Lewisite - タイムトラベラー 7" (Cragale, 1985)

Tracklisting

Side A

タイムトラベラー (Time Traveller)

Side B

Japanese Title

Japanese Title 

(unfortunately, these two song titles were printed very small, so I was not able to transcribe the kanji)

Delightful, delicate synth-pop from Lewisite, who only 2 years prior to this gem released the really abrasive "Siteseeing" EP, also on Cragale. I love both Jekyll and Hyde in this case, but I'm far more apt to whistle "Time Traveller", a flawless pop song that I can even imagine being an anime theme circa '85. Side B's no slacker either, delivering two more charmers in less than 4 minutes. Don't be surprised if these get stuck your head...

Download.

3F=C - と・ま・ど・い 7" flexi (R.B.F., 1984)

Tracklisting

Side A

りんご (Ringo, trans. "Apple")

ばなな (Banana)

へび (Hebi, trans. "Snake")

とろっこ (Torokko, trans. "Wagon")

ときめき (Tokimeki, trans. "Crush")

Here's the sole 7" from 3F=C, a girl-girl duo consisting of Noriko on bass and Sumiko (also in the band Kyah) on guitar. The two craft a breed of bare-bones pop songs that reminds me of the UK DIY scene and its offspring, namely Young Marble Giants, etc. Each song is great, but "Tokimeki" really tops it, sounding to me like what might play in '50s-style diners on the sunken isle of Atlantis. This was actually one of the first "indies" items I obtained, and it's still one of my all-time favorites!

Enjoy!

Download.

Agencement - untitled LP (Pico, 1986)

Tracklisting

Side A

Untitled

Side B

Untitled

Here's something a bit more challenging after a streak of comparatively more palatable postings. Agencement is the solo project of Hideaki Shimada, a violinist who became interested in European improv music in the late 70's before releasing his recordings at the suggestion of noise artist Masami Akita (Merzbow). The music falls squarely between those two camps, and is both "free" and utterly purgatorial.
This particular LP (released in an edition of 300) contains two side-long recordings of scrawling violin, sputtering away without variation or direction. Side A is acoustic solo violin, while side B features Shimada layering and electronically manipulating multiple recordings, resulting in a cacophonous din of squeaking, scattering noise.
Completely bleak and austere, so if you find it impenetrable, save it for one of those days where you feel like staring into the abyss.
Shimada's artwork deserves special note. The back cover of the LP showcases some seriously impressive work, complementing the music perfectly in a way similar to the alien hieroglyphs adorning Mick Barr's Orthrelm albums. Upon very close inspection, one can faintly make out contorted faces, bizarre appendages and arcane symmetrical edifices, conjoined in massive clouds that I imagine stretch beyond the edges in an infinite, hellish universe.

Download.

PTA's - Tiger / Fukumen Toshi 7" (Cragale, 1986)

Tracklisting

Side A

Tiger

Side B

Fukumen Toshi
   

Released on Cragale in 1986, this is (as far as I know) the last PTA's release. Some of the same rollicking post-punk present on "New Songs" is here, though very much "reigned in" after having 5 years to become instrumentally proficient. Not such a good thing though, as I found their meandering, one-note strategies to be the totality of their charm, but the good isn't completely gone. The call and response elements of "Tiger" are fun, and the admittedly Edge-like guitarisms of "Fukumen Toshi" paired up with some archetypal Japanese melodies works for me in doses. Worth checking out, though possibly past it's prime.
 

Download.

P.T.A's - New Songs 7" flexi (Cragale, 1981)

Tracklisting

Side A
Ishizue
Nagai Owakare

Side B
3 - K

Here's the first release from this gender-balanced group on the excellent and diverse Cragale imprint. Skeletal and motorik post-punk grooves with eerie, wispy melodies above and woozy abstract rustlings threatening to blow the supports. Sinister, edge-of-your-seat stuff -- and their best recording, I say!

Download.