The things I first heard about Marble Sheep really sounded baaad, and I don't mean BAD in an irreverently cool Iggy Pop or Keith Richards kind of way.
"Check it out," said the record company dude before blabbing on about things like "quality musicianship . . . intricate and immense guitar solos . . . songs that last more than six minutes." It seemed like they had no place in a column devoted to drawing your attention to the best of Japan's dirtiest and noisiest underground rock 'n' roll bands. I mean, on the press handout they're even described as sounding like Grateful Dead. Give me a plastic bucket, please! And they've been going since 1983. "It's better to burn out than fade away" is the last thing you're likely to hear from Marble Sheep's singer and lead guitarist Ken Matsutani.
Worse still, when I was introduced to Matsutani, he had the worst haircut in rock 'n' roll history. Like a big tumbleweed glued to his skull. And he looks over 40! This is not The Strokes!