In a music scene where the border between underground and mainstream can be incredibly difficult to traverse, it's not surprising that many bands trapped in the indie-sphere bemoan their lot.
What you hear less of is how that sense of exclusion, fostered by a cultural divide between major and minor, can affect musicians in the other direction as well.
"Some indie record shop buyers told us, 'You guys are too pop to sell in this store,' " says musician Noriyo Hotta. "But we don't fit the major side of the music industry either. We might exist somewhere in both major and indie . . . or maybe not in either."