I'm listening to them now and quite liking what I hear. Kind of a similar vibe to Base Ball Bear and winnie, just without the continuously present male vocalist, of course... and more relaxed. Actually, it reminds me of advantage Lucy a little bit, too... just with weirder lyrics. :P
Interesting that they're so against pictures of them being online... I wonder if it has anything to do with the concept that I've tossed around, of music needing to be enjoyed entirely on a musical basis, without an artist's "image" coming into play. They are talented though, so I wonder what they'll do if they ever go major and "need" to make a PV...?
One of my friend, Korean of course, is already a big fan of them. (Been a long time since I left a comment here, btw) Didn't know about their secrecy policy though. I am going to Osaka for a couple days this August, for Summersonic.
I've been recommended this band by two different people in the last couple of weeks, both with radically different musical backgrounds, so I'm a bit curious.
The no photos rule is a bit naff though. I rarely take photos of bands anyway, but the fact they feel they need to make a point out of it doesn't rub well with me.
I remember getting a phone call from the girl singer of a band I know well, asking me to remove a video of her from my YouTube account because her boss had threatened to fire her unless videos of her being a crazy psycho punk were removed from the net (you were at the gig so I think you can guess which band this was!) There's also a girl singer of a very popular punk band in Japan whose parents don't actually know she's in a band, which may be part of the reason her face is always concealed on their promo material.
Anyway, some people clearly have reasons why they don't like images of themselves circulating. Still, it's kind of an occupational hazard for musicians, and issuing blanket bans like this smacks of either gimmickry or pretension. Let's hear their reasons for it.
So it is true that they're getting attention...
hi pengie, your comparisons are interesting. I was reminded most of a band named Cecil. The vocalist has the same sort of mellow, soft singing voice. Ever listen to them? Their lyrics, however, are concerned with everyday things, rather than SF fantasies and so on.
Maybe Soutaiseiriron are keeping themselves hidden for 'music for music's sake'-type reasons, as you say. If that's the case, though, it wouldn't hurt for them to explain themselves...
wonyul, good to hear from you! I might try to join you in Osaka.
ian, I can guess which band you're talking about, yes. That sort of thing is funny--why are people doing public performances in front of total strangers if they are afraid of being exposed??
In any case, yes, you should check them out (their videos are on youtube), and, yes, they should explain why they are choosing to stay invisible, but, they don't allow interviews, so it may be hard to get the word out even if they decide to...
Perhaps something like:
"We want our music to speak for itself and hope our audience think so too. To that end we politely request that our fans refrain from taking photos at our concerts and avoid posting our pictures on the Internet."
Not difficult to put a note like this on a web site.
Anyway, I listened to what they had on their web site and they sounded alright. I'll dig out some of their stuff on YouTube when I have more time.
Just had a listen to half a dozen or so of their songs. I can see why people recommended them to me -- very 80s guitar sound on a lot of their songs that reminds me of The Monochrome Set, early Aztec Camera and Orange Juice, which are all bands I love.
It's hard to explain, but they don't *sound* all that mysterious though. I mean, with a band like Guided By Voices, who were really mysterious when they first appeared, you can sort of hear the mystery in their early recordings, but Soutaiseiriron just come across as kind of *nice*. Which I suppose is even more mysterious, in a way.
I've also been recommended these guys by a few people, and I'm curious but I have yet to check them out.
I've just learnt that they'll be playing at this year's World Happiness, so it might be a good occasion to see what they look like.
http://www.tokyogigguide.com/gig...igs/details/
867
Personally I don't mind a singer who doesn't move as long as the band as a whole can make the right sounds on stage. 
i'm pretty sure you don't remember me, but i wrote on a post a month ago about seeing shows. i didn't realize you responded and i'm thankful you did. i really just threw out a line and hoped for the best, so thanks for being so approachable--and for the links.
i'm going to get to the shibuya show, so if you end up going i'd love to see you there. i'm traveling with a friend of mine but we don't know anyone else so it really would be awesome to meet somebody new.
i did check out the tokyo gig guide, but it felt so intimidating. i've been here for half a week and it still feels like i need to get my bearings straight --it helps that i have a solid destination in mind.
also, i followed the link to your online radio station and it was pretty awesome. spangle call lilli line?
if you get a chance to write back, i'd love to know more bands that are just like that song, and if any are playing during the rest of april.
thanks!!
Hey Ken,
I've been a regular visitor to your site for the past, umm, year? But anyway, I had a chance to go Takamatsu/Osaka almost a month back, and I went to Tower near Namba in Osaka. There I came across this album called "Hi-Fi Anatomia". Since I can't read much Japanese, I thought that was the name of the band, with 33:21 being the album name. I sampled some songs, I really liked it, but for some reason I didn't buy it. I even wrote "Hi-Fi Anatomia" down, hoping I'd get more info later when I scourged the net. Now that I know a bit more about them, I'm kind of regretting not getting the album. I might have to CD Japan it one day.
Actually, I just wanted to say thanks for all the stuff you post here. But a few extra words never hurt anyone 
.
ian, I'd say they are more quirky than mysterious. Yeah, good music though.
Patrick, ah, they're performing with YMO and Chara, thanks for the info. That doesn't sound like my type of event, however, so I doubt I will go to it (too big, artists too established, etc.). But I'd be interested in your report if you do attend!
genn, Good to hear from you. Which Shibuya show do you mean? I'm going to the O-Nest show on Wednesday.
I would say, don't feel intimidated by these clubs, and just go and show up to the events. Unless they're sold out (which is pretty rare), you should be able to get in and have fun. SCLL, as far as I know, isn't playing soon, unfortunately...
Amol, Thanks very much for your kind comment. No, they certainly don't hurt--they make it all feel worthwhile, in fact. Many thanks. And yes, I'd recommend the album despite the weirdness of the band's publicity policy. Where are you based, by the way? Interesting that you visited Osaka.
I'm Indian living in California . I plan to do study abroad for my Bachelor's and get my Masters in Japan.
melt banana right? hopefully you can recognize me if i get to make it. i am shorter than most people, quite round in the face and bottom [but i'm not a midget]; i smile a lot. i guess i'll have something purple on me. it's unfortunate i have a very plain wardrobe.
i'm making a point to go out there because i haven't yet experienced the nightlife. do you think it will go on late? i need to get to uraga before 2300--or do you know any good places to stay for an evening? maybe this is much too late for a timely answer?
in any case, hope to see you there!
genn
great article on the mysterious theory of relativity. amazing the difference in their sound between albums. wondering if the 3rd cd will be more of the same as hi-fi or will they change again, like a chameleon .
They aren't faceless per se they just know how to present themselves. The fact that we are talking about why there aren't many pictures of them floating around on the net is proof of that. There could be lots of reasons for why they don't have pictures up. I suggest asking them: mirairecords@hotmail.co.jp
The fact that the lead singer is *seemingly* the least passionate of the band on stage is a nice change of pace since music is often times a cult of personality focused almost solely on the singer. The fact that she is nearly motionless is more entrancing and interesting than the lead singer losing their mind bouncing off the walls on stage. Her stage presence is in stark contrast to the guys in the band who were in full on rock and roll attack mode in the back. The show I went to was brilliant. Perhaps one of the best I've ever been to.
I have a write up which you can read at the link above.
Also, Hi-Fi Anatomia isn't their first album. シフォン主義 (Chiffon Doctrine) is their first album.
If you have a chance to see them, please do. The show is definitely not as bad as some might make it seem.
Great blog by the way. I will be adding it to my blogroll.
Hi Jordan,
Thanks a lot for a thought-provoking rebuttal to my post (and also for your nice words). The idea that the band is trying to avoid making the singer into a cult-of-personality figure is especially interesting.
I still don't like their media strategy--I prefer bands with a face and personality--but, that said, I'm interested in how this band evolves. If they continue making albums that are this good maybe I'll become converted. And, yeah, it might be worth seeing them live, though I'm not sure whether for me it's worth the effort needed to get a ticket to one of their sold-out shows...
Oh, and I meant this is their first 'full-length' album, Chiffon only containing 5 songs (that makes me think of it as an EP or a mini-album). Think I'll clarify that in the post.
Cheers again.
Fair enough. I didn't know much about them other than a post I saw on another blog. The second I heard the music I was all about it. When I saw the show (all 20 minutes that I did see) it left me wanting more. Let's go hit up a show if/when you are in Tokyo!
Sounds good, though I'm out of town now.
They played at Loft last night and though I couldn't go to the gig, I saw their soundcheck because I had to go there to meet the organisers. As you say, they were almost completely motionless on stage with the guitarist sitting on a chair while he played and the singer just standing with her arms by her side and occasionally bending down to drink water.
If they're trying to avoid a cult of personality building around the singer, they're going to wrong way about it though. The singer had her hands rolled back into her sleeves in a sort of faux-childish way and she has a lolita-doll vibe about her that'll set otaku hearts fit to burst.
The musicianship was tight to the point of obsession, so if one were being charitable, you could say the icy onstage demeanour was down to sheer concentration. Personally I still reckon it's a calculated image, but then what band doesn't calculate its image?
Commenting by HaloScan
