Music Topics

Dustin Wong's loops reach an 'Ecstatic' finale

Aug 21, 2013

Dustin Wong's loops reach an 'Ecstatic' finale

by James Hadfield

Using just his six-string and a set of effect pedals, Tokyo-based guitarist Dustin Wong creates blissful symphonies of chirps and cascading arpeggios, shot through with searing leads and throbbing bass pulses. At times they recall the exuberant psychedelia of Animal Collective or the heady ...

One Direction film premiere hits London

Aug 21, 2013

One Direction film premiere hits London

by Robin Millard

Thousands of screaming teenage girls swamped London’s Leicester Square on Tuesday as British boy band One Direction launched their first film with a glitzy red carpet premiere. Fans have camped out since Sunday to secure prime spots, hoping to catch a glimpse of the ...

Umez label is good news for noise-pop

Aug 21, 2013

Umez label is good news for noise-pop

by Ian Martin

“Those voices makes me vomit! Too many people in one band is no good. It’s kind of scary. I feel like I’m suffering from car sickness all the time.” Sachiko Fukuda from noise-pop duo Umez is not a fan of AKB48. That didn’t stop ...

Hard rock, J-pop rule Summer Sonic

Aug 14, 2013

Hard rock, J-pop rule Summer Sonic

by Patrick ST. Michel

Veteran Japanese rockers Mr. Children attracted so many fans to this year’s edition of the Summer Sonic music festival that they made Smashing Pumpkins’ frontman Billy Corgan upset. “Thank-you for the warm reception,” he said sarcastically in Osaka on Saturday, in response to the ...

Bieber's monkey keeps Billboard editor on pitch

Aug 14, 2013

Bieber's monkey keeps Billboard editor on pitch

by Patrick Cole

In a typical day, Bill Werde ponders everything from Justin Bieber’s pot smoking to Robin Thicke’s topless women, with hundreds of ear-worms along the way. The editorial director of Billboard.com joined the company in 2005 and rose quickly to oversee one of the most-visited ...

Namie Amuro 'Feel'

Aug 14, 2013

Namie Amuro "Feel"

by Patrick ST. Michel

The age of the J-pop diva has long passed, those halcyon days of Whitney Houston-inspired vocals and million-unit-moving singles. The female entertainers from this period have recently coped by embracing American trends. Kumi Koda struck Oricon Single Chart gold last year with “Go To ...

Smany 'komoriuta'

Aug 14, 2013

Smany "komoriuta"

by Patrick ST. Michel

Netlabel culture in Japan — referring to Web-only music labels that distribute tunes online, usually for free — has been around long enough to develop its own set of minor celebrities and “star” imprints. Bunkai-Kei has become one of the most popular of these ...

Marr's new message

Aug 8, 2013

Marr's new message

by Shaun Curran

“What I’ve done is revert to type. I’ve gone back to my nature.” It has taken 26 years, but Johnny Marr is finally ready to embrace his past. It is a legacy of immense weight: The five years he spent as guitarist and co-songwriter ...

Cyndi Lauper is having a great year

Aug 7, 2013

Cyndi Lauper is having a great year

by Jason Richards

Cyndi Lauper is at a loss for words. The musical icon, who turned 60 in June, has just been faced with the suggestion that her career is now hotter than it’s ever been. “I don’t know …” she says in her thick Queens, New ...