TOSHIYA TSUNODA AND THE SOUNDS OF DARK ECOLOGY

There is now so much discussion about how the relationship between humans and the rest of nature have deteriorated that terms like 'anthropocene extinction' have been coined to describe the extent of the impact of human activity on the environment. The idea is that human activity is not only evidenced by the amount of pollution being produced and the impact of global warming on rising sea levels but also the impact of human activity on  earth events like the earthquakes in Oklahoma. 

Music and the arts have always explored the relationship between humans and the rest of nature. In As You Like It Shakespeare refers to 'Sermons in Stones' which could be the subtitle given to Richard Skelton's book set in the Lake District Beyond the Fell Wall. Now, as human activity is said to have become the prime driver of earth system function, there is a new sense of urgency. Human activity is the crucial element in our understanding of the environment.

This has led to a shift in how the environment is portrayed and depicted in the arts. Instead of putting Nature on a pedestal and removing all traces of human activity, it is through human activity that Nature is now being portrayed. One example of this is in the area of music and the musical exploration of the impact of human activity on the environment. Japanese sound recordist Toshiya Tsunoda has produced his 'solid vibration' recordings with an unusual approach. He uses his microphones to capture the sounds of human made infrastructure. In doing so he captures:

"in microscopic sonic detail their tightly-bound relationships with their surrounding environment - anchors, buoys, piers, road surface asphalt, all in quiet dialogue with the rock the wind, the waves and deep ocean currents." (http://thequietus.com/articles/19373-ecology-climate-change-music-art-field-recordings

This approach allows the listener to hear the impact of human activity on the world around them. They say that seeing is believing but in this case it is sound that is being used to provide a greater understanding of the impact of human activity on the environment. More detailed and informed reviews of Tsunoda's work can be read on:

Brian Olewick's blog at: http://olewnick.blogspot.com.au/2013_03_01_archive.html 

D.B. Harps blog at: http://twicezonked.blogspot.com.au/2009_04_01_archive.html

MADE IN JAPAN: SOME HIGHLIGHTS OF THE JAPANESE MUSIC SCENE

The Japanese love of music is undeniable. The stars of the music industry from overseas as well as their own industry appear everywhere. The market is such that acts like Deep Purple and Eric Clapton are still venerated today. At his peak, David Bowie appeared in ads in Japan for the Suntory whisky company. It would be hard to imagine him having done this at the time in the U.K. or else America. Those markets didn't work that way. Commercial instincts were suppressed in favour of notions such as 'not selling out'. The Japanese had no such qualms. Everything an artist does is commercial so there were no value judgements made about an artist's integrity in this sense. As Western musical trends emerged Japanese artists reworked them to reflect their own context. And the Japanese people did the same. So in the 60s, women started wearing their skirts shorter as men started wearing their hair longer. (Japanese women were not, however, given access to the pill for several more decades showing that not all aspects of a culture are equally malleable.) 

Some significant Japanese music releases since the 70s include: 

• Japanese Girl by Yano Akiko (1976) was produced by her husband Yano Makoto. The 'American' side of the LP featured Lowell George and the other members of Little Feat whilst the 'Japanese' side featured Y.M.O. member Hosono Haruomi with other Japanese musicians. Yano Akiko has had an enduring career.
• Southern All Stars, another enduring act, released Atsui Munasawagi in 1977. 
• Friction released Atsureki in 1978. Notably, this album was produced by Sakamoto Ryuichi. It is a punk album far removed from the electronica of Y.M.O..
• Yellow Magic Orchestra's Solid State Survivor was released in 1978. For many, this group, featuring the amazing Sakamoto Ryuichi on keyboards is the greatest group to emerge from Japan.
• Rock band RC Succession's live album Rhapsody was released in 1980. The band's label Toshiba E.M.I. refused to release a mid-80s album because of lyrics by Imawano Kyoshiro that criticised the nuclear power industry to which Toshiba E.M.I. had commercial links.
• In 1980 Japanese wildman jazz pianist Itabashi Fmio released Watarase. In the early 1990s he played at Dr Jazz in Lygon Street, Melbourne with Dr Umezu on sax in his trio. He collapsed in the lift during the interval but came back with a swagger for the encore. 
• In 1989 funk band Kome Kome Club released 5 1/2. This band is still very popular in Japan.   
• The whimsical acoustic outfit Tama released their debut album Sandaru in 1990. They later wrote the ending theme song used for some episodes in the popular anime Chibi Maruko.
• In 1992 Japanese jazz fusion band Casiopeia recorded a live show at the Forum Theatre in Melbourne, Australia. It was released on blue ray disc under the title We Want More.
• With their origins in the alternative music scene Soul Flower Union released their first album Kamuy Ipirma in 1993 A side unit named Soul Flower Monoko Summit has produced three albums but Sony refused to publish their third album Deracine Ching Dong due to lyrics by lead singer Nakagawa Takashi that criticised the Japanese government response to an earthquake.
• Cornelius is a name that many music fans around the world are familiar with. The first album to appear under this name was First Question Award in 1994.
• In 1995, Shinohara Tomoe released the single 'Chaimu'. This attack on the senses was too much for many people!!! At the time she was overshadowed by bigger acts like Puffy and Amuro Namie not to mention the girl groups such as Morning Musume and later AKB 48. In recent times Kary Pamyu Pamyu has taken the visual aspect of Japanese girl pop that Shninohara explored to w whole new level.  
• Buffalo Daughter is a psychedelic band that has toured frequently overseas. They released Captain Vapour Athletes in 1996.
• In 1996 all girl band Shonen Knife released the album Happy Hour featuring cover art by Yoshitomo Nara. They had already been championed by Kurt Cobain leading to significant recognition overseas.
• Rock band Mr Children is a huge act in Japan and in 1996 they released Shinkai. Despite its influences from Western rock music such as Pink Floyd their success has been confined to Japan.
• Spiritual Unity an album released by Noborikawa Seijin in 2001 is an example of traditional Okinawan music that featured in the film Nabie no Koi. It is co-produced by Soul Flower Union's Nakagawa Taksahi.
• Teenage Mojo Workout was released by The 5,6,7,8's in 2001. These young women gave garage band music a sassy workover that drew the attention of Quentin Tarantino who used them on the soundtrack of Kill Bill.
• In 2001 Japanese instrumental band Mono released Under the Pipal Tree. These guys like to write epics. More than a nod to prog rock...
• In 2008 artist and singer Hara Masumi released a collection of singles  recorded between 1982 and 2000. A regular illustrator of Yoshimoto Banana's books he has a unique voice which she has often written about in her essays. 
• Internet sensation Kyary Pamyu Pamyu released her debut album Moshi Moshi Harajuku in 2011. It's all about the spectacle and Harajuku fashion...

NABIE NO KOI: TAIRA TOMI AND NOBORIKAWA SEIJIN

The Okinawan actress Taira Tomi is dead. A great comic actress, she played the title role in the 1999 comedy Nabbie no Koi directed by Nakae Yuji. This film was an off-the-wall look at an undying love. It looks at how Nabi, happily married to Keitatsu, is reunited with a man she fell in love with 60 years ago. They were forced to separate at that time because of opposition from Nabi's family. After their separation Sanra went to live in Brazil but each year Nabi wrote him a letter. At the end of the film, Nabi leaves the island together with Sanra. The film was a great hit in Japan and led to an an increased interest in the slower pace of life offered in Okinawa. There is lots of blue sky and white clouds, not to mention music and dancing. It has been noted in a number of reviews that the history of Okinawa during World War Two has been completely erased from the film. It is a film which attempts to assert the power of love and nature and the freedom of the individual over society and war. Apart from Taira Tomi, the other significant presence in the film is that of the great Okinawan sanshin player, Noborikawa Seijin, He was considered the greatest living singer of traditional Okinawan songs until his death in 2013. He also appeared in the film Hotel Hibiscus. In 2001, an album of his music was released called Spiritual Unity, which was produced by Soul Flower Union main-man Nakagawa Takeshi.