Lights & Rhythm

Movie Review

Kanseitou (管制塔, Control Tower) 2011

Directed by: Takahiro Miki

Takahiro is well known for his music videos for popular Japanese musicians and had his first feature film debut in 2010 with his live-action adaptation of Asano Inio’s manga “Solanin” which is both one of my favorite movies and manga. That alone is enough to pull me in but there's more!

Inspired after Takahiro hearing it performed live, the film “Kanseitou” is loosely based on the song of the same name by Japanese rock band, Galileo Galilei who recently have been climbing their way to being one of my favorite bands. I also recommend giving them a listen!

The song, lead singer Yuuki Ozaki says, was written “…about those feelings we had as teenagers, battling against an overwhelming sense of hopelessness as time inevitably ticks on.”

Summary:

Starring Ai Hashimoto (Confessions) & Kento Yamazaki (Clone Baby)

The film takes place in the northern most part of Japan in Galileo Galilei’s hometown of Wakkanai. Shot entirely in the middle of a cold Hokkaido winter, the film tells the story of “a pair of teenagers who fall in love and how the two alienated, directionless youths find their place in life through music.”

The film which premiered in April earlier this year is now set to have it's London premiere at The Raindance Film Festival on October 9th. Be on the lookout for it's DVD release soon!

[Check out the preview!]

"NTP (ㄴㅌㅍ)" - The Melancholics.

Hey guys, so this is my friend's band, The Melancholics. They're an up-and-coming Seattle-based, Korean indie/rock band and just released their first EP, The Lonely Astronaut. I first saw them perform at Kollaboration Seattle last October, and since then Jesse Oh, their vocalist, has kept me up-to-date with their latest songs and gigs. I haven't been able to see The Melancholics lately, but just by listening to this song (my favorite from the EP) I'm really excited for more! 

It'd be great if you could help support their music by buying their digital EP ($5!), or even just a few songs ($1 each)!

STRAIGHTENER

To counterbalance my last music post I thought I'd go back to my usual taste this time haha.

I've had this album on repeat all day. Why not share right?

So here it is. STRAIGHTENER with their self titled 14th studio album.

01. A Long Way To Nowhere 02. Pleiades* 03. Vandalism -Prototype- 04. Kingmaker 05. You And I 06. Leap In The Dark 07. Koori No Kuni No Byakuya 08. Silly Parade 09. Cry* 10. Prologue 11. Hitsuji No Mure Ha Oka Wo Noboru* 12. Vanish -Prototype-

(the ones marked with * are my favorites)

Some of you who follow my personal blog may have seen some of my posts about these guys but for those of you who haven't or aren't sure of my music taste in general, STRAIGHTENER is an Indie/Alternative Japanese Rock band that have been around since 1998 and are one of Japans biggest names in the Rock scene. They also happen to be one of my all time favorite bands and one of my biggest music influences. 

The 4 man band consists of Atsushi Horie(v/g/k), Shinpei Nakayama(d), Hidekazu Hinata(b), and Jun Ooyama(g)

I definitely recommend giving them a listen.

-K☆z

"꽃처럼 한철만 사랑해 줄 건 가요" - Lucia (feat. Epitone Project)

Like a flower, are you only going to love me for one season?

Found this while searching up more Pastel Music artists (my favorite label) :). Beautiful and enchanting animation, with a very touching (expectedly, as beautiful and sad) story. The mix of jazz with a children's story-like progression of piano and vocals is reminiscent of pastel picture books I had as a kid and the music my mom would play while she read them to me. Enjoy. :)

"キッチンへようこそ (feat. ACO)" - Nabowa

Nabowa is a Kyoto-based organic Jam band composed of violinist Hiraku Yamamoto, bassist Itaru Horikawa, guitarist Kanade Kageyama, and djembe/percussionist Yu Kawakami. 

Most of their music is instrumental, so I was skeptical about a featured artist at first. However, ACO's vocals are a perfect choice for キッチンへようこそ's chillout sound. The way that her voice fades within and through the instruments really harmonizes well with Nabowa's theme of "chillout/jam" blend -- without overpowering it like some featured artists tend to do. Though ACO's solo work is very raw and sultry (not really my music), her talent really shines in her ability to emulate this different style so nostalgically and beautifully. Their music always reminds me of journeys at sunset, and this song was no disappointment to that feeling.

The Best of Jazzin for Ghibli.

A must have for all the Ghibli fans out there. This is a remix album featuring Studio Ghibli tracks with a twist of Jazz & Hip Hop. 

If you've watched most of the Ghibli films, I'm sure you'll be able to recognize some of the tracks that have been remixed. A favorite on the album is the One Summer's Day remix by Dj Sly.

Download the album here.