Eight Japanese indie rock artists
Other Hemispheres #1
It’s never been easier to find amazing music from across the world, which is great, because there’s no reason to believe us English speakers have a monopoly on writing a good song. Over the last few years, I’ve been amassing an ever-growing list of bands from other hemispheres, and I would like to:
share my spoils
with you,
loyal reader,
in list form.
I’ll be focusing on a different country for each list in this series, but will be focusing a lot on Japan, since I’m a bit of a rock weeb.
1. Fishmans
Fishmans is a unique mix of dub and psychedelic rock that sounds like the future, as viewed from the 90’s. A Tokyo band that mostly eluded widespread attention during their initial run from 1987 to 1999, they disbanded after the death of vocalist Shinji Sato (officially due to heart failure). Fishmans have since gained a cult following that is still growing, and occasionally reunite for live shows.
2. School Food Punishment
I worry that School Food Punishment never stood a chance at a long career as a band, because their name is just too awesome for this world. We don’t deserve them.
Active from 2004 to 2012, School Food Punishment had a sound not too different from their European and North American peers (what we be calling the “indie sleeze era” these days) but had a much more musically adept, jazzy instrumentation than your typical serotonin-depleted Lower East Side electroclash band.
3. Ayutthaya
Due to a dearth of info about them on any sites I can read, I don’t know anything about Ayutthaya other than that they were formed in 2015 and released a series of amazingly eclectic EPs before their debut full length, Lighthouse, in 2022. With a distinct sound that evokes charmingly Pavement-esque jangle pop, midwest emo, riot grrrl vocals, and more, I can’t recommend Ayatthaya highly enough, even if they’re a total mystery.
4. OGRE YOU ASSHOLE
Nagano post-punk quartet OGRE YOU ASSHOLE got their moniker from a chance meeting after a show with Modest Mouse bassist Eric Judy. He was drunk at the time. They went with the name, unaware that it’s a quote from Revenge of The Nerds.
While their earlier music was heavy on strong grooves and angular guitars heavily influenced by Modest Mouse, the band has slowly gone in a dreamy psych rock direction, all while maintaining their quirky pop tendencies. It’s no wonder OGRE YOU ASSHOLE has stayed popular in Japan after two decades.
5. No Buses
Named after an Arctic Monkeys track, No Buses are a fun homage to the “indie revival” sound of the aughts, right before things started getting really dancy. Think Room on Fire-era Strokes, or The Virgins (if anyone remembers them) - all melodic lo-fi instrumentation and attitude. Starting in 2016 and still going strong, No Buses have already defied the fate of their namesakes by not getting boring.
6. Fennel
The solo project of Hiromi Hiro Hiro, the bass player for one of Japan’s most popular math rock bands, Tricot, who I adore (I’ll be covering them in an upcoming list). Focusing on the emo and melodic punk of Tricot’s early records, Fennel has released two exceptional EPs since 2021.
7. Midori (ミドリ)
Mostly going by the kanji “ミドリ”, even on English-speaking platforms due to sharing their name with a much more famous Japanese violinist, Midori is a bizarre jazz-punk band active from 2003 to 2010. Combining the chaotic extremes of post hardcore with jazz-fusion and 60’s girl group pop, Midori was notorious for singer Mariko Gotō’s intense (and often bloody) live performances, as well as her Mike Patton-esque tendency to switch between melodic singing and larynx-shredding screams.
8. Mariko Gotō
After the dissolution of Midori, Mariko Gotō pursued a solo career, releasing 3 albums from 2012 to 2014 with a more diverse sound than her former band, before temporarily retiring from music. She has since returned under the names DJ510Mariko and 後藤まりこアコースティックviolence POP. It’s all very weird, and very cool, just like Mariko.