Review: After Hours provides powerful rock and a strong statement of intent
"Standing against those that ruin art," was the tagline for the After Hours festival, which took place across four venues in Shibuya on April 9. The sponsor-free event, curated by the bands Mono, Downy and Envy, featured more than 30 artists from a wide ...
Envy, Mono and Downy devise a dream lineup for After Hours music festival
It's no secret that the Japanese music industry has a hollowing-out problem; you are either a pop act on a major label with high levels of exposure or an obscure underground act for whom not losing money on a show is a major success. ...
LLLL, Envy, Taka Goto and Mr. Children albums among best of the year so far
With the arrival of Line Music this month, and the possible arrivals of Spotify and Apple Music on the horizon, Japan's powerful CD industry could see some arguably necessary shakeups. Up until now, though, 2015 has been much the same in terms of sales. Idol ...
Envy makes a return after five years with new album 'Atheist's Cornea'
The 20-year career of Envy went nothing like what a band out of Japan's hardcore scene would have expected. The members never predicted chumming around with Scottish postrock act Mogwai, or landing a track in a Shiseido cosmetics commercial. And two decades later, on ...
Mono's dual album release shows dark and light sides to the band
On the 2012 album "For My Parents," instrumental rock band Mono went big. Recorded with the 25-piece Wordless Music Orchestra, the album reflected a band that had finally completed a musical journey that it started more than 15 years ago performing grandiose, symphonic instrumental ...
