Daniel Robson - The Japan Times

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Daniel Robson

Daniel Robson, a British journalist based in Tokyo since 2006, is a features editor and writer at The Japan Times. He also writes freelance about music, videogames and Japanese pop culture for other publications around the world.

For Daniel Robson's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Sep 11, 2009

Back from extinction

Few rock bands in Japan are as legendary as Unicorn. From their inception in 1986 at the height of Japan's "band boom," which saw the balance of chart power shift from idoru (idol) pop to real bands, through to their split in 1993 and subsequent reunion this year, the Hiroshima five-piece have left a weighty footprint.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Sep 4, 2009

Tigarah "The Funkeira goes BANG!"

When Japanese emcee Tigarah emerged in 2006, she shouldered great expectations. Her gritty Brazilian baile-funk party sound, created together with a Swiss-German producer she met on one of many inspiring trips to Sao Paolo, had her labeled "the Japanese M.I.A.," and she built up a firm following with a handmade demo CD sold online. A major-label deal quickly followed, but debut album "Revolution" never emerged, held up by label restructuring and then scrapped altogether.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Aug 21, 2009

As a critic, it's easy to bemoan a festival that invites a similar lineup of acts year on year, as does Yokohama's annual leftfield electronica romp Wire. But critics don't usually buy tickets to festivals (free passes are one of the perks of the job), so frankly, who cares what we think? If the punters weren't happy, it wouldn't sell; and since Wire, now in its 11th year, is usually packed, one must assume its cohesive bill and party atmosphere are enough to ensure the return of revellers and artists alike.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Aug 21, 2009

Honey Sac "Allege"

Sac are a hard sell. On the one hand, the band of five girls from Osaka make anime-ready guitar music that has been shaped and moulded into the most commercial of packages. And yet . . . there's something curious about them.

CULTURE / Music

Aug 14, 2009

The Boom Boom beat goes on

Thanks to their jaw-dropping live act and the danceable nature of their techno-rock tunes, Boom Boom Satellites are one of Japan's top festival draws. Having already headlined the second stage at Fuji Rock in 2007 and with a clutch of foreign festival appearances under their belt, this year the band played high on the main-stage bill at Summer Sonic — their fourth appearance at the event.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Aug 7, 2009

The line between alt-country and just plain country music can be a thin one. And while Jenny Lewis' vocal and guitar duties in ice-cool Las Vegas indie band Rilo Kiley might cause her to be labeled the former, there's really very little difference between the aching sentiment of her two recent solo albums and that of country icons such as Hank Williams or Emmylou Harris.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Jul 31, 2009

Bugy Craxone "Cheeseburgers Diary"

Bugy Craxone, whose name is a twisted mash-up of the English words blue, easy and klaxon, formed in Sapporo in 1997, relocating a year later to Tokyo. Their pop-infused, female-fronted hardcore sound won them a deal with Victor Entertainment within a year; but whereas many Japanese rock bands start out on an indie before joining a major to make progressively bland and commercial albums, Bugy Craxone did the opposite, parting with Victor in 2003 after four releases, ditching the studio sheen and bashing out four far more aggressive albums on an indie.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Jul 24, 2009

Kimura Kaela "Hocus Pocus"

Is Kimura Kaela trying to bag Harry Potter as a boyfriend? First she dresses up as a pixie for the sleeve of 2006's single "Magic Music"; then a year later she names a single after Samantha Stephens, the foxy sorceress from American sitcom "Bewitched"; and now this, her fifth album, bears the name "Hocus Pocus." Bono got an honorary degree last year from Keio University; Kimura must be hoping to get hers from Hogwarts.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Jul 3, 2009

Yes, Jitterin'Jinn are still going.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Jun 12, 2009

Sonic after three decades of Youth

There's an old punk maxim that you should never trust anyone over 30. And yet as Sonic Youth rapidly approach the big three-oh, their music is on an upward curve.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

May 22, 2009

Hard rockers Detroit7 return with dirty tales

'In Croatia, we played in a huge club and we were the only band, but around 200 people came along to see us and went totally crazy. Everybody there loves alcohol, and so the toilets were filthy!" laughs Miyoko Yamaguchi, drummer with garage-rock band Detroit7. "The toilets around Europe were all dirty. I think if we're talking about Europe, the toilets will come up a lot . . . "

CULTURE / Music

May 8, 2009

mi-gu "pulling from above"

While the sentence "I'm a fan of the solo albums by the drummer from left-field Japanese electronica artist Cornelius' live backing band" might come across as almost artfully pretentious, mi-gu's third album of unconventional studio-play is actually her most accessible to date.

CULTURE / Music

Apr 10, 2009

Utada "This is the One"

While Hikaru Utada boasts the No. 1, 4 and 8 biggest-selling albums in Japanese history, and despite her New York upbringing and strong English, her 2004 stab at Western success fell embarrassingly flat. That album, "Exodus," was a flawed masterpiece — sonically original, but too left-field, moody and haphazard to dent the U.S. charts.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Apr 10, 2009

Utada "This is the One"

While Hikaru Utada boasts the No. 1, 4 and 8 biggest-selling albums in Japanese history, and despite her New York upbringing and strong English, her 2004 stab at Western success fell embarrassingly flat. That album, "Exodus," was a flawed masterpiece — sonically original, but too left-field, moody and haphazard to dent the U.S. charts.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Mar 20, 2009

"Judy and Mary 15th Anniversary Tribute Album"

If ever a pop group deserved a tribute, it's Judy and Mary. Somehow managing to pull off the rare feat of being both chart-friendly and terrifyingly talented, between 1993 and 2001 the band (none of whom were called Judy or Mary) birthed hit after guitar-pop hit, each as amazing as the last. This lends itself well to reinterpretation, but beware: This tribute CD is a mixed bag.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Feb 20, 2009

The "Scott Murphy Meets Oreskaband" tour

In a spirit of colorful collaboration, ska popstrels Oreskaband have teamed up with Scott Murphy, the Chicago punk-pop solo artist who has been making waves in Japan recently with his albums of J-pop covers. Since Murphy's regular touring band includes members of Polysics, Ellegarden and B-Dash, Oreskaband's lighter, poppier style will make for an interesting backing on their forthcoming joint tour.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY

Feb 14, 2009

Painting pictures from an artistic lyrical palette

As a narrative goes, lyricist Chris Mosdell's story is anything but a straightforward one.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Feb 6, 2009

Primary approach adds up for GO!GO!7188

"Last year we toured Japan with bands such as Mongol800, and while we were messing around with the other bands on stage, we came to rediscover how much fun it is to just make a noise," says Akiko Noma, better known as Akko, bassist with off-kilter rock band GO!GO!7188.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Jan 30, 2009

Yamagata paints a broken heart

I 've never met Rachael Yamagata, nor spoken to her or even e-mailed her before. Yet here I am, on a long-distance phone call, asking her about her love life.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Jan 23, 2009

When the hype machine in their native Britain sent newcomers The Ting Tings into overdrive in 2008, the Manchester duo had one advantage over other acts garnering similar column inches: The Ting Tings were actually good.

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.

[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.

The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores

By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Vol. 34: Tokyo, a vanguard city for sustainability

Vol. 34: Tokyo, a vanguard city for sustainability

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