Plus-tech Squeeze Box

[Kawaii Five-O]

God never intended for man to flawlessly combine tech-rap, waltz-time punk and neo-acoustic into two-minute pop nuggets, but Plus-tech Squeeze Box defies our Lord time and time again.

I've never posted a thread in here before, I've always been a bit nervous (that goes for the whole board actually, not just this forum). My self-confidence is in your hands/ tatters. I just want to see if there are any other PSB fans around here really, or say "Hey, listen to this" to anyone who hasn't heard them.

I love them, me. They're quite hard to describe, but to me anyway they're the perfect summer pop band. In some places they remind me of the Breeders (especially in parts of "Early Riser") which is quite inexplicable because they're so samply and bleepy; in other places they remind me of the My Little Pony theme tune (I've put everyone off now haven't I?). They are very sugary-sweet sounding (Junko's vocals play a large part in that), but not to the point of being sickly, honest.

Their UK label Sur La Plage used to have bits of their album on their site for download, but they've gone now sadly. However, there is a remix of one of the album tracks here, if anyone's interested :)

[Peking O]

I've never heard of this band, but they sound very interesting. I'll do a bit of searching around the net and see what I can find.

[mr rou-rou]

your 'O's have confused me :/ you aren't the same whore at all

- -

I'm just grabbing their "Fakevox" LP having read a smattering of reviews and your recommendation.

[Peking O]

your 'O's have confused me :/ you aren't the same whore at all

Kawaii Five-O is a lot nicer than me. I'm the evil twin.

[Kawaii Five-O]

Kawaii Five-O is a lot nicer than me. I'm the evil twin.

Back in the attic, you.

Yes, Fakevox is really very good indeed, in fact it's one of my favourite albums. It's quite hard to find out anything about the band (except for what's on Sur La Plage's site) unless you can speak Japanese, so I've been wondering why it is they haven't released anything else, apart from the odd compilation track, since Fakevox (it came out in Japan in 2000). Perhaps they've got other bands or something.

I recommend the "Early Riser" single too, it comes on pretty pretty white vinyl (it has the remix I linked to on the b-side).

A couple of things I forgot earlier: they were on Adam and Joe Go Tokyo last year, so anyone who watched that may already have heard them (they were the band with the strange things on their heads that shot ping pong balls into the crowd), and "Early Riser" was apparently used on a Powerade advert, though I never saw this.

[Morrisfan82]

I've been meaning to get hold of their album for some time now, but haven't been able to find it bleedin anywhere (actual shops I mean, not your new-fangled internet mail order shenanigans). Thanks for reminding me. Early Riser is a great tune.

Cornelius too anyone?

[boki]

Ah yes, haven't listened to Fakevox for a while, but it is quite gloriously all over the shop.  Definitely one ot stick on right now whilst the sun's still out.

[mr rou-rou]

Cornelius too anyone?

oh go on then but I couldn't manage a full album,

I reckon I could fit all the songs I like by him on one side of a C90, but I like the ones I like.

Brazil is fantastically kitsch

some nice remix work as well, the avalanches one is very pleasant but it's name escapes me.

[SnapperOrgans]

woohoo yeah plus tech squeeze box rule!!

First discovered them on a brilliant compliation from Usagi Chang records called Usagi Chang Superstar.....if you can possibly get hold of it you should because it s all in the same kinda vein as plus tech and its mind blowing.. The plus tech squeeze box tune is called _______and isn't on fakevox, its still my favourite tune of theirs, it sounds a bit like the Cornelius track '2010',a crazy sort of bright and shiny mindless childish euphoria that makes you want to dance around with cartoon animals.

There are a few good acts on Usagi Chang that I managed to get a hold of, for example Pine*am who play this sort of kitschy electro pop...their album is called "playing intense neutral electronica ad nauseam". If you dont mind it ridiculously cheesy I'd also reccommend Sonic Coaster Pop's "Future Electro Star" or the teeth achingly sweet Mac Donald Duck Eclair who's breathless japanese schoolgirl high pitched whisper pop is like nothing youve ever heared(especially the e.p 'many many sweets')

Also, if you think that your record collection could not possibly be complete without a quirky japanese electro remix of "you think you're a man" by the Vaselines then get 'Desktop Romancer' by Motocompo.

Of course the best new young electric pop to come out of Japan is the mighty POLYSICS who are the greatest band on earth right now but Im not gonna go in depth about their genius here.....

by the way I have a rather large collection of japanese electro and electronica on soulseek including everything Ive just mentioned......give us a shout if you want anything.....my user name is tulley

[lazyhour]

Of course the best new young electric pop to come out of Japan is the mighty POLYSICS who are the greatest band on earth right now but Im not gonna go in depth about their genius here.....

by the way I have a rather large collection of japanese electro and electronica on soulseek including everything Ive just mentioned......give us a shout if you want anything.....my user name is tulley

These two paragraphs are reason enough for me to want to adopt  SnapperOrgans as my God.

[mr rou-rou]

he may be your god but as far as I'm concerned you are worshipping false idols, the one true god wouldn't dig a Bubble Bobble soundtrack interspersed with dull syrupy j-pop.

the true god would banish these abominations to the nine hells of ex-children's presenters.

the horror

I'm too kind, that's my problem

player 2 leaves game

[lazyhour]

he may be your god but as far as I'm concerned you are worshipping false idols, the one true god wouldn't dig a Bubble Bobble soundtrack interspersed with dull syrupy j-pop.

the true god would banish these abominations to the nine hells of ex-children's presenters.

the horror

I'm too kind, that's my problem

player 2 leaves game

Yes, yes, but he likes Polysics.  All unnatractive j-pop flaws can therefore be overlooked.

Don't you know anything?

[Kawaii Five-O]

he may be your god but as far as I'm concerned you are worshipping false idols, the one true god wouldn't dig a Bubble Bobble soundtrack interspersed with dull syrupy j-pop.

the true god would banish these abominations to the nine hells of ex-children's presenters.

the horror

I'm too kind, that's my problem

player 2 leaves game

Aw, that's not a good start :-/
No one I've pushed them on has ever disliked them before, not even my bloke and he's grumpy and hairy.

Yeah, I like Cornelius too, but I've only got Fantasma, still need to pick up the rest. His side-project PATE has released an album on Sur La Plage too, what I've heard of it sounds quite good, much more down-beat than his other stuff (though I've only heard a couple of tracks).

I've dabbled in Soulseek but it always ended up crashing my computer so I gave up, still I'll make a point of investigating your recommendations SnapperOrgans :)

[mr rou-rou]

soz missus, you were all enthusing so nicely as well, apologies for releasing the wasps on your picnic, but sweet things do attract a bad element.

I don't have an ear for Japanese language pop in a hello kitty style, eughh it's enough to make me commit sepuku.

But I like some right shite so feel free to give me a jab in the ribs back and laugh and point, I love a bit of ridicule me.

Where do you get your prozac from?

[Kawaii Five-O]

I wouldn't call it wasps, just the clouds that have made everyone pack up, pull their cardigans on and go indoors. Y'big miseryguts :)

[SnapperOrgans]

Im still out here in the cold getting stung trying to explain to my imaginary friends that it's not crappy bland j-pop....it's good music man.....

I downloaded loads of crap J-pop just after I heard polysics, trying to re create that first high.....but it was all pish......exept one group who deserve credit just for having a great name.....they were called 'fab cushion'.

Mind you I have to admit that Ive stopped playing my japanese music to people because I get that incredulous look off them that says "you don't really like this.....you're just trying to be cool".......but they're all wrong the bastards....it IS good and I AM cool.....

I can still play them polysics though and it pretty much knocks everyones socks off with it's brilliance. Their cover of 'my sharona' on 'For Young Electric Pop' gives me goosebumbs.......

OK well as long as we're on my specialist subject and coolness is in question has anyone heared capitol k? tojiko noriko? overrocket? world's end girlfriend?
theyre all brilliant. and its not cheesy honest its up to the minute good electronica.........pah your all bloody racialists thats your problem....Im off to find an obscure record nobodys ever heard and realy like the hell out of it.

[david]

They're ok I guess... Not a patch on the Cardiacs though IMHO...

[Malachi Constant]

OK well as long as we're on my specialist subject and coolness is in question has anyone heared capitol k? tojiko noriko? overrocket? world's end girlfriend?
theyre all brilliant. and its not cheesy honest its up to the minute good electronica.........pah your all bloody racialists thats your problem....Im off to find an obscure record nobodys ever heard and realy like the hell out of it.

Eh? Capitol K is english isnt he? Certainly not Japanese anyway. Like him a lot though.

[mr rou-rou]

that one threw me as well so I had to google

[SnapperOrgans]

ah whoops yes that was wrong.......obviously someone has put my capitol K albums in my japanese folder to deliberately confuse and humiliate me. bastards.

[Tom Rad]

God never intended for man to flawlessly combine tech-rap, waltz-time punk and neo-acoustic into two-minute pop nuggets, but Plus-tech Squeeze Box defies our Lord time and time again.

...I love them, me. They're quite hard to describe, but to me anyway they're the perfect summer pop band. In some places they remind me of the Breeders (especially in parts of "Early Riser") which is quite inexplicable because they're so samply and bleepy; in other places they remind me of the My Little Pony theme tune (I've put everyone off now haven't I?). They are very sugary-sweet sounding (Junko's vocals play a large part in that), but not to the point of being sickly, honest.

I love the Squeezies, too! I got Fakevox after hearing them on Adam and Joe Go Tokyo. They are indeed quite hard to describe, but I agree with you that they do have a kind of sugary kitchy poppy sound, but strangely not in a sickly naff way at all. I do love the way their music combines a multitude of different musical styles at breakneck speed.  

Thank you muchly to SnapperOrgans, I'm going to check out your suggestions for other worth-while J-pop.

[Johnny Yesno]

Plus Tech Squeeze Box are great. I don't normally go for kitch but Fakevox is so powerful and frantic with it that it leaves you out of breath by the end.
Someone reckoned A&J Go Tokyo was crap but I think showing this band justified the entire series - I'd never have heard of them otherwise.
A&J also showed a video that looked like "transformers on acid" by a band called Boris. Anyone heard of them? Boris is not much of a search term.

[Kawaii Five-O]

Whee, PSB have got a new album out, I just got an email from Sur La Plage about it, so this is just a quick post to tell you all what like 'em. It's only available on import so it's quite expensive (£16), but I've just ordered mine. :So excited!:

They're also releasing a Polysics best of next month, I'll probably pick that up too and check them out.

I searched the HMV Japan website for Boris Mister Yesno, and if I've got the right one they're on Phalanx Records. Their page on the Phalanx website doesn't look very useful at all, but I did find this bit of info as well. Hope that's of some help! I think I must have missed the show that had their video and I've not heard of them before so I can't really be of much use but I'll keep looking :)

[Johnny Yesno]

Yep, that sounds like it could well be them, Kawaii Five-O. I should have guessed they'd collaborated with Keiji Heino and Merzbow - that would have made my googling a bit more productive. Thanks for digging those links up for me. Much appreciated.

[Kawaii Five-O]

Not at all, they definitely sound my bag so thanks for bringing them to my attention! Amplifier Worship and Heavy Rocks especially look quite interesting, I've found Amplifier Worship on spun.com and amazon for cheap but I'm not having as much luck with Heavy Rocks.

[Tom Rad]

I ordered a copy of the new PSB album Cartooom from Sur La Plage, through Kawaii's recommendation, and just got it on Saturday. I do quite like it, although I think their sound on this album is a little bit different from Fakevox. Not necessarily a bad thing, of course. Bits of it reminded me of Aphex or Mouse on Mars, perhaps. My favourite track so far is the third track, with the silly lyrics about Doughnut Town :)!

The female vocalists on this album sound different from the ones on Fakevox. It seems that there are only two actual members in the band, Tomonori Hayashibe and Takeshi Wakiya, and they use guesting female vocalists. I think I actually preferred the vocalists on Fakevox to the ones on this album, although I think on some of the tracks they have used the same singers as on the first album.

So, Kawaii, and anyone else who has heard this album, what did you think of it?

[lazyhour]

Pretty good.  I can't decide yet how it compares to Fakevox.  The thing that really annoys me is that it's another barely-half-hour album.  In fact, doesn't Cartooom clock in at under half an hour?  If it were labelled as an EP that would be fine, but trumpetting itself as the new album from PTSB?  How can that be justified?

It's good though.  A bit less cheesy than Fakevox, actually, which can only be a good thing.  My girlfriend was DJ-ing in a club in Japan for a bunch of foreigners, and two of them started hassling her to "play cheesy music!  We only listen to cheesy music!"  Naturally, she did not oblige.  I think she even had a go at them.  She is not an easy-going person.

Erm.

So! That Plus-Tech Squeeze Box, eh?  Don'tcha love 'em?

[Johnny Yesno]

The thing that really annoys me is that it's another barely-half-hour album.  In fact, doesn't Cartooom clock in at under half an hour

Yep, just over 28 minutes. However, when the music is that dense it feels much longer, so I don't mind. I'd rather it was short with that much attention to detail than unnecessarily long with sloppy filler tracks. Compare with Aphex Twin.

[Mr Colossal]

Is it just me, whenever i hear the little retro-pop section of early riser, i cant get the image of the  Eurotrash intro out of my head!

I might invest in some of the artists music here, as im a big fan of genre-defying music...

I like plus-tech and mad capsule markets, are cornelius, polysics, pate etc. all similar?  There doesn't seem to be too much in the way of samples and reviews on the sites that do feature them.

I see the polysics album is available for 8.99 on play.com at the end of july, ill probably just take a chance and buy it from what i've read here... Im more weary when it comes to using my credit card on little known import sites.

[lazyhour]

Polysics are the best spazz-rock band in the world.  They are my heroes.  I would recommend you get everything they have ever done.  They're playing in London on Monday 19th July at the ICA - Huzzah!

Cornelius is good but patchy.  I have about 7 Cornelius albums and I still can't decide how much I like him...  You should definitely give him a listen though.  He most certainly fits the bill of genre-defying music.  One moment he's The Beach Boys, the next he's AC/DC.

And finally, who are Pate?  I have <Pliny> never heard of them. </Pliny>