Very Flute stuff
Confirmed Bachelors: the dramedy hit of 1883...
Thanks, by having a closer look that's is noticed in the vids header too. Stupid me!
Sense of Wonder are a very mixed bad between ELP like bombast Prog and almost Schlager like terrible stuff. Shingetsu are awesome very elegant Prog delight.
Picaresque of Bremen are very peculiar, between great and awful. Horrendous production on the other hand really unusual. (I know you don't like them)
I only have the official, eponymous Victor-label album from Shingetsu, but it’s one of the best albums from Japan in its genre. Often written off as a “Genesis clone,” I actually hear a lot of refined Italian prog influence, that runs a lot deeper than many other fellow countrymen. There seems to be an album of early recordings under the name Serenade, among other archival stuff.
I’m with you on Sense of Wonder/Hiroyuki Namba. The playing chops are there, the compositions frequently leave a lot to be desired.
Confirmed Bachelors: the dramedy hit of 1883...
There are a lot of connected recordings. There is a box set (5 CD + DVD) which would set you back by several hundred bucks.
There where some more recent archival releases, most noticeable a reconstruction of what was going to be album no. 2 "From A Distant Star" which I think was rerecorded in part in 2005.
The two long tracks on this (which you may have heard on their live albums), Voyage for Killing Love Part 1 and Part 2 and Red Eyes on the Mirror are even better than the official album.
They are far away from being a Genesis clone, they have a great quality on their own.
Asturias has a new one out. It's called "Across the Ridge to Heaven".
Kept meaning to get some Shingetsu. Thanks for the reminder, guys.
Also, just a few days ago I managed to get a physical copy of Tipographica's Floating Opera, and holy cow -- that disc is great! I think it's actually better than God Says I Can't Dance, and that's saying something!
This is one of the shortest previews I've seen: for the new, 5th album of Lu7, coming this Winter:
And a reminder of their fourth album on https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgJ...LUgqhhMSo8WGoQ
the new one sounds like they are trying to stretch out a bit from their usual excellent sound... I'm psyched to hear it!
Why is it whenever someone mentions an artist that was clearly progressive (yet not the Symph weenie definition of Prog) do certain people feel compelled to snort "thats not Prog" like a whiny 5th grader?
Floating wipes out middlegrounds between Zappa, Squarepusher and Dog knows what. From what I've heard, Tsuneo Imahori basically disbanded Tipographica on the pure strength of this final statement by acknowledging that he wouldn't be able to outdo it. Amazing how shit like this is even possible to perform in "organic" manner. Still, it's also their most difficult listen - IF you are to discover its myriad of secrets.
"Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
"[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM
Japanese Rock Is Rock
Japanese Prog Is Prog
“Pleasure and pain can be experienced simultaneously,” she said, gently massaging my back as we listened to her Coldplay CD.
But Japanese Dog wearing Clog sips Egg-Nog'n'eats Leg-of-Frog while posting on Prog-Blog in the city Smog.
"Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
"[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM
yes, there's no other word to describe this except "incredible". In all aspects, performing, arranging, composing. I think I prefer the debut, but maybe because of its higher accessibility. God Says...is so dense that I take in doses, even the infamous head-pan cannot help here.
Floating Opera I don't know at all. It gets the highest rating in PA so probably it's the worst of the three.
I cannot but single out in this maelstrom of complex arrangements Imahori's guitar playing. This is the exact guitar sound that seduces my prog-worm.
What a great journey from Wowie Zowie to Tipographica!
While I'm certainly no particular fan of Jap "symphonic" rock, Mugen-offshoot Ie Rai Shan made one sole s/t album (1994) which IMO sits better than the "motherband". Of recent Japs in that direction, Interpose might do the job.
The single finest Jap "symph" endeavour of all time, to my ears at least - was Mr. Sirius' Dirge from 1990.
"Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
"[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM
Have faith and thou shalt have fate: http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Pr...-spc-3625.aspx
Uncle S. was wise enough to see the hotcake potential. As usual.
"Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
"[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM
I am a fan of much of Japanese 80s Symphonic Prog-Rock. If you don't have it yet, you should track down a v/a CD called Prospective Faces II, containing bands which mostly did not release full albums.
https://rateyourmusic.com/release/al...tive_faces_ii/
I think it's one of the best from the Japanese Prog-Rock scene of the time, and if you like Mugen, I'd expect that you should like it also. I don't know if any samples are on the Web, and it may be hard to find, but it's well worth the effort, imo.
A couple others that I haven't played in yonks, so preview them before purchase, but may scratch your Mugen itch are:
Magdalena -s/t
https://www.discogs.com/Magdalena-Ma.../master/570061
and
August
https://www.discogs.com/August-8%E6%...elease/6628917
I don't find either to be as good as Mugen, but iirc they're ploughing a similar field. Ymmv.
EDIT: I listened to some of the Magdalena album on YouTube. Not much like Mugen, so disregard that rec.
Last edited by moecurlythanu; 01-19-2019 at 11:55 AM.
Some Japanese CDs.
https://rateyourmusic.com/label/made_in_japan_records/
my top Japanese Prog albums:
Asturias Missing Piece of My Life
KBB Four Corner's Sky
Asturias Fractals
KBB Lost and Found
Kenso II
Asturias Circle in the Forest
Asturias Elementals
Asturias At the Edge of the World
Asturias Across the Ridge to Heaven
Happy Family Toscco
Mongol Doppler 444
Pochakaite Malko Laya
Sakuraba, Motoi Gikyokuonsou
Sakuraba, Motoi Beyond the Beyond
Sakuraba, Motoi Shining the Holy Ark
Sakuraba, Motoi Force of Light
Watanabe, Kazumi Spice of Life
Watanabe, Kazumi Spice of Life Too
Yamashta's East Wind, Stomu Freedom is Frightening
Ain Soph Marine Menagerie
Asturias Brilliant Streams
ExhiVision Overexposure
Fragile Fragile
Happy Family Happy Family
Head Pop Up Tokusen Burari tabi
Imada, Masaru / Trio + 2 Green Caterpillar
Kenso Kenso (aka III)
Kitajima, Osamu Masterless Samurai
Pochakaite Malko Pochakaite Malko
Sakurai, Tetsuo Gentle Hearts
Stella Lee Jones Escape from Reality
there are more really good Japanese Prog albums, but these are the top tier for me
Why is it whenever someone mentions an artist that was clearly progressive (yet not the Symph weenie definition of Prog) do certain people feel compelled to snort "thats not Prog" like a whiny 5th grader?
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