Blog - September 2012 Archives

September 2012 Archives

Index

.30 Weekly revue: 2012 week #39 (September 22 to 28)
.22 Weekly revue: 2012 week #38 (September 15 to 21)
.15 Weekly revue: 2012 week #37 (September 8 to 14)
.08 Weekly revue: 2012 week #36 (September 1 to 7)
.01 Weekly revue: 2012 week #35 (August 25 to 31)

September 30, 2012

Weekly revue: 2012 week #39 (September 22 to 28)

Event: On September 22 at the Suginami City Office in Asagaya was an event with table-tennis Olympic medalist Fukuhara Ai (aka Ai-chan). Ai-chan was named one-day chief of the Suginami police station, in order to promote road traffic safety. She was there with Tokyo police mascot Pipo-kun, and there was a performance by the Suginami Wind Orchestra. (See the video I took below.)

Food: - Thai green curry at Plikk Kee Noo, Asagaya
- Sri Lankan dinner at Court Lodge
- Good bacon cheeseburger at Fire House, Hongō
- Healthy Japanese-style dinner set at Shōchikudō, Hongō

New music: I dropped by a small thrift shop in Ogikubo, and looking at me was a CD by Maeda Norio & Tin Pan Alley. I had seen the same on vinyl a few weeks before and was curious about it, so this meant I just had to get it. "Soul Samba Holiday In Brazil" is an album of bossa/samba covers with lots of great synths, and also Hosono Haruomi's band!

MAEDA Norio & Tin Pan Alley "Soul Samba Holiday In Brazil"

Playlist: hitomitoi, Chiroline ver. 2, Wack Wack Rhythm Band, frenesi, Nakatsuka Takeshi, Justice, Dorian, ...

Music release news: Mizuka, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, elect-link, Yakushimaru Etsuko, Vanilla Beans DVD, MEG, JOKEMIC, Nosa Reina, Yashiro Aki

Tech: Went to YAPC::Asia2012 ("Yet Another Perl Conference") on Friday, and saw several interesting talks, including one by Perl inventor Larry Wall who taught us some Perl code from the future (Perl 6).

This week's videos:

Suginami Wind Orchestra at Suginami City Office
(Pipo-kun and Fukuhara Ai on right)

Yakushimaru Etsuko "Lonely Planet (Post A)" (feat. Oyamada Keigo (Cornelius))

September 22, 2012

Weekly revue: 2012 week #38 (September 15 to 21)

Food: Lots of great food!
- Poulet yassa at African-style restaurant Los Barbados in Shibuya
- Sanma (Pacific saury) and tōgan (winter melon) curries, eggplant sambar and sweet potato biryani, at Tapir in Shin-Okubo
- "Cheese café" event at Fromagerie Alpage in Karugazaka
- Moules, smoked salmon open sandwich and charcuteries entrée, at Gontran Cherrier in Shibuya
- Had horse meat (raw and cooked) with colleagues at Baniku Shokudō Sakura in Nakano

Music event: Since album "gendai"'s release I had been very excited about seeing Frenesi live again! I went to her school-themed release party at Shibuya WWW of which you can read the details in my homework. :)

New music: - I got Kaseki Cider's new album "Mr. City Pop". Only had a few listens so far and it's growing on me a bit slower than the previous ("Sound Burger Planet"), but I like it! It will be getting more heavy rotation in the following weeks.

Music release news: J.A.M, Urbangarde, marino with Teapot Orchestra, Calmera, "Vee Jay no yoru Jazz" (compilation by Sunaga Tatsuo)

Playlist: Dorian, Kaseki Cider, Teams, Necozawa Emi & Sphinx

This week's videos:

Breakbot (Ed Bangar) released his album in chocolate! It's sold at Colette in Paris.

E-Pak-Sa live on stage at a festival this year. Good to see young people enjoying him (not just grandmas as it's often the case).

September 15, 2012

Weekly revue: 2012 week #37 (September 8 to 14)

Food: Went to the Sri Lanka Festival at Yoyogi Park on Sunday, and had some good rice & curry and a fish roti! Lots of people! We found relatives of an old man who came to talk to us when we visited Ella (Sri Lanka) last year, and gave them a photo from then, which they said they'll forward to him. :)

Music event: I went to Tower Records Shinjuku on Monday for a promotion event of releases from the Valb Label. There were mini-live shows of Recto Berso, Chiroline ver.2 (I love their album "Chit Chat Chiroline"!), and producer Okada Tohru (Moonriders) joined with his accordion for one song. Chiroline ver.2 were very cute! They sang "tochū ni shite ne" (video) and unreleased song "sonna Banana".
See photos here: Recto Verso, Chiroline ver.2, and all of them.

Music release news: Crazy Ken Band (2 mix CDs & DVD), "Tokyo Crossover Night 2012" (Okino Shūya (Kyoto Jazz Massive)), Kaoru Inoue, Kaseki Cider

Playlist: Chiroline ver.2, Misswonda, frenesi, Recoride, hitomitoi,

This week's video: Tokumaru Shugo "Decorate" (single info here)

September 8, 2012

Weekly revue: 2012 week #36 (September 1 to 7)

Food: - Had a great and cheap lunch at Brasserie Gus in Kagurazaka (actually closer to Ushigome-Kagurazaka). Their ¥1050 lunch includes an entrée and main dish. I had terrine and duck confit.
- Bought some great French cheese at Alpage, Kagurazaka.

Music events: - On September 2, I went to Billboard Live for the first time to see hitomitoi! I have been so much into her latest album "City Dive" that I wanted to see this show very badly. It was awesome of course! See my full report.

- The next day, Monday September 3, I went to see a free show by J.A.M at Aoyama Spiral. J.A.M is a piano/bass/drums jazz unit formed of members of Soil & "Pimp" Sessions. They played songs from their upcoming album "Jazz Acoustic Machine" (out Sept. 19). All three of them were great, but I was especially impressed by drummer Midorin.

J.A.M

New music: - Since its release I've been listening only to frenesi's new album "gendai"! It's absolutely up to my expectations, and contains a lot of great songs! Currently my favorites are "Pure Shampoo" (video below), "jōbutsu sasete yo", "Die-in", "Bob Imagination",... and the cover of Inn Japan's "onigashima" which sounds very different from the original (YouTube). Well all the tracks are great! I really can't wait for her release party next Saturday!

Music release news: Tokumaru Shūgo, Keiko (Delicatessen Lab), Julia Oki

Playlist: hitomitoi, capsule, Chiroline ver.2, Sunahara Yoshinori,.. and frenesi, frenesi, frenesi, frenesi...

This week's videos:

frenesi "Pure Shampoo"

Perfume "Fake It"

September 1, 2012

Weekly revue: 2012 week #35 (August 25 to 31)

Food: - Napoli-style pizza at Massimottavio, Eifukuchō
- Cold curry soup on the rice (hiyajiru) at Tapir, Shin-Ōkubo
- Last Sunday Bake Shop for a little while, it will be closed for all of September

Art: Checked out a large pumpkin installation by Kusama Yayoi at Shinjuku NS bldg. Until this Sunday Sept. 2 (info).

Music release news: Nanba Shiho, Chocolat & Akito, Cornelius, Idiot Pop

Playlist: hitomitoi, Dorian, Scooters, dahlia, Mark Robinson, Span class="jfn">Kinbara Chieko, Aira Mitsuki, Chiroline ver.2, Miyauchi Yūri, erectricmole, "Crue-L Café"