Be Indie! Be Avant!

Date: 12/29/06
Writer: Wonsan Underground


What a year it has been for the avant-garde scene. There were a number of releases from some of the biggest names in the avant-garde scene and a lot of shows, especially in the US. OOIOO, Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting UFO Paraiso, Boredoms, Ruins, and many more were some of the bands who contributed greatly to the scene this year.

First up is Zazen Boys, the Indie darlings of Japan fronted by Mukai Shutoku. This year marked their third studio album in two years! This crazy math rock band went experimental in Zazen Boys III. "Friday Night", the hit song off the album, uses a keyboard and some of the craziest guitar work I’ve ever heard! Much of the album is filled with this crazy guitar work and Mukai Shutoku’s harsh vocals. Obviously Number Girl is far away in his memory.

Then there’s OOIOO, by far this year’s most successful band in the US. They released their fifth album, "Taiga", off of Thrill Jockey Records, one of the biggest Indie labels around. "Taiga" was a return to the old. After two somewhat disappointing albums, OOIOO came back to what made "Feather Float" a beautiful album. Going a bit more tribal on this one, it was definitely a success that pleased many fans, including me, and saw "Taiga" get nominated for best avant album of the year at the 2007 PLUG Awards (The Indie equivalent to the Grammy’s).

But don’t count out Acid Mothers Temple. Their first battle formation, Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting UFO Paraiso released their third album: "Have You Seen the Other Side of the Sky?" It is a nice work of psychedelic guitars with songs that seem to go on forever. Perfect for getting high (I don’t do that stuff, but you might). How can I forget Polysics? Sure they’re not Indie in Japan, but they are in the US. "Now Is The Time" saw a US release from Tofu and a large North America tour to come. Plus they put out some hot singles like "Electric Surfin’ Go Go" and received good reviews from the American press.

Japan’s premiere reggae/experimental band, bonobos released a new DVD and single, "Standing There". It is a nice soft tune that uses brass and has a very jazzy feel. Then there’s Rovo, formed by ex-Boredoms guitarist Seiichi Yamamoto, who released their new album, Condor. It has a very Super Boredoms feel to it. It leads you to a nice psychedelic trance and utilizes numerous instruments.

Concert wise... WHAT A WONDERFUL YEAR!!! There was the Japanese New Music Festival, a long US tour of three guys and five bands!!! Including Ruins Alone and Acid Mothers Temple SWR and one of the most avant-garde bands I’ve ever heard in my life, Akaten. Then there were good old Boredoms. The most popular Japanese band ever to hit these shores did a large tour of the US and Europe. Yamatsuka Eye did his crazy magic, conducting the drummers and bringing out light bulbs along with his psychedelic trance beats. Not to mention getting his artwork getting put up at the MoMA.

This year was the avant year. Many big name Indie bands brought out very experimental work, and many old well-known bands came back out to make some good *bleep*. The US got a good taste of what sort of craziness is coming out of Japan. Only time will tell if these bands will get their videos put on Fuse (MTV should be change to STV (*bleep* Television)) or something like that. Thank you 2006, we’ll miss you. Hello 2007, we hope for the best in Indie rock!

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