With a large music industry such as Japan has, the second largest in the world, it is inevitable that music fans will be inundated with a profusion of good (and also less good) music from this country. It is impossible to keep track of this and write a review about it per video. But to avoid missing out on gems, it is time for a weekly list of new music videos from lesser-known Japanese musical acts that are definitely worth watching.
We are now looking back on a couple of videos that were released in week 36 of the year 2022. Enjoy the new discoveries!
TRiFOLiUM – 影と街 (Kage to Machi)
The guitar rock band TRiFOLiUM from Sapporo made a significant impact on the local music scene soon after the formation of the band in the summer of 2015. The four-piece is renowned for their strong and passionate live performances, armed with Takuma Fujita’s excellent singing abilities and songs that are both familiar and beautiful while still being somewhat melancholy and fast-moving. — Recommended by Francisca
ゆいにしお (Yuinishio) – sun shade
Yuinishio, a singer-songwriter, is renowned for her powerful yet clear voice. In 2016, she began her activities as a solo artist. With the release of the song Beautiful Day in October 2021 for the anime series Banished from the Hero’s Party, I Decided to Live a Quiet Life in the Countryside, it seemed to be her first step to something greater in her career. This October, Yuinishio will make her major debut with Nippon Columbia with the release of her first full-length album, titled Taste City. — Recommended by Francisca
modern animals – Spoils
The new band modern animals, comprised of PeopleJam members JIK (Ableton live; also working on many other projects like Humanized and BLANK BLANK STURCTURE), KEN on drums, and TOMMY on guitar, released Spoils as their first song. With the release of the first single, the first live show of modern animals has been confirmed as well, on 13 October. If you are familiar with PeopleJam, with their blend of techno, disco, funk, rock and electro, you might want to keep an eye on modern animals. — Recommended by Francisca
CrowsAlive – Neo Romancers
After releasing their first album, Twilight World, in October of last year, the four-piece alternative rock band CrowsAlive worked hard to expand their activities. The beginning of a new chapter was marked with the release of Neo Romancers through the music label Zestone Records. The four-piece has been performing since 2016, using pop, rock, metal, and electro as the foundation for compositions that aim to defy conventions and fads. — Recommended by Francisca
ODDLY – Alligator
From Kyoto, comes the indie (odd) rock trio ODDLY. While they enjoy mixing different modern rock styles and have been influenced by many of them, they have had the opportunity to share the stage with many Japanese and international indie bands. Alligator, the most recent single from ODDLY, is also included on Adult Swim’s most recent compilation, Japan is Loud, which was put together by Jonny Rej of Toonami. It also offers a sneak peek at what to anticipate from ODDLY’s upcoming debut album. — Recommended by Francisca
I’ll Dream of You – 眠れない夜の過ごし方 (Nemurenai yoruno sugoshikata)
At the end of December, vocalist and guitarist Akiho Takahashi – also active as the drummer in the brand-new band asaka – announced the launch of her solo project, named I’ll Dream of You. She produced her debut single, titled GOOD NIGHT, with the assistance of numerous musicians and released it earlier this year. This was followed up this week by the very first music video of the solo project, which serves as an introduction to the entire world. — Recommended by Francisca
Fools In the Castle – (K)NOW
This five-piece emo band, formerly known as Fools In the Castle Town (till November of 2020), has produced a bunch of great music throughout the course of their more than five years of existence. Most recently, their first EP was entitled NEW WORLD which was released in May of this year. The focus this summer has been on playing festivals and club shows, and perhaps the next step for this band will be a full album. — Recommended by Francisca
Next week we will be back for a new list of new music videos to check out. But you can also look back to the earlier editions of this weekly article series for when you yearn for more musical gems! Want to read more about how this project started or check out the YouTube playlists? Click here for all the information.
