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May 16, 2024
 

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HIGH NOTES

CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Jan 16, 2002
Akira Sakata: 'Fisherman.com'
From the anachronistic contrast inherent in the name to the elaborately designed gatefold cover, it is clear on first glance that Akira Sakata's latest release, "Fisherman.com," offers something out of the ordinary. A quick perusal of the credits confirms the suspicion. The legendary Bill Laswell --...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Jan 16, 2002
The Charlatans
I magine if Oasis singer Liam Gallagher suddenly dropped his cod-punk-rock snarl and started singing like a young Michael Jackson. He'd be laughed off the charts and forced to take an early retirement. No matter how good the songs.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Jan 9, 2002
Le Tigre: 'Feminist Sweepstakes'
Mixing music and politics can yield uncertain results. In the hands of some artists, this volatile concoction can move the masses (John Lennon, Public Enemy, U2), while in the hands of others, it can come off as merely preachy and annoying (Consolidated, Disposable Heroes of HipHoprisy, U2). On "Feminist...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Jan 9, 2002
metalwood: 'the recline'
Every self-respecting Canadian jazz enthusiast should have metalwood's latest on their shelf. How many jazz bands can Canada claim, after all? Clearly, not enough. But all that joking about the frozen northern land should melt under the heat of "the recline," on which metalwood takes a sophisticated...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Jan 9, 2002
Alec Empire
Alec Empire is a terrorist, let there be no question about that. Slide one of his records onto your grandmother's gramophone while she's making a cup of tea and then, on lowering the needle, watch her writhe in agony until she can take no more and commits seppuku with a knitting needle. Then again kids,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Jan 9, 2002
Basement Jaxx
What most people respond to when they first hear Basement Jaxx aren't so much the recognizable references -- the Prince and P-Funk nods, the Latin rhythms, the beats-per-minute rules of late-'80s house music -- but the even more basic stuff, like song structure. Even if you're a champion of electronica...
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Dec 26, 2001
Bireli Lagrene: 'Gipsy Project'
When Bireli Lagrene burst onto the scene at the age of 13, many felt he was the reincarnation of Django Reinhardt, the famed Gypsy jazz guitarist.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Dec 26, 2001
'Jazzin' ' with UFO
It is a rare trick to be both popular and cutting-edge, a trick that the DJ unit United Future Organization has pulled off with aplomb. In the quicksilver world of club music, it is even more unusual for a dance event to last one year, much less ten. "Jazzin' " celebrates its 10th anniversary this month...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Dec 26, 2001
Nathaniel Merriweather: 'Lovage'
Makeout music is as old as the phonograph (older, if you believe that Bach really wrote the "Goldberg Variations" to help Herr Goldberg get Frau Goldberg in the mood), but Barry White was the first recording artist who made a conscious effort to emphasize only those musical and lyrical elements that...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Dec 26, 2001
Tuesday Weld: 'At the House of Clerkenwell Kid'
For film buffs, the name Tuesday Weld evokes memories of the blonde bombshell who starred in 1960s and '70s films like "Sex Kittens Go to College," "Pretty Poison" and "I Walk the Line." Stephen Coates, aka (The real) Tuesday Weld, must have been a fan. His music encapsulates her work: sumptuous and...
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Dec 19, 2001
Asylum Street Spankers: Live in Europe 2001 & A Christmas Spanking
...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Dec 12, 2001
The Silver Jews: 'Bright Flight'
David Berman's band suffers from an image problem. People are confused by the name, The Silver Jews (a reference to The Silver Apples and slang for Jewish people with blonde hair). Moreover, the music press seems convinced that they're a side project of influential indie-rockers, Pavement. True, Berman...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Dec 12, 2001
Sloan
Like a lot of indie guitar bands, the Halifax, Nova Scotia quartet Sloan regard rabid rock fandom with a certain degree of ambivalence. Unlike a lot of indie guitar bands, however, Sloan itself enjoys the attention of a sizable Tiger Beat-like international cult. They show how they deal psychologically...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Dec 12, 2001
The Warm Inventions: 'Bavarian Fruit Bread'
The late, lamented Mazzy Star was -- like all quiet rock bands -- a classic case of "love 'em or hate 'em." They never seemed to be having a good time on stage or on record (a song called "happy" being particularly ironic), they loathed stardom and media attention, and it seemed all they could do was...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Dec 12, 2001
The Park Tower Blues Festival
Heaping portions of soul-satisfying blues are served up in Tokyo only twice a year -- once in May, at the Blues Festival at the Hibiya Park Open Air Amphitheater, and then in December at the Park Tower Blues Festival at the top of Shinjuku's Park Tower Hotel complex. The latter event is coming up this...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Dec 5, 2001
Bulgarian Voices
It is difficult to fathom the sensation caused by the Bulgarian folk song collection "Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares" when it was first released in 1986. At that time, world music was still the realm of ethnomusicologists and geeks. Then, suddenly, black-clad hipsters were sandwiching their Sonic Youth...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Dec 5, 2001
Clive Gregson
The fickle finger of fashion has confounded more than a few artists who lack confidence in what they're doing. For some, however, it can be an elevating challenge.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Dec 5, 2001
Freddy Cole
Most performers would be more than happy to ride on the coattails of a famous sibling, but not Freddy Cole. The title of his 1990 release, "I'm Not My Brother, I'm Me!" clearly states his need to distance himself from older sibling Nat King Cole, one of the most important and most successful jazz vocal...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Dec 5, 2001
Five Deez: 'Koolmotor'
Anyone tired of hip-hop's "gangstafication" has had it rough at the record store this year. It seemed the age of slick jazz samples, mellow vibes and higher-mindedness had all but drowned in (or become inebriated on) the 40-ounce bottle of thug-rap.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Nov 28, 2001
William Cepeda: 'Branching Out/Expandiendo Raices'
William Cepeda plays dynamic Latin jazz that combines the vibrant rhythm of the rich musical legacy of his homeland, Puerto Rico, with the sophisticated jazz melodies of the United States.
Japanese stripper bids to have her porn movies taken off internet
Plaintiff Miyuki Ariga (left) speaks at a news conference along with her lawyer, Yoshitomo Morohashi, after filing a lawsuit at the Tokyo District Court on Monday.
In Japan, 68,000 people over 65 projected to die alone at home this year
As Japan grapples with its population's rapid aging, supporting people who live and age alone is looming larger on the policy agenda.
Kishida defends planned rule to revoke foreigners' residency
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a meeting of the Lower House Judicial Affairs Committee on Wednesday.
Japan concerned over U.S. officials' remarks on atomic bombings
U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham speaks to reporters during a news conference in Washington on Thursday.
Was Onosato's defeat of Terunofuji an era-defining bout?
Onosato (right) defeats Terunofuji at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo on May 12. While nothing in sumo is guaranteed, it seems almost inevitable that Onosato is destined for the top of the sport's pyramid.
Japanese rap creates its mecca in Pop Yours
Tokyo-based artist Jumadiba says he forgoes the label of simply “rap” for his music because the Japanese rap scene isn’t confined to a particular sound.
Who’s toughest on China? Biden’s tariff tactic ups ante as election looms.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about new actions to protect American workers and businesses from China's "unfair" trade practices, in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington on Tuesday.
Was Onosato's defeat of Terunofuji an era-defining bout?
Onosato (right) defeats Terunofuji at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo on May 12. While nothing in sumo is guaranteed, it seems almost inevitable that Onosato is destined for the top of the sport's pyramid.
Ishin struggles to set itself apart from other parties
Nippon Ishin no Kai Secretary-General Fumitake Fujita (right) speaks beside Yui Kanazawa, the party's candidate in the Tokyo 15th district by-election on April 28. Nippon Ishin lost in this by-election as well as another in Nagasaki held on the same day.
In Japan, 68,000 people over 65 projected to die alone at home this year
As Japan grapples with its population's rapid aging, supporting people who live and age alone is looming larger on the policy agenda.

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