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	<title>The Japan Times &#187; Ian Martin</title>
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	<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp</link>
	<description>News on Japan, Business News, Opinion, Sports, Entertainment and More</description>
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		<title>True tradition would be preferable to an &#8216;Idolympics&#8217; in 2020</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/10/02/music/true-tradition-would-be-preferable-to-an-idolympics-in-2020/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=true-tradition-would-be-preferable-to-an-idolympics-in-2020</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/10/02/music/true-tradition-would-be-preferable-to-an-idolympics-in-2020/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 02 Oct 2013 14:14:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ian Martin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[2020 Olympics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[opening ceremony]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ryuichi Sakamoto]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/?post_type=culture&#038;p=462604</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Ten-thousand Kumamons doing an elaborate Busby Berkeley-style dance routine to Kyu Sakamoto&#8217;s international 1963 hit &#8220;Sukiyaki&#8221;? A 100-meter Hatsune Miku towering over the stadium while 80,000 spectators crane their necks for a glimpse up her skirt? Newly elected Prime Minister Pamyu Pamyu speeding up a ramp and jumping into the stadium on Kaneda&#8217;s bike from [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/10/02/music/true-tradition-would-be-preferable-to-an-idolympics-in-2020/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Melt-Banana: Being &#8216;stupid&#8217; isn&#8217;t so bad when it comes to touring</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/10/02/music/melt-banana-being-stupid-isnt-so-bad-when-it-comes-to-touring/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=melt-banana-being-stupid-isnt-so-bad-when-it-comes-to-touring</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/10/02/music/melt-banana-being-stupid-isnt-so-bad-when-it-comes-to-touring/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 02 Oct 2013 14:00:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ian Martin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Agata]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fetch]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Melt-Banana]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[noise]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Yako]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/?post_type=culture&#038;p=462603</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#8220;We&#8217;d be playing someone&#8217;s basement in America &#8230;&#8221; &#8220;And we only had five or six people there &#8230;&#8221; &#8220;We had some nights where the audience was zero.&#8221; As Yasuko &#8220;Yako&#8221; Onuki and Ichiro Agata prepare for a gruelling, 29-city North American tour to promote new album &#8220;Fetch,&#8221; they reminisce about their early experiences playing abroad [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/10/02/music/melt-banana-being-stupid-isnt-so-bad-when-it-comes-to-touring/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Twenty years ago, Cornelius releases the track that defined Shibuya-kei</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/08/28/music/twenty-years-ago-cornelius-releases-the-track-that-defined-shibuya-kei/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=twenty-years-ago-cornelius-releases-the-track-that-defined-shibuya-kei</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/08/28/music/twenty-years-ago-cornelius-releases-the-track-that-defined-shibuya-kei/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 28 Aug 2013 14:12:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ian Martin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Cool Japan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cornelius]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Keigo Oyamada]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Shibuya-kei]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Sun is My Enemy]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/?post_type=culture&#038;p=434932</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The song &#8220;The Sun is My Enemy,&#8221; released 20 years ago on Sept. 1, 1993, may have only reached No. 15 on the Japanese singles charts, but its importance lingers. This was the first single released by musician Keigo Oyamada under his nom de rock Cornelius, and it&#8217;s a key track in the development of [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/08/28/music/twenty-years-ago-cornelius-releases-the-track-that-defined-shibuya-kei/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Umez label is good news for noise-pop</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/08/21/music/umez-label-is-good-news-for-noise-pop/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=umez-label-is-good-news-for-noise-pop</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/08/21/music/umez-label-is-good-news-for-noise-pop/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 21 Aug 2013 14:02:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ian Martin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[14 Years Records]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lo-fi]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[noise]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Umez]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/?post_type=culture&#038;p=432350</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#8220;Those voices makes me vomit! Too many people in one band is no good. It&#8217;s kind of scary. I feel like I&#8217;m suffering from car sickness all the time.&#8221; Sachiko Fukuda from noise-pop duo Umez is not a fan of AKB48. That didn&#8217;t stop her band from covering its iconic single &#8220;Aitakatta,&#8221; though, stripping it [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/08/21/music/umez-label-is-good-news-for-noise-pop/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Piña coladas on the beach? Your soundtrack has already been written</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/07/24/music/pina-coladas-on-the-beach-your-soundtrack-has-already-been-written/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=pina-coladas-on-the-beach-your-soundtrack-has-already-been-written</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/07/24/music/pina-coladas-on-the-beach-your-soundtrack-has-already-been-written/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 24 Jul 2013 14:15:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ian Martin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Eiichi Ohtaki]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fishmans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Masayoshi Takanaka]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Natsumen]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Psy-S]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Southern All Stars]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[summer pop]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/?post_type=culture&#038;p=418187</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Writing a summer pop tune is easy. Just take an uptempo rhythm, add a catchy chorus, stir in some breezy lyrics and you have the soundtrack to a thousand summer romances and several lifetimes&#8217; worth of wistful reminiscences. Making a summer album, on the other hand, is a more challenging endeavor. Just repeating the above [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/07/24/music/pina-coladas-on-the-beach-your-soundtrack-has-already-been-written/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>C86 sound jangles on in the Japanese indie scene</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/07/10/music/c86-sound-jangles-on-in-the-japanese-indie-scene/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=c86-sound-jangles-on-in-the-japanese-indie-scene</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/07/10/music/c86-sound-jangles-on-in-the-japanese-indie-scene/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 10 Jul 2013 14:07:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ian Martin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Boyish]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[C86]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dead Funny Records]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DYGL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hearsays]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Niw! Records]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sloppy Joe]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sumire Taya]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Keys]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[White Lily Records]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/?post_type=culture&#038;p=408392</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[If pop culture is primarily about escapism, one of the enduring mysteries of the music world must surely be how the sounds of cold, wet afternoons in mid-1980s Manchester came to capture the imaginations of artists around the world. From the sunny shores of California to the icy hillsides of Finland, there remain to this [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/07/10/music/c86-sound-jangles-on-in-the-japanese-indie-scene/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>6</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Summer&#8217;s best festivals are off the beaten path</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/06/27/music/summers-best-festivals-are-off-the-beaten-path/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=summers-best-festivals-are-off-the-beaten-path</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/06/27/music/summers-best-festivals-are-off-the-beaten-path/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 26 Jun 2013 15:05:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ian Martin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Aomori Rock]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Earth Celebration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Freedommune Zero]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GFB13]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Join Alive]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[music festival]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Say Hello Festival]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sunset Live]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[World Happiness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Yokochin Rock]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/?post_type=culture&#038;p=392377</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[For the past 10-15 years, Japan&#8217;s festival season has been dominated by four main events: Fuji Rock, Summer Sonic, Rock in Japan and Rising Sun. Of these, Fuji Rock is by far the best, with its mountain setting in Niigata Prefecture, and dependable lineup of major international acts and interesting local bands. It&#8217;s also the [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/06/27/music/summers-best-festivals-are-off-the-beaten-path/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Linguistic choices can be an artistic or cultural statement for Japanese musicians</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/05/30/music/linguistic-choices-can-be-an-artistic-or-cultural-statement-for-japanese-musicians/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=linguistic-choices-can-be-an-artistic-or-cultural-statement-for-japanese-musicians</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/05/30/music/linguistic-choices-can-be-an-artistic-or-cultural-statement-for-japanese-musicians/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 29 May 2013 15:04:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ian Martin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[bilingualism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Extruders]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Satoru Ono]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[She Talks Silence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tacobonds]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/?post_type=culture&#038;p=373541</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[On May 14, singer-songwriter Satoru Ono released a vinyl single titled &#8220;All My Colours.&#8221; Anyone who knows Ono&#8217;s work would have found themselves on familiar ground with the two tracks, in their mix of 1980s U.K. indie and &#8217;90s Japanese neo-acoustic pop, delivered with a classic pop craftsman&#8217;s hand. The difference is that Ono&#8217;s back [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/05/30/music/linguistic-choices-can-be-an-artistic-or-cultural-statement-for-japanese-musicians/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Explore one of Tokyo&#8217;s most indie neighborhoods at Shimokitazawa Sound Cruising</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/05/23/music/explore-one-of-tokyos-most-indie-neighborhoods-at-shimokitazawa-sound-cruising/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=explore-one-of-tokyos-most-indie-neighborhoods-at-shimokitazawa-sound-cruising</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/05/23/music/explore-one-of-tokyos-most-indie-neighborhoods-at-shimokitazawa-sound-cruising/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 22 May 2013 15:04:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ian Martin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[ANA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chiina]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[De De Mouse]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dempagumi.inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Halfby]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Handsomeboy Technique]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lagitagida]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mitsume]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Shimokitazawa Sound Cruising]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Shonen Knife]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tadzio]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/?post_type=culture&#038;p=368556</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Tokyo&#8217;s Shimokitazawa neighborhood is one of the most important places for indie music in the city. A lively suburb at the nexus between the Inokashira and Odakyu train lines, it&#8217;s just distant enough from the big urban hubs of Shinjuku and Shibuya to avoid being absorbed by them, but close enough that it&#8217;s relatively easy [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/05/23/music/explore-one-of-tokyos-most-indie-neighborhoods-at-shimokitazawa-sound-cruising/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Momoiro Clover Z &#8220;5th Dimension&#8221;</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/05/16/music/momoiro-clover-z-5th-dimension/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=momoiro-clover-z-5th-dimension</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/05/16/music/momoiro-clover-z-5th-dimension/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 15 May 2013 15:00:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ian Martin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[5th Dimension]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cd review]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Momoiro Clover Z]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/?post_type=culture&#038;p=364936</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[There were some curious rumors flying around prior to the release of &#8220;5th Dimension,&#8221; the second album by idol quintet Momoiro Clover Z, some of them intriguing (&#8220;It&#8217;s going to be a concept album&#8221;) and some worrying (longtime producer Kenichi &#8220;Hyadain&#8221; Maeyamada reportedly called it &#8220;tedious and uninteresting&#8221; before hastily erasing the offending tweet). Momoiro [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/05/16/music/momoiro-clover-z-5th-dimension/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>A postmortem on how promoters let a Blur gig in Japan slip away</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/04/25/music/a-postmortem-on-how-promoters-let-a-blur-gig-in-japan-slip-away/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=a-postmortem-on-how-promoters-let-a-blur-gig-in-japan-slip-away</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/04/25/music/a-postmortem-on-how-promoters-let-a-blur-gig-in-japan-slip-away/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 24 Apr 2013 15:01:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ian Martin</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/?post_type=culture&#038;p=352982</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Tokyo Rocks festival, which had been scheduled for May 11 and 12, was an ambitious attempt to bring big-name overseas artists such as Blur, Primal Scream and My Bloody Valentine together with a range of Japanese acts. On March 31, it was announced it had been canceled. Unlike major commercial festivals such as Fuji [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/04/25/music/a-postmortem-on-how-promoters-let-a-blur-gig-in-japan-slip-away/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Extruders have a rock epiphany</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/04/18/music/extruders-have-a-rock-epiphany/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=extruders-have-a-rock-epiphany</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/04/18/music/extruders-have-a-rock-epiphany/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 17 Apr 2013 15:01:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ian Martin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Colors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Extruders]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[indie]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[noise]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rock]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Toroid]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/?post_type=culture&#038;p=349177</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#8220;Before the gig, we were quite intimidated: a lowly rock band performing in front of a god. After, we found we could do it, and that was the turning point for us.&#8221; Going back to at least when Paul the Apostle saw the light on the road to Damascus, encounters with the divine have helped [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/04/18/music/extruders-have-a-rock-epiphany/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Find out what it means to indie&#8217;s new talent</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/03/28/music/r-e-s-p-e-c-t-find-out-what-it-means-to-indies-new-talent/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=r-e-s-p-e-c-t-find-out-what-it-means-to-indies-new-talent</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/03/28/music/r-e-s-p-e-c-t-find-out-what-it-means-to-indies-new-talent/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 27 Mar 2013 15:45:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ian Martin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[DYGL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Genon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hikashu]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[kohai]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Meiji University]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sempai]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ykiki Beat]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/?post_type=culture&#038;p=332041</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It's 6 a.m. and the tiny studio is crammed full of people and reeks of sweat. An ear-splitting punk trio do their best to blast the ceiling off and a woman wrapped in nothing but a bit of Duct tape careers around the room, shrieking into a microphone. ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/03/28/music/r-e-s-p-e-c-t-find-out-what-it-means-to-indies-new-talent/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>MBV inspires Japan to keep staring at its feet</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/02/28/music/mbv-inspires-japan-to-keep-staring-at-its-feet/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=mbv-inspires-japan-to-keep-staring-at-its-feet</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/02/28/music/mbv-inspires-japan-to-keep-staring-at-its-feet/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 27 Feb 2013 15:08:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ian Martin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Cruff in the Bedroom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Crypt City]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Japanese music]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kentaro Nakao]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[My Bloody Valentine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[shoegaze]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/?post_type=culture&#038;p=188709</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In February 2013, there were three events that shook the world: the resignation of the pope, North Korea&#8217;s successful test of a nuclear bomb, and the release of Irish/British rock band My Bloody Valentine&#8217;s first new album in 22 years. Dispatched with less frequency than popes and comparable volume to nuclear bombs, My Bloody Valentine [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/02/28/music/mbv-inspires-japan-to-keep-staring-at-its-feet/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
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		<title>AKB48 member&#8217;s &#8216;penance&#8217; shows flaws in idol culture</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/02/01/music/akb48-members-penance-shows-flaws-in-idol-culture/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=akb48-members-penance-shows-flaws-in-idol-culture</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/02/01/music/akb48-members-penance-shows-flaws-in-idol-culture/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 01 Feb 2013 11:54:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ian Martin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[AKB48]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[idol]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[J-pop]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Minami Minegishi]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[YouTube]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/?post_type=culture&#038;p=122663</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The image of a young girl in front of a camera, her head recently shaved, sobbing into the lens is one that&#8217;s guaranteed to shock. But when that girl is a key member of idol group AKB48, the reaction is bound to be stronger. After being caught leaving the home of Generations boy-band member Alan [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/02/01/music/akb48-members-penance-shows-flaws-in-idol-culture/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>37</slash:comments>
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		<title>Diamond cries &#8216;murder&#8217; on the dancefloor</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/01/31/music/diamond-cries-murder-on-the-dancefloor/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=diamond-cries-murder-on-the-dancefloor</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/01/31/music/diamond-cries-murder-on-the-dancefloor/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Jan 2013 16:15:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ian Martin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[2NE1]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[antidownload]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Avex Trax]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Diamond Weekly]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[music]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[music industry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Psy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Recochoku]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Recording Industry Association of Japan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sony]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Spotify]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Strange Boutique]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[streaming]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/?post_type=culture&#038;p=119055</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In its Jan. 12 edition, the Japanese business magazine Diamond Weekly decided to ring in the new year with a 10-page feature titled, &#8220;Who&#8217;s Killing Music?&#8221; It was the topic of much discussion and reaction in the music business, and the article even made the agenda during a meeting of the Japanese music industry&#8217;s trade [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/01/31/music/diamond-cries-murder-on-the-dancefloor/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>5</slash:comments>
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		<title>Pop embraced conservatism in 2012</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/12/27/music/pop-embraced-conservatism-in-2012/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=pop-embraced-conservatism-in-2012</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/12/27/music/pop-embraced-conservatism-in-2012/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 27 Dec 2012 00:00:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ian Martin</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/12/27/%culture_category%/pop-embraced-conservatism-in-2012/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The 2012 general election might not seem to have any bearing on the state of pop music in Japan, but there was an eerie similarity in the way both the electorate and the pop world turned back the clock and wrapped conservatism in a neurotic embrace. Japanese chart company Oricon&#8217;s year-end rankings tell two main [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/12/27/music/pop-embraced-conservatism-in-2012/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>The coming influx of an idol workforce</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/11/29/music/the-coming-influx-of-an-idol-workforce/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=the-coming-influx-of-an-idol-workforce</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/11/29/music/the-coming-influx-of-an-idol-workforce/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 29 Nov 2012 00:00:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ian Martin</dc:creator>
		
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		<description><![CDATA[Much has been made in the media over the problem of Japan&#8217;s aging population and shrinking workforce. But there is another demographic time bomb, at the heart of Japan&#8217;s most militantly youthful sector of society, just waiting to explode. I&#8217;m talking, of course, about the boom in Japan&#8217;s idol population. Yasushi Akimoto&#8217;s mass idol factory [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/11/29/music/the-coming-influx-of-an-idol-workforce/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>No problems with Nisennenmondai&#8217;s contradictions</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/11/08/music/no-problems-with-nisennenmondais-contradictions/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=no-problems-with-nisennenmondais-contradictions</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/11/08/music/no-problems-with-nisennenmondais-contradictions/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 08 Nov 2012 00:00:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ian Martin</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/11/08/%culture_category%/no-problems-with-nisennenmondais-contradictions/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[There&#8217;s a basic disconnect at the heart of Tokyo&#8217;s Nisennenmondai. A series of small contradictions run through nearly all aspects of what the instrumental trio does, but they add up to make it one of the most intriguing bands to come out of Japan&#8217;s underground and experimental-rock scene in the past decade. It&#8217;s a contradiction [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/11/08/music/no-problems-with-nisennenmondais-contradictions/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Western stereotypes may explain Japan&#8217;s Psy-lence</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/10/25/music/western-stereotypes-may-explain-japans-psy-lence/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=western-stereotypes-may-explain-japans-psy-lence</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/10/25/music/western-stereotypes-may-explain-japans-psy-lence/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 25 Oct 2012 00:01:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ian Martin</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/10/25/%culture_category%/western-stereotypes-may-explain-japans-psy-lence/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Amid all the excitement, analysis and general horse-dancing hoo-haa over Korean musician Psy&#8217;s smash hit &#8220;Gangnam Style,&#8221; one story that has provoked a certain amount of head-scratching among fans is the song&#8217;s relative lack of success in Japan. Brian Ashcraft produced a good summary on the website Kotaku of how audience expectations and music industry [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/10/25/music/western-stereotypes-may-explain-japans-psy-lence/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>The customer is always right, but that&#8217;s what&#8217;s wrong in Japan&#8217;s live-house scene</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/08/30/music/the-customer-is-always-right-but-thats-whats-wrong-in-japans-live-house-scene/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=the-customer-is-always-right-but-thats-whats-wrong-in-japans-live-house-scene</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/08/30/music/the-customer-is-always-right-but-thats-whats-wrong-in-japans-live-house-scene/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 30 Aug 2012 00:01:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ian Martin</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/08/30/%culture_category%/the-customer-is-always-right-but-thats-whats-wrong-in-japans-live-house-scene/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The roundly despised pay-to-play system in place throughout most of Tokyo&#8217;s live-music scene, and to a slightly lesser extent in many other cities, is something I&#8217;ve written about in this column before. A typical complaint from a band might go, &#8220;Why should we have to pay just for the privilege of stepping onto the stage?&#8221; [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/08/30/music/the-customer-is-always-right-but-thats-whats-wrong-in-japans-live-house-scene/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Fuji&#8217;s Rookie A Go-Go stage holds an antidote for the same-old rockers</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/07/26/music/fujis-rookie-a-go-go-stage-holds-an-antidote-for-the-same-old-rockers/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=fujis-rookie-a-go-go-stage-holds-an-antidote-for-the-same-old-rockers</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/07/26/music/fujis-rookie-a-go-go-stage-holds-an-antidote-for-the-same-old-rockers/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 26 Jul 2012 00:01:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ian Martin</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/07/26/%culture_category%/fujis-rookie-a-go-go-stage-holds-an-antidote-for-the-same-old-rockers/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Fuji Rock Festival kicks off tomorrow with its dependable mixture of ageing rockers from abroad, a handful of predictably chosen Japanese acts, and just a smattering of blogged-about buzz bands. This year in particular, the joy I felt upon the demise of Oasis has been replaced with the dread of the hydralike horror of [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/07/26/music/fujis-rookie-a-go-go-stage-holds-an-antidote-for-the-same-old-rockers/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Various Artists &#8220;Ripple&#8221;</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/07/12/music/various-artists-ripple/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=various-artists-ripple</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/07/12/music/various-artists-ripple/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 12 Jul 2012 00:01:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ian Martin</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/07/12/%culture_category%/various-artists-ripple/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It seems that every indie scenester in Japan wants a piece of Nagoya these days. Buzz is growing around the city&#8217;s bands, and it&#8217;s fast becoming an essential first stop away from home for Tokyo artists and DJ events. One of the reasons for this new love affair comes from the efforts of the label [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/07/12/music/various-artists-ripple/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Japanese acts still find wonder in Can&#8217;s &#8216;Lost Tapes&#8217;</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/06/28/music/japanese-acts-still-find-wonder-in-cans-lost-tapes/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=japanese-acts-still-find-wonder-in-cans-lost-tapes</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/06/28/music/japanese-acts-still-find-wonder-in-cans-lost-tapes/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 28 Jun 2012 00:01:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ian Martin</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/06/28/%culture_category%/japanese-acts-still-find-wonder-in-cans-lost-tapes/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It&#8217;s rare that a band whose most celebrated recordings were originally released almost 40 years ago can generate excitement among classic-rock fans, prog-hating punks and musicians whose parents were still in elementary school at the time &#8212; but then Can were no ordinary band. The release last week of Can&#8217;s &#8220;The Lost Tapes,&#8221; a box [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/06/28/music/japanese-acts-still-find-wonder-in-cans-lost-tapes/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Kiwa Kiwa Festival</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/06/21/music/kiwa-kiwa-festival/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=kiwa-kiwa-festival</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/06/21/music/kiwa-kiwa-festival/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 21 Jun 2012 00:02:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ian Martin</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/06/21/%culture_category%/kiwa-kiwa-festival/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Emerging in March of this year promising to &#8220;challenge the limits of &#8216;independent,&#8217; &#8221; Kiwa Kiwa &#8212; a music website and promoter (and cafe, curiously) &#8212; launched in a flurry of activity including disc and live reviews as well as columns from a quartet of local Tokyo indie musicians. It was a bold move with [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/06/21/music/kiwa-kiwa-festival/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Perfume needs to walk a fine line on its path overseas</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/05/31/music/perfume-needs-to-walk-a-fine-line-on-its-path-overseas/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=perfume-needs-to-walk-a-fine-line-on-its-path-overseas</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/05/31/music/perfume-needs-to-walk-a-fine-line-on-its-path-overseas/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 31 May 2012 00:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ian Martin</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/05/31/%culture_category%/perfume-needs-to-walk-a-fine-line-on-its-path-overseas/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[As Japanese pop culture is increasingly dominated by insular subcultural groups with little interest in what&#8217;s happening outside Akihabara&#8217;s otaku haven or Shibuya&#8217;s gyaru mecca, the news that electro-pop trio Perfume had moved to major label Universal and made its music available online to overseas audiences was a breath of fresh air that gave even [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/05/31/music/perfume-needs-to-walk-a-fine-line-on-its-path-overseas/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>2NE1 &#8220;Collection&#8221;</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/04/26/music/2ne1-collection/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=2ne1-collection</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/04/26/music/2ne1-collection/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ian Martin</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/04/26/%culture_category%/2ne1-collection/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[With Korean idol groups now saturating the Japanese pop market to the extent that the initial breath of fresh air and rush of slick, electropop energy is passing, it takes a more seasoned kind of fan to differentiate between the legions of immaculately rehearsed Girls&#8217; Generation clones. But with Japan slow to respond with forward-thinking [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/04/26/music/2ne1-collection/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>A tale of two paths to indie success</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/03/29/music/a-tale-of-two-paths-to-indie-success/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=a-tale-of-two-paths-to-indie-success</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/03/29/music/a-tale-of-two-paths-to-indie-success/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 29 Mar 2012 00:00:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ian Martin</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/03/29/%culture_category%/a-tale-of-two-paths-to-indie-success/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Tokyo postpunk quartet Otori is an archetypal product of the city&#8217;s underground live-music scene. The band&#8217;s sets feature a machine-gun rattle of drums, slashes of guitar that explode in fierce climaxes, and bursts of scattershot vocals that teeter on the brink of hysteria &#8212; the kind of music that gouges tortured metaphors out of music [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/03/29/music/a-tale-of-two-paths-to-indie-success/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>capsule &#8220;Stereo Worxxx&#8221;</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/03/15/music/capsule-stereo-worxxx/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=capsule-stereo-worxxx</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/03/15/music/capsule-stereo-worxxx/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 15 Mar 2012 00:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ian Martin</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/03/15/%culture_category%/capsule-stereo-worxxx/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[While electronic duo capsule&#8217;s hit 2011 album &#8220;World of Fantasy&#8221; was undoubtedly a development of ideas introduced in earlier songs such as &#8220;The Music,&#8221; it was also a discrete (if frequently indiscreet) work in its own right: a near-concept album linked by a uniform 128 bpm tempo, a relentlessly hedonistic atmosphere and a focus on [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/03/15/music/capsule-stereo-worxxx/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>The not-so-odd coupling between noise acts and J-pop</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/02/23/music/the-not-so-odd-coupling-between-noise-acts-and-j-pop/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=the-not-so-odd-coupling-between-noise-acts-and-j-pop</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/02/23/music/the-not-so-odd-coupling-between-noise-acts-and-j-pop/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:00:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ian Martin</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/02/23/%culture_category%/the-not-so-odd-coupling-between-noise-acts-and-j-pop/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[From mod rockers The Who covering the &#8220;Batman&#8221; theme, through punk pranksters The Dickies taking on The Banana Splits, to former Megadeth shredder-in-chief Marty Friedman&#8217;s transformation into J-pop svengali, there has always been a flirtation between the fiercer and heavier outposts of music and its trashy, bubble-gum fringes. The punk cover is a staple of [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/02/23/music/the-not-so-odd-coupling-between-noise-acts-and-j-pop/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
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