A big part of what makes any music scene vibrant is constant change. It’d be easy to pack a Nihongaku Radio episode full of Polysics, X Japan, Boom Boom Satellites, The Pillows and my other favorites. It’s far more interesting though, to scour the internet looking for the next Japanese band I’ve never heard of. To that end, I’ve jam-packed this episode full of bands that I’ve only just discovered. From the one-and-done album by now defunct rockers Bastetone to J-Pop royalty Dreams Come True, this episode is full of music I’d never heard only a few weeks ago.

And while we’re on the subject of discovery, I’ve got to give major props to our guest host for this episode. Mr. Brian Clark has been systematically translating lyrics and interviews with his favorite band, The Yellow Monkey, over at his site onemillionpower.com. In this way, he’s doing his part to ensure that Western fans have a place to go not only to understand the meaning of The Yellow Monkey’s lyrics, but to understand that context and inner workings of the dudes who make up this band. Who knows, maybe his work will lead to you discovering The Yellow Monkey is your favorite band too. Either way, he’s doing some very important work to make Japanese music and bands are more accessible for those that don’t speak Japanese.

If you’re into reading about Japanese bands, interviews with Japanese video game developers, and other forms of translated awesomeness, be sure and visit Brian Clark’s site onemillionpower.com. You can also follow him on Twitter @BClarkOMP. And in case you weren’t convinced that he is a dude worth following, here’s a video of a talk he gave at Magfest about video games featuring Japanese musicians. Did you know there was an X Japan Sega Saturn game!? I uh…may have to go get a Sega Saturn right now!

Have you got a request? Hit up Nihongaku on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook, and let me know what you want to hear! Also, please consider leaving a comment on Apple Podcasts. It would really help getting Nihongaku Radio to more listeners. Thanks!

Nihongaku Radio Episode 66

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“Kireigoto” – Bastetone (Buy It!)
“Ain’t Nothing” – Back Drop Bomb (Buy It!)
“Jun toumeishounen” – Yorushika (Buy It!)

Break: “Mansion” – DJ Abo + DJ 1-2 (Buy It!)

“Resonance” – Passepied (Buy It!)
“Tsuretette Tsuretette” – Dreams Come True (Buy It!)
“Move On” – Blu-Swing (Buy It!)

Break: “Case Closed” – DJ Abo + DJ 1-2 (Buy It!)

“Naive” – Asoboism (Buy It!) For more Asoboism, check out Nihongaku Radio Episode 65.
“Himitsu” – Chelmico (Buy It!)
“Port Island” – Tsudio Studio (Buy It!)

Break: “Motel” – Masafumi Takada / Jun Fukuda (Buy It!)

“Rock Star” – The Yellow Monkey (Buy It!)
“Burn” – The Yellow Monkey (Buy It!)
“Love Homme” – The Yellow Monkey (Buy It!)

Break: “Spiritual State” – Nujabes (Buy It!)

“Dreams” – Romantic Mode (Buy It!) By the way, a ton of Gundam music is out on streaming platforms.