Susumu Hirasawa: Virtual Rabbit & AURORA

A well over due continuation of this great artists catalog. Enjoy!

Virtual Rabbit (1991)

1. 嵐の海
2. バンディリア旅行団
3. 我が心の鷲よ 月を奪うな[プラネット・イーグル]
4. ヴァーチュアル・ラビット
5. UNDOをどうぞ
6. 山頂晴れて
7. 静かの海
8. 死のない男
9. 太陽の木
10. ロシアン・トビスコープ








AURORA (1994)

1. 石の庭
2. LOVE SONG
3. オーロラ
4. 力の唄
5. 舵をとれ
6. スノーブラインド
7. 風の分身
8. 広場で
9.トビラ島（パラネシアン・サークル)
10. 呼んでるベル

Frank Chickens - We Are Frank Chickens

No words to describe, just sit back, listen and enjoy!

We Are Frank Chickens (1984)

1. Cheeba Cheeba Chimpira
2. Mothra
3. Green Banana
4. Madam Fatal
5. We Are Ninja
6. Yellow Detective
7. Shellfish Bamboo
8. Pikadon
9. We Are Frank Chickens
10. Sake Ballad

Logic System - Venus

Hideaki Matsutake, also known under the moniker Logic System, is a synth musician/programer who is responsible for this superb synth masterpiece. Beginning his career working as an assistant under Isao Tomita (Asia's pioneering voice in electronic music IMHO) and then moving onto technical work as an unoffical 4th member throughout YMO's early career, Matsutake not only has talent but the credentials to assure any skeptic of his accomplishments in the genre. Logic System is a somewhat of a solo project for Matsutake, however much of his work is collaborated upon with other musicians, programmers and producers.

Venus, Logic's System's second LP, was released only a few short months after his debut album and is miles ahead in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, while I love the self titled debut, his distinct style mixed with an r&b/ital disco flair trumps the prog/spacey/kraftwerk-esque he began with. If you're interested in hearing not only his debut but 3rd release as well, head over to JJ's DOWN TO DA BONE!

I found this one on a now defunct blog about 3 years ago and I am really appreciative that I stumbled upon it! I'm pretty sure it's a vinyl rip but it definitely sounds great. I'm a big fan of early electro/dance music and if you're a fan of YMO, I think you'll dig this one too! Enjoy!





Venus (1981)

1. Venus
2. Morpheus
3. I Love You
4. Plan
5. Take A Chance
6. Automatic Collect, Automatic Correct
7. Be Yourself
8. Prophet
9. Metamorphism
10. Equivalent

The Beatniks - Existentialism

Finally found employment about a month ago and have been busy trying to settle into things. I have a long list of requests and posts to get to and I hope all my visitors have been well!  I have a good amount of files already uploaded, now its just putting the posts together. Life has been strange the last three years since I started this blog and hopefully more stability will be in my future... 

Many thanks to Fen, Corwyn, JJ and others for continuing the spirt of the blog world and reminding me to stop being lazy and post more haha! 

The album featured today is a fantastic debut collaboration from two true synth geniuses. Keiichi Suzuki of Moon Riders fame and the "voice and rhythm" of YMO, Yukihiro Takahashi, formed this side project as a tribute to the 50's/60's counter cultural movement known as the beatniks. This underground movement was a powerful force during the time and was seeped in French New Wave motifs. These aspect are featured throughout the album, with the included use of French lyrics. However, the album is unmistakably a product of the minds of the early Japanese new wave movement, with the then modern sounds and the "beatnik" concept pieced together beautifully.

Keeping up even further with the French theme, the album's name "Existentialism" is also derived from the 19th/20th century philosophical movement of the same namesake. In high school I was extremely intrigued by the works of Sartre and Camus, but if any of you have actually sat down and tried to absorb anything from "Being and Nothingness", you know how fruitless that can be haha!

The Beatniks still sporadically release albums, with their last effort seen in 2011. Fortunately I was able to come upon this 3 or 4 years ago on a now defunct blog. Many thanks to the original poster and I truly hope you all enjoy it!




Existentialism (1981)

1. Le Sang Du Poete
2. No Way Out
3. Ark Diamant
4. Now And Then … 
5. Loopy
6. Une Femme N'est Pas Un Homme
7. Mirroris
8. Le Robinet
9. L'Etoile de Mer
10. Inevitable

Akiko Yano: WELCOME BACK & Akiko Yano x Hiromi Uehara: Get Together

Two of Ms. Yano's more Jazzier projects. Fans of Hiromi Uehara's finger work will definitely be please with her riffings on their live collaboration album. Both are fantastic listens, I hope you enjoy!




WELCOME BACK (1989)

1. “It's For You”
2. しんぱいなうんどうかい（Field Day）
3. みのりのあきですよ（Autumn Song）
4. 悩む人（A Worried Girl）
5. ほんとだね。（It Will Take A Long Time）
6. How Beautiful
7. かぜのひきかた（How To Catch Cold）
8. "Hard Times, Come Again No More"
9. Watching You
10. "Little Girl, Giant Heart"







Akiko Yano x Hiromi Uehara Get Together - LIVE IN TOKYO (2011)

1. CHILDREN IN THE SUMMER
2. あんたがたアフロ
3. CAPE COD CHIPS -LIVE IN TOKYO-
4. LEAN ON ME
5. 学べよ
6. 月と太陽
7. りんご祭り: DON'T SIT UNDER THE APPLE TREE～リンゴの唄
8. ラーメンたべたい

Susumu Hirasawa: 時空の水 &サイエンスの幽霊

Susumu Hirasawa is a genius. Now that doesn't mean he is accessible to the masses, but none the less, he is truly a unique voice in the world of music. 

Originally a member of the influential electro rock group, P-MODEL, Hirasawa continued into a solo career with the focus of breaking musical molds and constantly redefining how music is presented. Wether through his political activism, his solar powered music studio, interactive concerts or philosophical themes, Hirasawa's music demonstrates the potential dichotomies of man & machine while simultaneously utilizing both to present his art.

Some of you may be familiar with Hirasawa due to his contributions to the anime world, composing soundtracks to several films and series, particularly those of the legendary Satoshi Kon. It was Kon's series "Paranormal Agent" that initially made me familiar with Hirasawa and I've been grateful ever since. 

The two albums featured in this post are Hirasawa's first two solo efforts and while not as strong as the bulk of his catalog, they do highlight the initial framework that Hirasawa has built since. If these albums don't meet you fancy, I still urge you to check out the rest of his albums as I post them. Hirasawa is one of my favorite Japanese singers and there is no one else with a sound comparable to his. Enjoy! 



時空の水 (1989)

1. ハルディン・ホテル
2. 魂のふる里
3. コヨーテ
4. ソーラ・レイ
5. 仕事場はタブー
6. デューン
7. フローズン・ビーチ
8. 時空の水
9. スケルトン・コースト公園
10. 金星







サイエンスの幽霊 (1990)

1. 世界タービン
2. ロケット
3. フィッシュ・ソング
4. カウボーイとインディアン
5. QUIT
6. アモール・バッファー
7. 夢みる機械
8. テクノの娘
9. FGG

Akiko Yano: 峠のわが家 & ホントのきもち

These two gems come from a new friend to the site, Lynx. He has graciously provided me the links to these albums and allowed me to upload them to my site! I've been looking for these two for a while and now I'm two albums closer to completing Ms. Yano's discography.

A BIG THANK YOU TO YOU LYNX!!!

He also dabbles in music sharing as well through his youtube account which can be found here~

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnrMo6uhfBNlMqIIXhcan9A

It features some fantastic albums from various J-artists, most of which is brand new to me!

Check it out, I promise you won't regret it!

I've been able to interact with so many people around the world thanks to this blog and I am very happy that this community is filled with kind; generous individuals who can come together through the love of music! Enjoy!





峠のわが家 (1986)


1. The Girl of Integrity
2. David
3. ちいさい秋みつけた
4. 一分間
5. おてちょ。(Drop me a Line)
6. 海と少年 ***
7. 夏の終り
8. そこのアイロンに告ぐ ***
9. Home Sweet Home

ホントのきもち (2004)

1. 行かないで
2. N.Y.C.
3. まっ赤なビー玉
4. House of Desire (Burnin' Down)
5. おいてくよ
6. Night Train Home (acoustic version)
7. Too Good To be True
8. Our Lives
9. Nobuko
10. Night Train Home

Akiko Yano: オーエス オーエス & あそこのアッコちゃん

Here's two more from the sublime Akiko Yano. Thanks to an anonymous uploader, I was able to add these to my collection and now you can too! The album and tracks have been retagged in Japanese. 

オーエス オーエス is Yano's 7th album and it's fantastic. The album was recorded shortly after the first break-up of Yellow Magic Orchestra and with Yano having collaborated with the group numerous time and marrying member Ryuichi Sakamoto two years prior, you can definitely hear the members continued influence in this album. However, オーエス オーエス is more of an amalgamation of all the sounds and genres Yano had experimented with previously but put into a tighter and more cohesive package. This is a sound she would carry throughout the rest of the 80's and into the early 90's. 

あそこのアッコちゃん is a nice compilation filled with material from Yano's first three albums, live selections and a few b-sides. It's definitely worth a listen for those new to Yano or for you completionists out there. I'm still looking for 1986's 峠のわが家, 2000's Home Girl Journey and 2004's ホントのきもち, so if anyone has access to these it'd be greatly appreciated!



オーエス オーエス (1984)

1. おもちゃのチャチャチャ
2. HI,HI,HI
3. きょうのわたくし
4. HIGHLAND
5. SIMON SMITH AND THE AMAZING DANCING BEAR
6. ラーメンたべたい
7. 素顔
8. 終わりの季節
9. GREENFIELDS
10. ASSEMBLY

あそこのアッコちゃん (1989)

1. 丘を越えて
2. ふなまち唄パート1
3. アメフリ
4. 相合傘
5. 昨日はもう
6. やませ(東風) 
7. こどもたち
8. ヨ・ロ・コ・ビ
9. Waterways Flow Backwards Again
10. 気球にのって
11.  行け柳田
12. ハロー・ゼア

Chakra: チャクラ, さてこそ & 南洋でヨイショ

While this post may focus on this short lived but fantastic group, it's really in recognition of it's vocalist Mishio Ogawa. 

Active since the late 70's, Ogawa began her career with Chakra releasing these three fantastic albums. Eclectic, poppy, and Minyo/Ryukuyuan influenced, Chakra fits right in with truly enviable alternative/new wave scene emerging in Japan during this time. 

Quickly after Chakra's demise, Ogawa released 4 fantastic solo albums which continued very much in the style of the band and has also been with several "super groups" so to speak (Wha-ha-ha, Toshiyuki Honda Radio Club, Haniwa). 

These three albums come highly recommend and are courtesy of JPDDL.com. If you're a fan of early Haruomi Hosono, Miharu Koshi or Taeko Ohnuki, you'll definitely dig them! "さてこそ" in my opinion really embodies their perfect sound. 

You can click on any of the albums names to find the link. You can also expect to see her solo albums and two more from Hideaki Tokunaga  Enjoy!

チャクラ (1980)

1. 福の種
2. マネキン
3. あこがれ
4. 島の娘
5. 東京スウィート
6. いっしょに
7. アイ・アム・ソーロー
8. 空の友達











さてこそ (1981)

1. めだか
2. ミュン ミュン
3. おちょーし者の行進曲
4. You Need Me
5. これから死んでゆくすべての生命体に捧げる詩
6. いとほに
7. Free
8. III
9. 微笑む
10.ちょっと痛いけどステキ









南洋でヨイショ (1983)

1. スウィング(タコにささげるよ)
2. 南洋でヨイショ
3. 本当のこと言えば
4. 私と百貨店
5. ペリカン
6. まだ
7. テーマ(Instrumental)

Haruomi Hosono: Nokto de la Galaksia Fervojo (Night on the Galactic Railroad)

Over the course of my small years in blogging, I've avoided posting a lot of cool finds since they aren't my original files. However, with the internet and file sharing getting more restrictive and many losing their passion to share, I've felt an urge to post some albums that many wouldn't otherwise hear. My site isn't large and I don't have the chance to post as much as I'd like but hopefully I can keep the spirit alive of all the individuals who have provided me with so much joy over the years.

Nokto de la Galaksia Fervojo is the soundtrack to the meta-anime film Night on the Galactic Railroad (銀河鉄道の夜) by the amazing Haruomi Honsono. The film itself is based off the novel of the same name by renowned Japanese writer, Kenji Miyazawa. Miyazawa was interested in the obscure latin based language Esperanto and this can be seen in his novel, the film and Honsono's tracklisting. 

The film is beautifully animated, slowly paced, thought provoking and the music compliments this perfectly. While the film was slightly controversial due to director Gisaburo Sugii's decision to interpret the story with anthropomorphic cats, I still feel that Miyazawa's message of "what is true happiness?" resonates. It may not be for everyone but I recommend you give it a chance if your a fan of Honsono or want to try something new. Sugii also recently released a spiritual successor to his film adapting another of Miyazawa's novels, Guskō Budori no Denki (グスコーブドリの伝記), last year with the same art style and cats! Enjoy!

File source (Defunct): Music Blog of Saltyka and His Friends

Nokto de la Galaksia Fervojo (1985)

1. La Ceftitolo

2. Temo el la Mondo de la Fantazia Kvara Dimensio

3. Fantazio Kaj Realo

4. En Tago Serena

5. La Kanto de la Rondiro de la Steloj

6. Fantazio de Giovanni

7. La Stelfesto de Centauro

8. La Masto de 'Tenkirin'

9. La Gojo

10. La Norda Kruco

11. La Pliocena Marbordo

12. La Historio en Fantazio

13. La Harpo de la Paradizo

14. La Travida Malgojo de Giovanni

15. La Pleja Felico

16. Temo de la Adiauo

17. Kuro

18. 45 Minutoj

19. Rekviemo

20. Temo Finala- Nokto de la Galaksia Fervojo

Here is the soundtrack in its entirety

Here is the film in its entirety

Akiko Yano: ト・キ・メ・キ & BROOCH

 Here are two other albums from Ms. Yano I recently acquired from an anonymus uploader! Both a slightly more stripped albums with more focus on Yano and her piano. While ト・キ・メ・キ holds her more familiar sound, BROOCH is a more eclectic/avantgarde tribute to french composers. The album isn't for everyone but I do think it has some really enjoyable tracks and any fan of hers' should check it out. More reposts and such will be on their way but I may be without internet for a short period of time so it may not be until later in the month. Thanks to all my steady visitor and any newcomers. Comments are always appreciated! Enjoy!



ト・キ・メ・キ (1978)

1. こどもたち
2. カタルンカララン
3. ウオーサオー
4. TWO ON THE STAGE
5. 大きな石\
6. アンダンテ・カンタービレ
7. やめるわけにゃいかないわ
8. ヨ・ロ・コ・ビ
9. ト・キ・メ・キ

やめるわけにゃいかないわ



BROOCH (1986)

1. ゆめのよる
2. 小まどから
3. リンゴ
4. はこ
5. From (Piety)
6. Beau Soir (Beautiful Evening)
7. Pastorale (Pastoral)
8. Vorfruhling (Eariest Spring)
9. The Owl and the Pussy-Cat
10. Chanson Francaise (French Song)
11. Chevaux de Bois (Wooden Horses)
12. Die Wetterfahne (The Vane)
13. Il Pleure dans mon Cosur (Tears Fall in my Heart)
14. Voici que le Printemps (Here is Spring)
15. Die Forelle (The Trout)
16. Der Lindenbaum (The Linden-Tree)
17. Standchen (Serenade)
18. La Temps a Laissie son Manteau (Did Time Now his Mantle hath Doffed)

Akiko Yano: ELEPHANT HOTEL

Another great album from Ms. Akiko Yano. Enjoy!

ELEPHANT HOTEL (1994)

1. 愛があれば?

2. ME AND MY SEA OTTER

3. サヨナラ

4. 街

5. 夢のヒヨコ

6. PIPOCA

7. OH DAD

8. すばらしい日々

9. STRING OF PEARLS

10. にぎりめしとえりまき

11. ELEPHANT HOTEL

12. FRIENDS AGAIN

13. てぃんさぐぬ花

Akiko Yano: SUPER FOLK SONG & LOVE IS HERE

Big storm may be coming into South Korea tomorrow night....here's to hoping it doesn't do any significant damage! Enjoy!

SUPER FOLK SONG (1992)

1. SUPER FOLK SONG

2. 大寒町

3. SOMEDAY

4. 横顔

5. 夏が終わる

6. HOW I CAN I BE SURE

7. MORE AND MORE AMOR

8. スプリンクラー

9. おおパリ

10. それだけでうれしい

11. 塀の上で

12. 中央線

13. PRAYER

LOVE IS HERE (1993)

1. CHILDREN IN THE SUMMER

2. SHENADOAH

3. TIME IS

4. YOU'RE NOT HERE (IN NY)

5. LIVING WITH YOU

6. I AM A DOG

7. あなたには言えない (CAN'T TELL YOU)

8. CALLING YOU

9. "湖のふもとでまだ猫と暮らしている (DOWN BY THE LAKE, STILLLIVING WITH MY CAT)"

10. LOVE IS

Akiko Yano: LOVE LIFE

This is will begin the posts of six new albums from Ms. Akiko Yano. Funny enough they are all her LPs from the 90's. More to come in addition and I am almost nearly finished with requests! Enjoy!

LOVE LIFE (1991)

1. BAKABON

2. 釣りに行こう（WHY DON'T WE GO FISHING）

3. THE LETTER

4. ANGLER'S SUMMER

5. スナオになりたい。（I WANT TO BE SUNAO）

6. "湖のふもとでねこと暮らしている（DOWN BY THE LAKE,LIVING WITH MY CAT）"

7. SAYONARA～CHEROKEE

8. いいこ　いいこ（GOOD GIRL）

9. 愛はたくさん（LOTS OF LOVE）

10. LOVE LIFE

Masami Tsuchiya: Time Passenger, Mod'Fish & 森の人～Forest People

Woke up this morning with tonsillitis, so no work today but I'm missing the school field trip. At least I have a day to rest up a bit. So here are the remainder of Masami Tsuchiya's works. Time Passenger, his last solo effort of the 80's, has a distinct middle eastern theme with the album including quite a bit more experimental instrumentation then his previous efforts. However it still holds a familiar "Masami" sound and compliments his career up till that point. Shortly afterwards, he moved to London and it would be nearly a decade before he would release the Mod'Fish EP. With the exception of two tracks, Mod'Fish travels into bold new territories for Masami with a "electronic avant-pop" sound. This is not surprising, as many of his peers had already explored this territory earlier in the decade. I feel though, Mod'Fish utilizes the distinct 90's drum&bass samples heard in much of the "trip-hop/experimental electronica" giving it kind of like a "Masami meets Massive Attack" feel. Masami then moved further down the road of electronic experimentation with the "environmental/fantasy themed" 森の人～Forest People. In some ways I think its the most experimental album in his entire catalog and what started on Mod'Fish really finds its home on this album. He even get some help from friends, Mick Karn and Atsushi Sakurai! Sadly, he has not released any more solo material since this point. However as of 2008, he has been a member of the group "VITAMIN-Q featuring ANZA" but I hope that someday soon we will get at least one more Masami album. Enjoy!

Time Passenger (1989)

1. MIND FRICTION

2. LADY ROXY

3. 太陽とラムセス

4. 水鏡

5. ラヴ・ラヴ・ラヴ

6. UNDER THE BAD SIGN

7. 詩人達の血

8. TIME PASSENGER

9. VELVET FLOWER

Mod'Fish (1997)

1. Sea Monstar

2. Frank

3. Mod' Fish

4. Welcome

5. Alexis

Mick Karn on bass

森の人～Forest People (1998)

1. 森のプレリュード

2. 真夏の夜の森

3. 森の天使

4. 雨の森の人

5. ガラスの森

6. 南の森の出来事

7. ボジョレー氏の森

8. 黒い森

9. 森になる日

10. 小さな森の人

11. ローズマリーの森

12. 森の妖精のメッセージ

Atsushi Sakurai on vocals

Akiko Yano: はじめてのやのあきこ

This will be the last Akiko Yano post for a while (at least until I can get a hold of more). A short mini album of sorts featuring subdued duet versions of some of her biggest songs. Good listen. Enjoy!

はじめてのやのあきこ (2006)

1. 自転車でおいで (feat. Noriyuki Makihara)

2. 中央線 (feat. Oda Kazumasa)

3. PRESTO (Acoustic Version)

4. ごはんができたよ (feat. YUKI)

5. 架空の星座 (feat. Yōsui Inoue)

6. ひとつだけ (feat. Kiyoshirō Imawano)

7. そこのアイロンに告ぐ (feat. Hiromi Uehara) ※〈特殊紙パッケージ仕様〉