Big Music Week In Tokyo Next Week

Next week is a big week—a slew of exciting musical events are happening in Tokyo.

Firstly, and most importantly, advantage Lucy’s new album, Echo Park, is coming out on Wednesday. As soon as the record shop opens I’ll go in and buy the CD and spend the day swimming in the new music by the brilliant pop band, my favorite.

Thursday is one of those tough choice days. In one part of the city, at the Harajuku Astro Hall, sweet-voiced tenor Toshiaki Yamada’s band Gomes The Hitman will be doing a solo show. But not too far away on the same night, the girl band the Clicks will be playing at the Futago-Tamagawa Pink Noise club, along with a band I’m interested in called falsies on heat. This will be the second to last Clicks show in Tokyo before they officially split up. Which to see? I probably won’t have an answer until Thursday around 5 in the evening, a couple of hours before the show.

Friday night, Good Dog Happy Men, the band led by former Burger Nuds singer Masaaki Monden, is playing at the Koenji Club Liner. The late Burger Nuds was a band that could make your blood pump faster while also stimulating your brain synapses, and I’m curious what sort of band GDHM will turn into.

Saturday night at the Yoyogi Zher the Zoo is a rare live show by Luminous Orange, the outstanding shoe-gazer rock unit of female vocalist/guitarist Rie Takeuchi. She says she was inspired by bands like the Pale Saints, My Bloody Valentine and Sonic Youth, and you can hear the influences in the band’s music, though Takeuchi works from those to create an emotional and melodic sound that is like no other’s. The infrequency of Luminous Orange’s shows (a few times at most a year) makes it crucial to try to catch this one.

Sunday is difficult decision time again. On the one hand, K.O.G.A. Records pop-rock band Jimmy Pops, another good band that hardly ever plays live, is appearing at the Shimokitazawa Basement Bar. But performing on the same night at the Club Liner is a band I know almost nothing about, from the southern city of Fukuoka, called Bambino Radio, and even though I know nothing about them I have a strong feeling they should be good. Just look at that picture of them (at the top)! Two girls plus a guy drummer wearing a red mask with horns!! And this trio from the island of Kyushu is supposed to play "cute" pop music! If nothing else they should be interesting.

Sometimes I wish I could be at two places at once.