Japan
Track/Video : Soundscape creator aus previews new album ‘Everis’ with the serene and subtle ‘Landia’.
Creativity and adversity often seem to dance together and the making of ‘Everis’, the upcoming album from Tokyo musician Yasuhiko Fukuzono (AKA aus), more than reinforces this notion. When his home was burgled the loss of a wealth of archive and work in progress forced Fukuzono to re-constitute the developing ideas for his next work …
News: Nemophila To Release Debut Album ‘Oiran – Extended Edition’ Exclusively Outside Of Japan
Japan’s Nemophila are set to expand on their first single ‘Oiran’ into a full album outside of Japan. Entitled ‘Oiran – Extended Edition’ the album is due 25th June via JPU records. The album will include their debut single Oiran, all of its B-sides, as well as the band’s entire catalogue to date. It’s the first time the …
Track: Gyze bring the beauty and insanity with celebration single ‘Oriental Symphony’
Japanese folk metal pioneers Gyze are celebrating their tenth anniversary with new single ‘Oriental Symphony’, out now via Out Of Line Music. Vocalist / guitarist Ryoji commented: “‘Oriental Symphony’ is 100% Gyze metal written by me! We used Gagaku instruments (ancient Japanese music), Erhu (Chinese strings) and this new song is a modern mix with a symphonic orchestra, far eastern …
Say Psych: Album Review, 芒神 God of Silver Grass by 破地獄 Scattered Purgatory
This is such a beautiful album. I could leave it at that because in a sense that is all you need to know. It is an album that would not be out of place in a Zen garden, with all the notes seemingly placed quite exactly in order to create just the right sort of …
Say Psych: Album Review, House In The Tall Grass by Kikagaku Moyo/ 幾何学模様
Kikagaku Moyo/ 幾何学模様 is one of our absolute favourite bands here on Psych Insight/ Backseat Mafia. The group’s last two albums made our ‘Essential’ list in 2014, and we have been wowed by their exciting live performances,. As a result the levels of expectations for a new album are sky high, and went up a notch when …
News: Susumu Yokota dead at 54
Prolific Japanese composer/producer Susumu Yokata passed away earlier in the year, his family have announced. Yokota, who also released albums under aliases such as Ebi and Prism as well as his own name, came to prominence with releases on Germany’s Harthouse label, before moving onto the likes of Lo Recordings and Leaf, where his path …
Say Psych: Album Review – Heaven by Sundays and Cybele
I first came across Sundays and Cybele earlier this year when I heard the 2012 album release ‘Gypsy House’, which had just come out on vinyl on the brilliant Tokyo label GuruGuru Brain. If you are in any doubt about this check out the label’s Japanese Psych Compilation ‘GuruGuru Brainwash‘ which is a fantastically eclectic …
Your Favourite Enemies – I Just Want You To Know
It always feels pretty strange, coming to a band that have been around for a while and already have such an international following. Your Favourite Enemies hail from Canada, and are releasing their first single into the UK market on Monday 4 November. The band have been going since 2006 and have a strong following, …