Tokyo Trawler//special (vol.1): Got Faded Japan Interview

Welcome to the first edition of Tokyo Trawler//special, a new section of the blog which features extended interviews with especially productive Tokyoites, namely bloggers, podcasters, artists, musicians and other weirdos... In contrast to the regular 'Video Interviews', //special will feature an extended interview and questions about the interviewee's activities and work in Japan.

Vol. 1 features Tokyo's Got Faded Japan bloggers, 'zine producers and podcasters, Johnny and Shank. Coming from a skate and BMX background, these US natives have made it their business to dig out the weird, wonderful, and just plain f***ed up news from Japan and the rest of Asia. Never shy of a drink or two, these guys' blog, podcast and 'zine are all full of wit, fun and comment on the darker side of Japanese culture. Well worth a look. Here's the info:

Blog/Main site: www.GotFadedJapan.com
iTunes search: Got Faded Japan

Video Interviews, Ikebukuro (#10)

Tokyo Trawler Catch of the Day: Demian, USA

Artist: The Damage Manual

Tune: Sunset Gun

Record: The Damage Manual (2000)

Demian's essential rating: 5/5

Demian's Message to the People: "Check out TokyoTrawler.com, Dystopiaq.com and TokyoAnaba.com"

The Interview:

The Tokyo Trawler’s Essential Review:

"A mish-mash* of that kind of the electronic, grungy* electronic, analogue syth, digital syth with the rock", is how Demian described this song, and, despite sounding like the kind of crap* you get when you use a free internet translator, it has, upon listening to this tune, proven to be quite an accurate description*. Whilst this is certainly a 'grimy'* number, the layering* and production has the sort of precision* you might expect from something coming out of the so-called 'industrial' genre. With an utterly* infectious* guitar riff, this lyrically dark effort is the sort of song that has clearly influenced younger bands of more mainstream* backgrounds*.

Category: A frowny-faced, head-boppin' street strutter

The Tokyo Trawler's message to the people: A song only fully appreciated when playing air guitar on your spanner.

To download or not to download?? 4/5 (ESSENTIAL)
iTunes available: Yes
勉強のキーワード: mish-mash, grunge, crap, description, grimy, layer, precision, utterly, infectious (3), mainstream (2), background (3)

Sunset Gun URL:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmoVIKDlZS8

Video Interviews, AMAZING GRACE TATTOO SHOW, Ginza (#9)

Tokyo Trawler Catch of the Day: Colin, USA

Artist: Modern Life is War

Tune: I'm Not Ready

Record: Witness

Colin's essential rating: 4/5

Colin's Message to the People: "Hardcore's a family, and we need to realise that"

The Interview:

The Tokyo Trawler’s Essential Review:

"It's not for everyone". In Colin's own, honest words, this tune will never find it's way to karaoke classic status. In spite of* this, there is a certain epic* quality to the opening riff*, which wouldn't be out of place in the action scene of a war film. The building-up of this intro, however, leads us into repetition*, and the unpleasant* feeling that the pleasure* has been in the anticipation* of something great that never came. Undoubtedly* heartfelt* delivery, and a certain depth to the lyrical content are not enough to lift this song's head above the surface of the great pond of American rock mediocrity*.

Category: Keep the bathroom cabinet locked

The Tokyo Trawler's message to the people: Deep, but I ain't gonna be humming it, let alone whistling it in the park anytime soon.

To download or not to download?? 2/5 (IF YOU'RE BORED)
iTunes available: Yes
勉強のキーワード: In spite of (something), epic, riff, repetition, unpleasant, pleasure, anticipation, undoubted, heartfelt, mediocrity

I'm Not Ready URL:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sABSoZHSE8k

Video Interviews, AMAZING GRACE TATTOO SHOW, Ginza (#8)

Tokyo Trawler Catch of the Day: Mark, USA

Artist: Metallica

Tune: Harvester of Sorrow

Record: ...And Justice for All (1988)

Mark's Message to the People: "Listen to this song, it can change your life"

The Interview:

The Tokyo Trawler’s Essential Review:

Category: A frowny-faced, head boppin' street strutter

Lyrics that speak of pain, beatings*, murder and infanticide* set the precedent* for quite an aggressive atmosphere here. Add to the mix a tantalisingly* short guitar solo, and vocals that would give a chorus of your dad's entire power tool collection, your mum's Hoover* and your sister's hairdryer a run for their money*, and we have quite a powerful song. By no means* overwhelming* and actually quite listenable, this kind of song is unlikely to ever become a mainstream hit, but there will always be those with which it makes a deep impression. Cover up the name of the band, and you can find some quality musicianship* and maybe even a meaningful message.

The Tokyo Trawler's message to the people: My Grandma ain't gonna like it.

To download or not to download?? 3/5 (WORTH A LISTEN)
iTunes available: Yes
勉強のキーワード: beating, infanticide, precendent, tantalising, Hoover (vacuum cleaner), a run for (one's) money (idiom), by no means, overwhelming, musicianship

Harvester of Sorrow URL:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dhu22Iy8fGk

Video Interviews, Shibuya (#7)

Tokyo Trawler Catch of the Day: www.madyour

notme.com, USA

Artist: Drake

Tune: Houstalantavegas

Record: So Far Gone (EP)

www.madurnotme.com's essential rating: 4/5

www.madurnotme.com's Message to the People: "www.madyournotme.com"

The Interview:

The Tokyo Trawler’s Essential Review:

Category: A hump 'n' grinder

On the surface*, it sounds the same as a shoal* of other songs that have come swimming out of the US 'R'n'B' scene in the last ten years, and whilst the façade* is about as engaging* as a can of sardines*, Houstalantavegas' interior does have more to offer the listener. Lyrically, the song focuses on a somewhat mysterious female character, offering a speculative*, yet intelligent and frankly sad commentary*. However, the broad, soothing* vocals don't quite compensate for the repetitive* chorus, and whilst the midway rap bridge is a welcome intermission*, you can't help wondering just how long this guy spent trying to perfect his Kanye impression*.

The Tokyo Trawler's message to the people: Don't tell Kanye, you never know what he might do.

To download or not to download?? 2/5 (IF YOU'RE BORED)
iTunes available: Yes
勉強のキーワード: surface, shoal, façade, engaging, sardine, speculative, commentary, soothing, intermission, impression

Houstalantavegas URL:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bd7n8bjLnOM

Video Interviews, Shibuya (#6)

Tokyo Trawler Catch of the Day: Helene & Raphaelle, France

Artist: Cut Copy

Tune: Hearts on Fire (Calvin Harris Remix)

Record: Hearts on Fire (Single, 2008) [Original: In Ghost Colours, 2008]

Helene & Raphaelle's essential rating: 5/5

Helene's Message to the People: "This song makes me horny. Voilà" (English translation)

The Interview:

The Tokyo Trawler’s Essential Review:

Category: It's lucky for you there's no dancefloor here...

Not so much that it's lucky for you that there's no dancefloor, more that a dancefloor isn't even necessary for a tune like this, such is the infectiousness* of the beat. Instantly transporting* you to a Spanish island and into a smoky, strobe*-soaked* club, full of tanned 'beautiful people' doing what they do, the song starts as it means to go on*, with an exotic* drum line. Whilst this tune's fundamental* lack of originality is more than made up for* by the 'danceablilty' factor and the neat* pace changes throughout, unfortunately, it's difficult to imagine a song such as this reaching far outside it's highly specialised fanbase.

The Tokyo Trawler's message to the people: I wonder if my glowsticks still glow?

To download or not to download?? 3/5 (IT'S GOTTA BE DONE)
iTunes available: Yes
勉強のキーワード: infectiousness, to transport, strobe, to soak, to start as [one] means to go on (idiom), exotic, fundamental, to make up for [something], neat

Hearts on Fire URL:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAizl8wLxYs

Video Interviews, Shibuya (#2)

Tokyo Trawler Catch of the Day: Lloyd, Australia
Artist: Major Lazer
Tune: Pon de Floor
Record: Guns Don’t Kill People… Lazers Do

Lloyd’s Essential Rating: 5/5

Lloyd’s Message to the people: “You should download this song, because it will make you shake everything, and make you just go insane”

The Interview:



The Tokyo Trawler’s Essential Review:

Category: It’s lucky for you there’s no dancefloor

An utterly strange offering from this relatively new Jamaican outfit lives up to* Lloyd’s billing as a shake-inducer*. Unashamedly* electronic in its production, Pon de Floor is sprinkled with oddities*, including the military-inspired drum line and numerous lilty Jamaican outbursts*; and whereas in some cases this apparent mismatch could alienate* the listener, it is an inexplicable* success on this song. Simple but not hollow*, infectious but not irritating, the song has few lyrics, and actually becomes both more catchy and more interesting with each listen. Despite a rather abrupt* ending, it’s definite contender* for the last song you play at home before hittin’ de club.

The Tokyo Trawler's message to the people: If you think the song is weird, Youtube the video… IT’S MENTAL!!



To download or not to download?? 3/5 (IT’S GOTTA BE DONE)
iTunes available: Yes
勉強のキーワード: to live up to, to induce, unashamedly, oddity, outburst, alienate, inexplicable, hollow, contender, abrupt

Video Interviews, Shibuya (#1)

Tokyo Trawler Catch of the Day: Cornelius, USA
Artist: Mogwai
Tune: I am Jim Morrison, I am Dead
Record: The Hawk is Howling (2008)

Cornelius’ Essential Rating: 10/5

Cornelius’ Message to the people: “People in Tokyo need it, it helps them get up in the morning, gets them moving…This song kinda reminds me of Tokyo sometimes”

The Interview:



The Tokyo Trawler’s Essential Review:

Category: A deep-thinker/Twilight zoner

A long movie is not always an epic*. Often the storyline is loose, there are too many sub-plots, too many characters, repetition and sometimes, plainly, it’s just too damn long. If this wordless 6-minute effort were a movie, I’m pretty sure it’d go down in history as an epic. Deep, haunting layered instrumental textures* mean that much like an epic movie with its cinematography, every time you listen there’s another beautiful part you’d never noticed before. Somehow woven* together with clear direction, these parts come together to form an image of a stunning*, yet entirely bleak* landscape perhaps reminiscent* of the band’s Scottish homeland.

The Tokyo Trawler's message to the people: The most organic* song I’ve ever listened to in so many ways. Save that money you were gonna spend on a trip to the highlands, and download this.

To download or not to download?? 4/5 (ESSENTIAL)
iTunes available: Yes
勉強のキーワード: epic, texture, woven (to weave), stunning, bleak, reminiscent, organic

Incoming Videos

THIS WEEK - two brand new video interviews taken from our recent adventure in Shibuya, featuring Cornelius from the USA, and Lloyd from Australia; uploaded and reviewed by the Tokyo Trawler.

Check back later this week for Tokyo's essential music.

Upcoming Interview Videos....

Thanks to all who took part in our video interviews whilst we were trawling Shibuya the other day, you were all fantastic and really gave us some great laughs and some sweet tunes to think about...

The editing process is underway, courtesy of Dayne at WildcardLab (www.wildcardlab.com), and the videos will be uploaded here soon, so please continue to check back, and tell all your friends!

The Tokyo Trawler