Archive for February, 2006

Estradasphere – Meteorite Showers

Wednesday, February 8th, 2006

estradasphere, buck fever, it's understood, quadropus, genre soup

Artist: Estradasphere
Song: Meteorite Showers
From album: Buck Fever
Genre: Jigsaw Jazz
[DL from itunes][Buy CD][Site]

Estradasphere, (named after the Estrada of course!) has the power to dump buckets full of genres into a blender, and pour out completely talented and marvelous songs. Their works include and combine styles like balkan gypsy, r&b, blackmetal, bluegrass, surf-rock, jazz, world, swing, doo wop, and a lot more, there’s even some guided meditation parody!

It’s really rather hard to sum up these guys, each song is a new discovery. It’s something like living in a television set on scan where you’re just walking along enjoying yourself, and every-so-often your clothes and surroundings and storylines completely change out of almost nowhere. *Click* You’re a hard boiled detective with a bum ticker, trudging through rainy nights to track down the hood that knocked off your Jane, *Click* You’re sweet 16 again, in soft-focus at the shake & burger joint, locking braces with Betty Lou’s bubblegum smile, *Click* You’re in SoCal riding the totally most gnarly wave of your surfing career, *Click* You’re black-tie waltzing atop the Eiffel Tower, *Click* You’re on the moon…..

It’s impossible to pick a song that really sums them up out of 3 great and varied albums, but this one should give you a little taste of the sometimes bizarre mixtures they can concoct. If you like what you hear even a little bit, I recommend checking out their soundbites section which will give you an even more delicious taste.

Eksperimentoj – Solaris (Japan)

Monday, February 6th, 2006

downy; eksperimentoj; aoki robin; dhal

Artist: Eksperimentoj
Song: Solaris
From album: Compilation “Class – Plan B”
Genre: Stormy Nightrock
[Buy this album][Site]

Eksperimentoj is a new project that brandishes the marvelous vocalist, Eugene Wakamikoto. And how can you not love a Japanese band with an Esperanto name?! I guess no one here went to their show on Sunday, but I thought I might as well post the only song I have of theirs, it’s from this compilation, and it’s good. I’m very much looking forward to what these guys have in store.

I can’t help but imagine this song as a nighttime storm out at sea. Rather, it’s being played from high in a tumultuous sky, in the eye of the tempest. It’s the sound of watching the ocean swells and breaks, the churn and the boil. It starts as just a minor undulation in black and white, growing as tenebrous clouds gather and whirl. Soon it’s an outpouring of nature’s emotion from the depths of her murky stomach. It rushes and rolls, out there in that tarry blackness; that endless void that’s so alone but so deadly real.

Anyone in Shibuya??

Saturday, February 4th, 2006

This is a quick little cry for help.

If anyone who is reading this is going to be in Shibuya “today” Sunday February 5th, and is planning to go to the Eksperimentoj show at Yaneura, would you mind buying their cd for me, which is only sold at their shows apparently?!? I will not only appreciate it very much, I WILL PAY YOU BACK! Via paypal or whatever right away. Please let me know!

So you want to learn Japanese? Part 1: Kanji

Thursday, February 2nd, 2006

  learn kanji; learn japanese; remembering the kanji; james heisig


I was inspired to write this article by a post on Watashi to Tokyo. I don’t know how many people that come to red-ruin.info have a real interest in learning Japanese, but if you want to know the little secrets I have discovered in my studies over several years, then by all means, come on down.
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Sleepy.Ab – Traveling Fair (Japan)

Thursday, February 2nd, 2006

japanese indie, sleepy.ab, traveling fair

Artist: Sleepy.Ab
Song: Traveling Fair
From album: Traveling Fair
Genre: Indiesilk Wanderweb
[Buy this album][Site]

Sleepy.Ab make songs from blends of common elements that end up rather hard to classify. In a given song they can be anywhere from singer-songwriter-esque acoustic, to a mellow indie-gaze-tronica with splashes of recorded sound. The vocals are sometimes droning, sometimes mournful, but always seem to be sung with feeling.

This particular song, also the title of the album, is like a slow wandering waltz down quirky crooked lanes. Maybe it’s that hour before sunrise when the world is picturesque and filled with potential. Maybe you just walk along in half a daydream through deserted thoroughfares on your meandering way to wherever you want to be.

You can listen to clips from their other songs, and see a couple music videos on their site.