORTH IT).

Anyways, the month is almost over and I’m unwinding the only way I know how, with odd covers of well-known music.

Jun Fukamachi
Classical Medley
Ave Maria

This record is so obscure that I literally can’t find a single English word about it on the internet so someone please help me.

I know that in the mid-80s Fukamachi briefly launched his own label, releasing a promo-only LP entitled 86 Spring & Summer Collection. Despite the similar name (and I suspect similar promo-only status) I don’t think that record and this one have anything in common. That album is a collection of original material, while this is entirely covers of classical compositions.

That, it’s entirely dope as fuck covers of classical compositions! This is some great, hyper-digital synth work and arrangement on display. While at first it sounds a bit cheesy, the more you listen to these all-digital reworkings, the more you appreciate just how much work went into them, especially with the epic 20-minute medley. These aren’t just classical pieces played through a keyboard’s default settings, many are reworked and tweaked to be equal parts jazzy and funky. It’s like an all-digital “Fifth of Beethoven.”

Like I said, I literally know nothing about this record. If you do, please give me anything you got! Especially if you have any idea about what the fuck is going on with that cover.

Ippu-Do
Time Of The Season
I don’t know what kind of stature Ippu-Do have in Japan now, or had during their peak, or even if they had a peak. Whenever I mention them to literally anyone I know, I get blank stare. That is, save for my boyfriend, who not only knows of the group, but remembered the melody of their biggest hit when I was playing the live record from which this track came from. My boyfriend literally never recognizes any music I ever play for him, especially Japanese music, so they must’ve been at least a little bit popular? I don’t know.

I have nearly all of their albums now. They’re good, obviously influenced by YMO and Japan (the band) in equal parts. I think bizarro cover of “Time Of The Season” is quite indicative of their sound, a strange combination of off-kilter vocals, heavy use of synths, and some rad guitar work. I really do need to give these guys more of a chance and dig into their discography a bit more.

One additional note, this is supposedly a live album, but considering how produced it sounds and the suspiciously looped crowd noises I’ve heard on several tracks, I have my doubts.

 

Japanese Synthpop by Bands who aren’t YMO

Sunday, January 22nd, 2017

I realize that this has been a stressful and/or depressing weekend for many of you, and I’m right there with you. However, I need some time to decompress before I talk about politics again, for my own mental health. I hope you’re all doing what you can do to stay healthy and fuck up Nazis. Try to do both in equal measures.

In the meantime, I finally finished part four of my guide to YMO! Yeah, it took me a year, sorry about that. Life got in the way at first, and then a serious case writer’s block regarding exactly how to cover the solo careers of the YMO members. I ended up changing it up quite a bit from the previous parts of the guide, I hope you all like it.

I still have at least three more sections of that guide planned. The next will cover side-projects, which I suspect won’t take nearly as long as there aren’t that many. After that I’m going to write on the multitudes of YMO associates out there. There are a metric shitload of those, but I have records by almost all of them, so it should’t be all that hard.

If that all goes well, I’ll close out with a special in-depth look at…something cool. Anyways, here’s some great music by Japanese new wave/synthpop artists who aren’t YMO.

Hikasu
Rhetorics & Logic
Model
So I don’t know all that much about these guys other than the fact that they’re highly lauded among the more experimental types in Japan. They’re first album came out in 1980 and they’re still going strong today (with some major line-up changes along the way) they’ve released something like 20 albums I guess.

If their first album (the only one I have) is any indication, they were inspired by Kraftwerk and Talking Heads. So if that sounds good to you (and it fucking should), check it. A few of their newer albums are even on American iTunes, they’re…something.

Ippu-Do
Break Out Generation
Panic In The City
Of the three bands I’m featuring here tonight, I think Ippu-Do are the least known. They pumped out four studio albums and a live record between 1980 and 1984, but broke up soon after. I don’t think any of their studio albums proper have even been released on CD save for a limited edition box set that goes for a mint now.

As such, I don’t have much by them, just their 1980 sophomore album Normal. It’s good, but its much less of a synthpop record and much more a general “new wave” record, even with some fairly standard rock songs on it. It’s kind of uneven, to be honest, but considering the cult following the group has, I imagine their other records have more interesting stuff on them. I certainly dig the tracks I’m sharing here.

P-Model
Health Angel
(Love) Story
Art Mania
When P-Model started out they were a good, if relatively by-the-numbers synthpop act. Throughout the years they went through many line-up and stylistic changes, however, eventually covering everything from punk, psychedelic rock, experimental electronica and even prog rock.

So they’re kind of like Yes, but backwards.

Anyways, after finding three of their albums and absolutely loving everything about them, I’ve decided that they’re my new YMO project. Gonna hunt down everything. If it all ends up being great, except a multi-part guide on them on my other blog sometime this year. Give or take.

Somehow you can currently buy two of P-Model’s albums on the US iTunes store and I highly recommend you do as they are fucking incredible.