CLEAR AND REFRESHING

In my capacity as the head honcho and sole staff member of Call And Response Records, I was interviewed back in May about Japanese music for an article on venerable UK news organ The Grauniad's web site. Fabulous publicity for the label, natch, so I can overlook the fact that the writer has just cut and pasted an (occasionally clumsily) edited version of my answers into his piece and then claimed for themself whatever pittance C.P. Scott's descendants pay for my work.

I nevertheless have a problem with the way the sentence "Shibuya-kei is the only scene anyone really speaks about here." is somehow put into my mouth. This is both patently wrong and makes me look foolish and ignorant. Anyone who has spent any meaningful length of time in the Tokyo music scene knows that there are numerous music scenes, all with their fans and cheerleaders here there and all over. Anyone who finds their way here as a result of out good friend Mr. Google (I note that the article links to both the term "Shibuya-kei" and the admittedly confusing to dolts term "Sisyphean", but not to any form of the actual C.A.R. web presence) may wish to see the actual questions I was asked and the actual answers I gave.

(Sorry this site doesn't allow comments; If anyone wants to agree/disagree/whatever with anything I've said, I've blogged this on the comments-enabled Call And Response page as well)

Update Oct 16th 00:08: Reading back over the above, I should add that despite the snarky tone, I'm very pleased that the article got published and I've had some great feedback from people today as a result of it. » Read More

I wrote a short piece for The Japan Times last week on this month's Haikou Fes event, an indie festival held in an abandoned school in Shinjuku. To find out more about the event, I met up with the chief organiser, Takeuchi Tomoji, and asked him a few questions about it. » Read More

My review of Nisennenmondai's second full-length album is posted on the Japan Times web site so anyone wanting to find out if they've worked out what all that equipment in the recording studio is for yet can check it out (clue: they haven't).

Mirrorball Bijin (2007 CD/R)

» Nisennenmondai, "Mirrorball"'">Read More

Revolution Young Sound Young Lion Conspiracy (2006/CH Rec.)

» Read More

Livestock (2004/Slant Eye Archive)

» Read More

Marching (2005/Enban)

» Nisennenmondai "Marching"'">Read More

Tori (2005/nisennen/dotlinecircle)

» Nisennenmondai "Tori"'">Read More

Nisennenmondai's new album is called "Tori", hence the crudely designed and rather creepy bird sculptures and mobiles strewn » Nisennenmondai / Hair Stylistics @ Shibuya Nest'">Read More

Barirubronco are splitting up after this gig, which is a right royal shame with bells on, because they're great. Pure and simple boy/girl rock and roll with just bass, drums, and sweaty rock shaman » Read More

The way that Panic Smile mix squiggly poodle-rock guitar wig-out bits in with their avant-garde post-post-punk rhythm distortions and » Nisennenmondai @ Koenji 20000V'">Read More

Sorede Sozosuru Neji (2004/nisennen/dotlinecircle)

» Nisennenmondai "Sorede Sozosuru Neji"'">Read More

Kyojinyueni Dekai are hard to describe. Well, no, they're easy to describe. They are a drummer, who I can't see thanks to the near capacity crowd and the UFO Club's spectacularly » Nisennenmondai / Watusi Zombie @ Koenji UFO Club'">Read More

A
Aburadako	Abunai Nurse	Acetones, The
A.C. Newman	Asian Kung-Fu Generation	Art Brut
Asian Dub Foundation	Ato

B
Bandits, The	Bandwagon	Baseball
Bees, The	Ben Folds	Ben Kweller
Bjork	Black Rebel Motorcycle Club	Blanche
Bloc Party	Blonde Redhead	Bluetones, The
Blur	Bonzo's	Brian Wilson
British Sea Power	Buchibuchi2	Buddhiston
Buffalo Daughter

C
Charlatans, The	Chikinki	! ! !
Clearlake	Clinic	City Lights, The
Coldplay	Coral, The	Cosmic Rough Riders
Courtney Love	Cribs, The

D
Datsuns, The	Death in Vegas	Delays
Delicious Sweets	Detroit7	DMBQ
Drive To The Forest In A Japanese Car	Do The Boogie	Duran Duran

E
Eepil Eepil	Electric Six	Electric Soft Parade, The
Elevation	Elvis Costello	Eskobar
Experimental Pop Band, The

F
Ffa Coffi Pawb	The Fiery Furnaces	Flashing Lights, The
Flowermulu	Fog Band, The	Franz Ferdinand
Frottage	Futureheads, The

G
Glam, The	Ghost	Gorky's Zygotic Mynci
Greenhornes, The	G-spot Hunter	Guerilla Television
Guided By Voices

H
Hachimitsu-Doki	Hawksley Workman	Hives, The
Homesicks, The	Hope Of The States	Hot Hot Heat

I
Iggy Pop	Ikara Colt	Ikochi
Interpol

J
Jet	Joel Plaskett	Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, The
Julian Cope	Junk Box

K
Kaito	Kama Boiler	Kayo
Keane	Kegawa No Mari's	Keihan Girl
Keys, The	Killers, The	Kills, The
Kings Of Leon, The	Kyojin Yueni Dekai

L
Liars	Libertines, The	Local Rabbits
Love Of Diagrams	Love Psychedelico

M
Madame Cats, The	Magnetic Fields, The	Mando Diao
Mars Volta, The	Melt-Banana	Meatballs, The
Miami	Mice Parade	Massive Attack
Michelle Gun Elephant, Thee	Mission Of Burma	Modest Mouse
Mookees, The	Mooney Suzuki, The	Morrissey
Mo'some Tonebender	Mo'some Tonebender	Mosquito
Mum	Music, The	My Pal Foot Foot

N
Neatbeats, The	Neils Children	Nick Drake
Nisennenmondai	Novillero

O
OOIOO	Ordinary Boys, The	Outs, The

P
Panic Smile	Pervenche	Pebbles, The
Pixies, The	PJ Harvey	Plus-Tech Squeeze Box
Polyphonic Spree, The	Polysics	Positives, The
Primal Scream	Privates, The

Q
Quruli

R
Radiohead	Randy And The Pyramids	Rapture, The
Raveonettes, The	Razorlight	Riff Randells, The
Robert Pollard	Rooney

S
Sahara Hotnights	Scissor Sisters	Shack
Shagwells, The	Shins, The	Shonen Knife
Shoot My Disco	Syuugeki, The	Sloan
Snow Patrol	Sons And Daughters	Soapland Momiyama
Soul Fortune Society	Soundtrack Of Our Lives, The	South
Spearmen	Spearmint	Stands, The
Star Spangles, The	Stellastarr*	Stereophonics
Streets, The	Stroboneko	Strokes, The
Students, The	Supercar	Super Friendz, The
Super Furry Animals	Surf Coasters	Surferosa
Swindles, The

T
Tacobonds	That's A No No!	Thrush Hermit
Tommy Angels	Tommy February6	Tommy Heavenly6
22-20s

U
Unicorns, The

V
Von Bondies, The

W
Warm, The	Water Skater	Watusi Zomobie
Webb Brothers, The	Whence He Came	Whirlwind Heat, The
White Stripes, The	Wilco	Wire

Y
YeahYeahYeahs	Yo La Tengo	Yuki

Z
Zoukibayashi46	Zutons, The