PG-Friendly Asian Girls Thread
- Thread starter ourchair
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ourchair
Well-Known Member
SALYU aka LILY CHOU-CHOU
born October 13, 1980
born October 13, 1980
[IMGL]http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q32/experimentego/07-salyu00.jpg[/IMGL]In 2001, a film called All About Lily Chou-Chou was released. Quirky and wholly depressing, it told in non-linear fashion, one year in the life of four troubled teenagers as they experience the anomie of adolescence. What links them together is their participation in an on-line chat room called Lilyholic, where they discuss the emotional resonance of the music of their favorite pop star, the eponymous Lily Chou-Chou.
To get someone to play Lily Chou-Chou, director Shunji Iwai sought the help of music producer Takeshi Kobayashi. A young woman named Ayako had caught his eye and Kobayashi asked her to undertake the responsibility of enacting the darkly, dreamy and ethereal qualities envisioned of Lily Chou-Chou.
To create the illusion of Chou-Chou's existence, Kobayashi and Ayako worked together and released two singles, "Glide" and "Kyoumei (Kuukyo na Ishi)" (english: Sympathy (Vacant Stone) an entire year and a half before the film was released. Little attempt was made to connect them to the upcoming film, and as a result neither of them reached very high on the charts.
Packaging for an English market DVD of All About Lily Chou-Chou
[IMGL]http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q32/experimentego/07-salyu01.jpg[/IMGL]In 2001, on the heels of the film's premiere, a Lily Chou-Chou album called "Kokyuu" was released and received significantly better sales. The movie was a smash hit in Japan becoming the third highest grossing film that year, beaten only by Visitor Q and Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away. 'Ayako' aka Lily Chou-Chou is a constant presence in the film, as the voice that accompanies a hauntingly ethereal slow pop which the characters surround their lives with. She does not appear except in a poster towards the end of the film, but her presence was felt nonetheless. (video link for Lily Chou-Chou - "Tobenai Tsubasa")
'Ayako' disappeared under the radar until late 2002, and resurfaced under the stage name of 'Salyu' (coined from the French word "Salut") and started touring and playing small live performances until 2004. She did a collaborative single with Japanese rapper Ilmari from RIP SLYME entitled VALON, which became a minor hit. (video link here).
Around this time, the group Mr. Children decided to hold a three-day charity concert, called the AP Band fes '05. Salyu was asked to participate, and featured in all three days of the festival (alongside such artists as Hitoto Yo, Mr. Children, Nakashima Mika and CHARA). As a result, she was featured on the Bank Band single "to U" and was an immense boon to kickstarting her career. Her debut album, "landmark" was successful, and climbed to #20 on the Oricon charts and signaled the successful transition from Lily Chou-Chou into Salyu.
Singles, Albums, etc: Peaty, name and Glide
[IMGL]http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q32/experimentego/07-salyu02.jpg[/IMGL]Salyu is frequently described as the Bjork of Japan, and I think that's a fair enough comparison, even if I don't care much for Bjork. However, she has a likable variety that ranges between dream pop and rock. Sort of like a very sublime, trippy Utada Hikaru on downers who knows how to rock every once in a while. I would take hallucinogenic substances while listening to her records.
Incidentally, Quentin Tarantino, a known fan of All About Lily Chou-Chou later used one of Salyu's tracks "Kaifuku Suru Kizu" in Kill Bill. The track is played when Beatrix Kiddo (Uma Thurman) is admiring the swords in Hattori Hanzo's attic. The Kill Bill closing credits credit the track to 'Lily Chou-Chou' and it is unknown whether Tarantino was unaware of the fake name, or using it in a tongue in cheek manner.
Also, her music videos are great. Anybody who tries to do alternopop balladeering while having people in rhinocerous suits play guitars and drums in the background is awesome in my book.
View more hi-res online videos of Salyu here: http://stage6.divx.com/Salyu/videos/
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ourchair
Well-Known Member
Does this mean I have to go back to body shots?
Ultimate Houde
UC's Resident Genetic Recombinator
I just saw this new post, relax man
ourchair
Well-Known Member
Haha.
Sorry, I'm just so used to the fact everyone responds to this thread so damn fast and it's been --- OMG! --- twenty four hours.
Ultimate Houde
UC's Resident Genetic Recombinator
Well, her music doesn't cut it for me.
But, I can see how it would be haunting in a movie about character growth and emotional trauma.
But, I can see how it would be haunting in a movie about character growth and emotional trauma.
ourchair
Well-Known Member
Incidentally, what music DO you get into?
The next two girls will be one from a popular indie garage punk group --- apparently popular enough to be easily found on Soulseek, but not enough to be listed at http://wiki.theppn.org or http://www.nippop.com --- and the other from a group that specializes in retro rock with surf and enka elements.
The movie is actually quite good, though.
I don't warm very easily to artsy fartsy films ESPECIALLY if they happen to be 158 minutes long --- 20 minutes of which seem to be home video footage of someone's beach vacation and another 20 minutes are all text chat room excerpts, all to be tolerated with subtitles and an abundance of classical music by Claude DeBussy --- but for some reason I really REALLY liked it.
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Iceshadow
Well-Known Member
This sounds better to me than Asian Bijork, I don't know about that movie though, not usually my cup of tea.
thee great one
Master of TOG-fu.
She's cute.
That's all I have to say.
That's all I have to say.
Ultimate Houde
UC's Resident Genetic Recombinator
I like music that makes me feel good. I also enjoy music that makes me think.
My tastes are fickle.
ourchair
Well-Known Member
Be warned. The next two are very FAR from cute. New creative direction and all that.
Iceshadow
Well-Known Member
Hibiki
Really is pretentious, no matter what she says. Do
do you like hip hop of any kind? I know of some rappers that kick knowledge of sorts about politics and socio-economic problems and such.
Ultimate Houde
UC's Resident Genetic Recombinator
No..
moonmaster
Without him, all of you would be lost souls roamin
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Houde is a stone-cold cracker, Hibiki. You should know that by now.
ourchair
Well-Known Member
Says Vanilla Ice.
moonmaster
Without him, all of you would be lost souls roamin
- Joined
- Feb 23, 2005
- Messages
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ourchair
Well-Known Member
Bugy Craxone's YUKIKO SUZUKI
[IMGL]http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q32/experimentego/07-yukikosuzuki01.jpg[/IMGL]Yukiko Suzuki is the highly energetic guitarist and vocalist for the cryptically named Bugy Craxone, a rock outfit whose fanbase has grown from the Japanese underground.
Drawing comparisons with Bloc Party and The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Bugy Craxone was formed in 1997 with Oikawa Tsukasa on guitar and Hiroshi Miki on drums and Kudo Shinya on bass, they spent their first few years building their fanbase with a steadily prolific number of performances in Hokkaido.
A year later, they moved to Tokyo and signed with Victor Entertainment, a major Japanese label and their first album, "blanket" debuted in 1999.Their early sound was pretty much straight out alt-rock, combining strong power chords with the elegantly blusterous vocalizations of Yukiko.
( Click here to see the PV for Tsumi no Shizuku from "blanket" on YouTube. )
More than one writer has compared her to Mikami Chisaki of fra-foa, but Bugy Craxone's style evokes mid-90s Britpop than anything else. Their follow-up album "Yuganda Ao to Hakenai Kanjou no Soko" went into a more 'tortured' direction. Not long after their promotional tour for the album, bassist Kudou Shinya departed. This would signal the first of many changes for the band.
( Click here to see the PV for Niji from "Yuganda Ao to Hakenai Kanjou no Soko" on YouTube. )
( Click here to see the PV for Hodokareta Mune from "Yuganda Ao to Hakenai Kanjou no Soko" on YouTube. )
[IMGL]http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q32/experimentego/07-yukikosuzuki02.jpg[/IMGL]In my opinion, the changes were for the better. While the first two albums and the videos linked above showcase the powerfully moving element of Yukiko's vocals, it's not until their third album, 2002's "This Is New Sunrise" where they really get away with showing some real creativity by working with other artists such as Thee Michelle Gun Elephant's Chiba Yusuke and WINO's Yoshimura & Togawa.
( Click here for a live performance of No idea from Bugy Craxone's "This is New Sunrise" )
Later that year, was a shocking descent into garage rock sensibilities with the release of "Northern Hymns". One writer stated that in retrospect, it was a fashionable move, being the year that the White Stripes crossed over --- and a creative direction that suited the band, anyway. "Northern Hymns" is like an open love letter to Number Girl, a rock group legendary for their intense shredding and raspy vocals.
( Click here to see the PV for Northern Rock from Bugy Craxone's "Northern Hymns" )
( Click here to see a live performance of Kareta Hana from Bugy Craxone's "Northern Hymns" )
[IMGL]http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q32/experimentego/07-yukikosuzuki03.jpg[/IMGL]Then in 2003, they ended their relationship with Victor Entertainment and created their own record label, ZubRockA. Asahi Tsukasa, who was a touring bassist, became an official member of the group, while drummer Miki Hiroshi departed and was replaced by Monchi.Musicwhore.org said:
The following year, their first album under ZubRockA was released, entitled "sorry, I will scream here". Under an indie budget, their sound is less polished... grittier, but the rocking gets harder.
( Click here to see a live performance of I'm sorry from Bugy Craxone's "Sorry, I will scream here" live DVD. )
( Click here to see a live performance of Tousaku no Mori from Bugy Craxone's "Sorry, I will scream here" live DVD. )
Guitar and rhythm play off each other in a manner that furthers their garage rock direction. Late 2005 saw the release of their self-titled album, "Bugy Craxone". In April, they celebrated their tenth anniversary with a tour and are now working on their seventh album.
( Click here to see the PV for Watch Your Step from the album "Bugy Craxone". )
References and links (all in English):
Bugy Craxone at archive.musicwhore.org
Bugy Craxone at j-music ignited.
Bugy Craxone at keikaku.net
Bugy Craxone interview with J-music ignited.
Bugy Craxone interview with keikaku.net
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Ultimate Houde
UC's Resident Genetic Recombinator
At first I thought it sounded good, then I noticed that there is about one minute of interesting music, followed by the rest of the song being repeated over and over again.
And it got worse and worse as I progressed through the songs.
And it got worse and worse as I progressed through the songs.
ourchair
Well-Known Member
*Fwaps you*
I loves my Bugy Craxone.
Although, I'm going to admit that NONE of my favorite songs are featured in the videos, and that those that are... are all my LEAST favorite songs. Also, I don't... actually... like... the videos.
Unfortunately, it is very difficult to find J-rock readily playable on the web, because the Japanese are a lot more vigilant about protecting their copyrights than any other country... and therefore, that which is available is limited to what they tolerate for promotional purposes. Which is why I had to rely on YouTube.
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