Japan saves music, banking, art

[imomus]

The nice folks at Paris / Tokyo label Sonore have drawn my attention to Doddodo, an act worthy of the "Matsuri-kei" label (which I invented fairly arbitrarily, but does seem to sum up a certain sound and attitude). This video by Sonore's Franck Stofer, filmed in May at Earthdom Shin-Okubo, gladdens my heart muchly. Doddodo's enormously fat and primal sound exemplifies all the good things CSS lost by getting too polished on their second album:

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Sonore are currently looking for somewhere for Doddodo to perform live in Berlin this December, so if you know of a good venue, tell them.

In other Japanese news, the nation has a new prime minister in the form of Taro Aso, has bailed out the American economy by acquiring several American banks and is currently hosting the Yokohama Triennale, which I'll be blogging about for the NYT on Friday.

Comments

[imomus.livejournal.com]

It depends what you call right wing. He's very much in favour of the "pork barrel spending" the US Republicans deplore -- government make-work schemes like the fabled Alaskan "bridge to nowhere". He's not a Koizumi-style neo-liberal reformer -- he wouldn't have staked everything on postal savings privatisation, as Koizumi did. He also represents a more arms-length stance towards America. It's worth noting that he comes to power at a time when the liberal opposition party is strong in Japan; he may be keen to steal their thunder by adopting some of their positions.

[kineticfactory.livejournal.com]

So he's a sort of Japanese Sarkozy?

[imomus.livejournal.com]

He's "statist" in a way US or UK political definitions would find suspiciously socialist.

He was very much against postal privatisation when he was minister of posts in 2003, by the way. Sarkozy would be better compared with Koizumi.

[imomus.livejournal.com]

He also represents a more arms-length stance towards America.

Actually, that's not accurate. He's pretty pro-American.

[(Anonymous)]

A good venue to perform is Ausland of my friend Gregor Hotz. I think you know him.
Can't write mail to the label now, the link on my mac wont work for some reason.

[fedorfedorovich.livejournal.com]

A good venue to perform is Ausland of my friend Gregor Hotz. I think you know him.
Can't write mail to the label now, the link on my mac wont work for some reason.

it's me