Panicsmile : Ten Songs Ten Cities

Odd and very good off-kilter post-punk, Panicsmile's sound tends to evolve from album to album (and has moved in a somewhat more accessible direction of late), but this one finds them somewhere between the controlled chaos of Ruins and the precise chill of Gaji (whose former bassist is a member). Ten Songs covers a fairly wide range, from static-shot jerky rhythms and shouts to smoother, melodic fare, with more of the vocals on this than on other efforts provided by the their female drummer (who has, incidentally, released an album with Tatsuya Yoshida of the aforementioned Ruins).

Panicsmile have been active in one form or since 1992; this is the third of their six full-lengths and was released in 2001. Fans of Ruins, Boredoms, Korean Buddhist God and such-like need apply-- though Panicsmile isn't as out and out heavy as any of those three.


TEN SONGS TEN CITIES

Gaji : 9pmatgfm

I believe I said I had upped all the Gaji I had, which was a filthy lie. I had not in fact put up their last-and what I think is their best--release, the recorded-live-without-an-audience 9pmatgfm.

The longer, less numerous songs (two of which are extended re-recordings of previous　stuff) distill and emphasize the best of their sound; case in point being the ominous bass-line, marching drums, jangling, wandering guitar and flattened, punchy rhythmic shouts of the second track, Sun Exhausted. Good stuff which I would encourage people to give a decent listen to, as the sound can take a while to click.


9PMATGFM

Gaji : Blowpipe (remaster)

Gaji's debut album, Blowpipe was originally released in '95, though this is a '99 re-release. I don't have much to say about Gaji that I haven't before. Good angular, moody post-punk, rhythm-driven, melancholic and punchy. The songs on this effort are shorter and perhaps more conventional than those on later releases.


BLOWPIPE

Gaji: ten to ten past ten

This was Gaji's next to last release. Everything I said below applies to this one too, except that quality-wise this is ripped from cd by yours truly.



A really good band who are worth taking a little while to get into.


ten to ten past ten @320

Gaji : Focus/Fluid/Daub

Gaji were a Japanese post-punk unit active from the mid-nineties to early aughts, and possibly familiar to readers of this blog from their appearances on many of the comps I've posted.

A female-fronted three-piece, four member band, they played an interesting sort of bass & drum driven mathy music, with nicely understated guitars and vocals which are for the most part rhythmic & monotonal (it took me a few songs to get into the singing style, but in the end it's relative lack of inflection and variety works really well as a rhythmic element). Shades of Fugazi, Shellac, and Lisabo to name a few.

Rather good stuff. Simultaneously melancholic and energetic, with hooky bass lines and plosive drums, and well worth checking out in my humble-though of course correct-opinion.

(not the best rip, I'll have some better quality Gaji after some packages arrive)


FOCUS/FLUID/DAUB

V/A : Japanese Independent Music

Yet another comp of 90's Japanese underground stuff, mostly noise, electronics and psychedelia. Gaji & Ruins provide my two favorites off this comp, but there's a bunch of good stuff, with the notable exception of track 4, which made me want to punch hippies (my threshold for wanting to punch hippies is fairly low however, so you may not have the same problem).

This is probably the most experimental of the "experimental" comps I've posted so far and there is some odd and interesting music on here.

1 Wono Satoru: Allegro
2 Yuko Nexus : N.S.K.K. Coming Soon
3 Haino Keiji: Voice And Electrik Percussion
4 Harpy : Ash
5 Gaji : Trippin' Under A Changin' Sphere
6 Hoppy Kamiyama : Fantasm
7 Furudate Tetsuo : La Jetee
8 Hair Stylistics : Impression Of Nasty Dread
9 KK Null : BDDM
10 Nakamura Toshimaru / Sachiko M : Live In Bordeaux
11 Kangaroo Paw : Osusowake
12 Sawada Jyoji : Enfant Terrible
13 Haco : Moonlight In Glory
14 Bondage Fruit : Prayer
15 Ruins : Guamallapish
16 Acid Mothers Temple : Hello Eskimo Or Polyhedric Mu
17 eX-Girl : Zozoi
18 The Saboten : I.K.U




Japanese Independent Music Part1

Japanese Independent Music Part2

Important! Split rar : download both and then extract either one and a folder containing all the songs will appear. Repeat, you must have both. (ppl who read this=<50%)

Digital Catatroph 1997 Remixes & Originals

Another addition to the already numerous compilations of 90's Japanese underground music posted on this blog. This time we have ZK record's bands being remixed by DHR (digital hardcore) artists on one disc, and the original songs on another. The DHR remixes sound pretty much like you'd expect them to: like digital hardcore stuff, with varying degrees of the original's texture preserved. I'm mildly partial to the sound myself, especially when it comes without A. Empire's inane vocal stylings.

1 Violent Onsen Geisha & DMBQ : Mood Of Mods Generation (Alec Empire Remix)
2 Cowpers : Don't Trust In Me (Killout Trash Remix)
3 Atomic Fireball : Split (Sonic Subjunkies Remix)
4 Coaltar Of The Deepers : Breast Stroke (Christoph De Babalon Remix)
5 Korean Buddhist God : Come On, Ghost (Ec8or Remix)
6 Gaji : Quick-Buck, Quick-Fix (Shizuo Remix)
7 Surfers Of Romantika Papua (Alec Empire Remix)


The Remixees have for the most part made previous appearances on this blog, though I don't know much about Surfers Of Romantika or the Cowpers. They're a mix of noise and experimental rock, with the highlight for me being the Atomic Fireball song, split, which doesn't appear on their other releases, and the Sonic Subjunkies remix of the same song earns points for its incorporation of samples from Street Fighter II.

1 Cowpers : Don't Trust In Me
2 Coaltar : Of The Deepers Breast Stroke
3 Surfers Of Romantika : Papua
4 Gaji : Quick-Buck, Quick-Fix
5 Korean Buddhist God : Come On, Ghost
6 Atomic Fireball : Split
7 Violent Onsen Geisha & DMBQ : Mood Of Mods Generation

DIGITAL CATASTROPH REMIXES & ORIGINALS