Music | Fuji Rock 2013 Jul 25, 2013

Storify: Fuji Rock Festival 2013

The Fuji Rock Festival's pre-show matsuri kicked off tonight. Over the next three days, we'll be curating the related tweets and images coming from social media.

Music May 9, 2013

Bugg scores with working-class familiarities

by Shaun Curran

“I hadn’t been anywhere before last year, I’d hardly left England. And now I’m going to Japan. I never thought I’d be going to a place like that. I think it is going to blow my mind.” Jake Bugg is getting used to going ...

Music Apr 18, 2013

Extruders have a rock epiphany

by Ian Martin

“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.” Going back to at least when Paul the Apostle saw the light ...

Music Mar 28, 2013

Japanese acts play music ambassadors at Canadian Music Week

by Shaun Mckenna

After rock group Jake Stone Garage hit the final chord of one of their powerful guitar-heavy songs, the crowd let out a few hoots and applauded politely. For a Western band this may have seemed a bit unreceptive, but luckily Jake Stone Garage are ...

Music | BEST-SELLER Jan 23, 2013

“Mr. Children 2005-2010 <macro>”

by Patrick ST. Michel

My Japan Times colleague Ian Martin nailed the state of Japanese pop music when he wrote that it was “clinging on to the hoary old remains of the past.” The Oricon Chart’s top albums of 2012 list was dominated by “Best Of” compilations, with ...

Music Jan 23, 2013

Alabama Shakes tap the roots of Southern blues-rock

by Shaun Curran

Here’s a question: what do Russell Crowe, Robert Plant, Jack White and David Byrne all have in common? Incredible talent, fame and money is the obvious response, but the answer is that all four count themselves as part of the growing legion of Alabama ...