Retro-robo-impro
Jun. 23rd, 2009 10:44 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
imomus"Shibuya-kei princess" Kahimi Karie reveals in her lifestyle column in the MyLOHAS blog that she's working on a new album, her first since 2006's Nunki. Jim O'Rourke -- who's collaborated as much with KK this decade as I did back in the 90s -- is involved.
Kahimi doesn't revisit her 1990s hits much -- she's much more interested in quiet left-field experimentalism these days -- but another singer is currently doing that for her. Aira Mitsuki released her first album, C.O.P.Y., at the end of 2008. Here's her cover of Kahimi's early song Mike Alway's Diary, and this is her take on Cornelius' big hit Star Fruits Surf Rider.
When I first heard these, I thought that Aira Mitsuki must be a robot singer, like Yamaha Vocaloid2 "singer" Miku Hatsune:
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I marveled at the engineering feat of catching Kahimi's inflexions so accurately in software, and planned immediately to buy the Aira Mitsuki package so I could score a new string of hits in Japan. But it seems she's a real girl, albeit with definite tendencies towards the robotic, the technotic, and the Barbie-baric.
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When it comes to summing up the true essence of Shibuya-kei, though, I think "melody designers" (that's their jingle showreel above) Lullatone probably do it better. Their song A Plastic Bag in the Wind (from the new album Songs That Spin in Circles) has the naive bossa feel of I Am A Kitten. If I ever wanted to make a robotic-retro version of Shibuya-kei, Lullatone would be my bitches.
But -- like Kahimi -- I'm too interested in the present to do that. Joemus -- now a band! -- plays a live set of improvised, unheard material at West Germany on Wednesday night. Rather than recreating the Joemus album, we've decided to recreate the experience of making the Joemus album -- that moment when I received unfamiliar tracks from Joe and tried to write and sing lyrics over the top of them. So I'm going to be attempting to sing new songs over Joe tracks I've never heard before. Impro is the opposite of retro.
Kahimi doesn't revisit her 1990s hits much -- she's much more interested in quiet left-field experimentalism these days -- but another singer is currently doing that for her. Aira Mitsuki released her first album, C.O.P.Y., at the end of 2008. Here's her cover of Kahimi's early song Mike Alway's Diary, and this is her take on Cornelius' big hit Star Fruits Surf Rider.
When I first heard these, I thought that Aira Mitsuki must be a robot singer, like Yamaha Vocaloid2 "singer" Miku Hatsune:
[Error: unknown template video]
I marveled at the engineering feat of catching Kahimi's inflexions so accurately in software, and planned immediately to buy the Aira Mitsuki package so I could score a new string of hits in Japan. But it seems she's a real girl, albeit with definite tendencies towards the robotic, the technotic, and the Barbie-baric.
[Error: unknown template video]
When it comes to summing up the true essence of Shibuya-kei, though, I think "melody designers" (that's their jingle showreel above) Lullatone probably do it better. Their song A Plastic Bag in the Wind (from the new album Songs That Spin in Circles) has the naive bossa feel of I Am A Kitten. If I ever wanted to make a robotic-retro version of Shibuya-kei, Lullatone would be my bitches.
But -- like Kahimi -- I'm too interested in the present to do that. Joemus -- now a band! -- plays a live set of improvised, unheard material at West Germany on Wednesday night. Rather than recreating the Joemus album, we've decided to recreate the experience of making the Joemus album -- that moment when I received unfamiliar tracks from Joe and tried to write and sing lyrics over the top of them. So I'm going to be attempting to sing new songs over Joe tracks I've never heard before. Impro is the opposite of retro.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2009-06-23 09:02 am (UTC)IAs an example of its annoying-ness, it's this process that stops me from visiting the Joemus concert, since travelling to Berlin and back amounts to 50 euro that I can't afford right now. Or can I? ....
(no subject)
Date: 2009-06-23 09:49 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-06-23 10:29 am (UTC)But the price of the Lullatone album doesn't bother me at all - at less than 4 dollars, it effectively means I'll skip eating a cake on sunday.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-06-23 11:16 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-06-23 11:35 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-06-23 12:34 pm (UTC)"Joemus > Lullatone"
(no subject)
Date: 2009-06-23 01:16 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-06-23 03:10 pm (UTC)-John Flesh
(no subject)
Date: 2009-06-23 03:20 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-06-23 03:29 pm (UTC)Glad you're finding it of use!
(no subject)
Date: 2009-06-23 03:30 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-06-23 03:40 pm (UTC)-John Flesh
Hooray NEW LULLATONE ALBUM WOOT
Date: 2009-06-23 07:02 pm (UTC)O-o
Re: Hooray NEW LULLATONE ALBUM WOOT
Date: 2009-06-23 08:32 pm (UTC)will this be a Haupstadt one-off? please tell me "no, no"
also, must book in again with KK, seeing she has worked with the wonderful Jim underlines how neglected recent, beautifully packaged recordings have been with this one
all best,
Dale
Re: Hooray NEW LULLATONE ALBUM WOOT
Date: 2009-06-23 09:48 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-06-23 10:33 pm (UTC)oh wall more frenetic 2nd wave shibuya kei techno for meeeee
Re: Hooray NEW LULLATONE ALBUM WOOT
Date: 2009-06-24 12:29 am (UTC)Re: Hooray NEW LULLATONE ALBUM WOOT
Date: 2009-06-24 03:55 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-06-24 03:59 am (UTC)i love the lullatone
Date: 2009-06-24 04:08 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-06-24 06:49 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-06-24 08:58 am (UTC)Re: Hooray NEW LULLATONE ALBUM WOOT
Date: 2009-06-24 10:07 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-06-24 10:58 am (UTC)You do?
Date: 2009-07-16 01:23 pm (UTC)Who are you, dear Anonymous?
Marie
(Oh, and hi, Nick!)