The Pen Friend Club-Songularity

Songularity is the 2nd album of all-originals from the Japanese group that arguably understands and plays American pop better than most American outfits. Their core sound which can be described as “Land of the rising sunshine pop meets California color” has earned them a devoted world-wide following. This double album of 20 songs has the ability to expand their audience even further. Songularity radiates the widest-array of styles of all of their 10 albums by spreading out the writing duties. What other 21st-century groups have been operating at the high-level standards of the mid-60s for 10 albums over 15 years?  

 

Shade
After the opening statement of “Harbinger," Niina's vocals take on a tinge of Toni Tennille of Captain & Tennille on “Got to Be Rock and Roll.” (The octet has entered a different phase this decade as the lead singer role has transitioned from Megumi to Niina.)  Next up is “Never Let You Go” that begs the question if the title was influenced by “Never Let Her Go” by David Gates? Nonetheless, it brings to mind Quincy Jones' productions of Lesley Gore, the theatrical stagings of Tchotchke and the mirage of Van Dyke Parks’ “Palm Desert.” With its exquisite arrangement and full bloom harmonies, it also sounds like it could have been culled from one the Best of Pied Piper Days volumes. The sophistication continues on “Begin Tomorrow” that falls into the Sunflower/Surf's Up/Spring-era of brother Brian. “Thelma” has immediate appeal with its blend of Bangles-ish pure pop combined with the '80s Americana of Lone Justice. Be sure to listen to the splendid banjo solo played by Yuichi Hirakawa. One of Disc 1's peak moments is “The National Bird” which allows the album to achieve lift off and soar with its ascending sound of anticipation and excitement as their sound heads off to new destinations. Additionally, its brisk pace unfurls to show off its vibrant and intricate arrangements. This could have been/or could be a Stereolab song and incorporates Eisako Otani’s tenor sax, which has always paired well with Pen Friend Club songs. The joyous “Really Feel” has all the catchiness of a TV theme song, while also somehow recalling Taeko Ohnuki’s Sunshower and the radiant Beach Boys-ish backing vocals heard on Brian Wilson’s first solo album on Sire. The striking “Die Alone,” composed by Rie Nishioka, evokes Brewer & Shipley (e.g., “I Can’t See Her”) with Alan Price of the Animals settling in on keyboards. 

Sunlight
Keyboard player Soi offers “Merry-Go-Round” which turns out to be one of the most instantly catchy songs in the PFC catalogue. “You’re the One 1965” seems like Spiral Staircase’s "More Today Than Yesterday” picnicking with “Does Anyone Reallly Know What Time It Is?” by Chicago, but belted out by Carol Connors. “Breaking Up” reopens the Brill Building as heard through retro Japanese sounds of the ‘80s like CONNY(ex.THE VENUS). "In Your Light" and “Little Life” both have a contemporary vibe, but meaning a Carly Simon/Carole King/Allee Willis kind of contemporary played on a silver stereo system between wicker furniture and under skylights, wood beams and hanging fern plants. One of the album’s deepest cuts that draws the listener in is the understated “For It’s Worthwhile.” Rie Nishioka’s composition is embellished with a banjo like those heard in those lavish and layered productions of Kaoru Sudo (須藤薫). “California Again” seems obviously inspired by the Beach Boys’ “Do It Again,” which we know as the Beach Boys rewriting the Beach Boys and always seems to work in getting listeners instantly in a good mood.  With its back to basics approach, “California Again” works on the same level. The country sounds of “Promise” is not surprising given the wide-ranging listening habits of such a large group, but it's still their first recorded foray into country. This ambling number is lead singer Niina’s composition and features an appealing twanging guitar (Fender Telecaster?) played by Yuichi Hirakawa. The title track “Songularity” is a lovely Pet Sounds-like instrumental that also reaches the musical shores of Eiichi Ohtaki and Tarao Bannai Gakudan (多羅尾伴内楽団).

Over the course of 20 songs, there is a lot to take in, but Songularity has a flow and arc to it due to its sequencing and interconnectedness. Its stylistic diversity offers several entry points for new followers, while also accommodating their long-time listeners. Guided by their collective musical knowledge, melodic instincts and togetherness, the group has maintained their sound & style based on mid-60s West Coast pop-rock, while also exploring a wider array of musical realms and sonic dimensions. Overall, Songularity is the sound of the Pen Friend Club moving forward towards their Pacific-spanning dreams.

平川雄一 Yuichi Hirakawa (guitar), そい Soi (keyboards) , 西岡利恵 Rie Nishioka (bass), Niina (lead singer), 大谷英紗子 Asako Otani (sax),中川ユミ Yumi Nakagawa (glockenspiel), 
祥雲貴行 Takayuki Sakumo (drums), リカ Ricca (acoustic guitar)
photo by 鈴木祐子 Yuko Suzuki 

Toshi Bando's Productions: Kisetsu-Fu, Flap, Silver Lake

There are really no other equivalents to these three albums brought to the world by Toshi Bando. Perhaps some private press albums recorded in Japan (e.g., Enough, Deep End, Memorial Art, Actors & Pilotis) and maybe recordings by the somewhat popular Japanese band Woodpecker could be the closest comparison points. Surprisingly, all three albums are included in the Wonder Ground Record Guide -a Japanese reference work on Japanese private press records. What makes these albums sung in Japanese truly stand apart is that they were recorded by Japanese-Americans in Los Angeles during the late ‘70s, but with an overall out-of-time sound much closer to the ‘60s. 

While the music is front and center, their backstory still remains pretty much a complete mystery. The quest to know more of the historical context and what lies behind the curtains are certainly impelling factors. These vast unknowns may heighten the allure and intrigue, but by and large the reality is always different from the imagined with attendant stories that frequently exceed expectations. It would be an honor to present the perspectives of the participants, but I try to proceed with caution as I wish to respect people's privacy in this current distraction culture where privacy and solitude are given little to no consideration.  Sometimes the best (and only) approach may be to “Fly into the Mystery” like the great Modern Lovers song and just write your own perspectives in the larger and continual search for understanding.

Toshi Bando was the prime mover and unifying factor behind these three records under three different group names: Kisetsu-Fu, Flap and Silver Lake. Not only did he compose, play (guitar & blues harp), and sing on these albums, he also produced them as well. Each release featured rotating personnel and the musicians listed on Discogs apparently only ever appeared on these three albums. Meanwhile, I can only fathom which basements or garages in Monterey Park his bands practiced in. Maybe there were other rehearsal places in perhaps Alhambra or Eagle Rock that certainly shifted with the circumstances of the times and individual situations. On a similar note, I can only speculate where they played and what types of venues. Where were the performance stages in Monterey Park, San Gabriel, Little Tokyo or Gardena?  Was there any type of Japanese-American music circuit in the late ‘70s? Did they perhaps venture into Madame Wong's in old Chinatown and open for Japanese new wave bands like the Plastics (who did play at Madame Wong's as briefly spotted in this PBS Artbound documentary).  Many mysteries abound, but we can be certain that these once buried records can now be heard thanks to enthusiasts transferring their rare vinyl and uploading them to YouTube. The time has come to further explore the sounds of what could be best described as Transpacific folk-rock psych.

Flap: Drums-Toru Nishino, Bass Guitar-Steve Sera, Guitars & Vocals-Toshi Bando
Vocals-Kikuko Murakami

All three of Bando’s albums offer highly melodic original songs embodied with Japanese musical inflections and sensibilities. The music converges both Western and Eastern influences to express Bando’s singular vision along with a larger Nisei and Shōwa-era outlook. These most welcomed consistencies flow through all three of these albums that each have their own distinctive aspects. The common thread is these records sound way more ‘60s than the decade they were actually made in, while the music is refreshingly countervailing to the hegemonic arena rock that dominated America during the late ‘70s. To be more specific, Bando enhances his folk framework built upon the bedrock foundation of the Beatles with some well chosen ‘50s & ‘60s rock & pop and blues elements.

1977’s Kisetsu-Fu – Seasonal Wind=季節風 was released only four years after Yellow Pearl (which is considered one of the earliest Asian-American records along with Dakila’s 1972’s self-titled album released on Epic Records and sung in Tagalog). The illuminating record, with a stunning label design, is most indebted to the Beatles and their solo projects, while also reflecting attractive influences ranging from American golden oldies to Japanese campus folk and perhaps traces of Okinawan folk.

Seasonal Wind  was recorded & mixed at Dirk Dalton Recording Studio A, in Santa Monica. 土佐の海 (“Sea of Tosa”) is possibly referring to the Tosa Province of Shikoku, which is the smallest of the four main islands of Japan. The song is delivered in John Lennon/George Harrison fashion and augmented with a Dylan-esque harmonica. A downcast enka-like song tinged with the blues and flute follows under the apt title 悲しい顔は似合わない (“Sad Face”) and is moody in a good way. そこを行くのは (“Hey is that You?”) rocks out in that Beatles mode when they were trying to go back to basics with “Back in the USSR.”  Ken Miyoshi (who would later appear on the Silver Lake record) drives the saxophone before Toshi Bando soon merges on the musical freeway with harmonica playing that catches up to the saxophone-making this sound like a Fleshtones song.  雨が降る (“Rain”) provides more of that solo George Harrison sound filtered through a Japanese sensibility, while the minor keyed and impassioned plea of  福?草が咲いたら(“Pheasant's Eye”) recalls “Now or Never” from Approximately Infinite Universe by Yoko Ono.

Side two starts with yang energy. 君さえいれば (“As Long as You Are Here”) hits hard with its bluesy edges and evokes the Japanese GS (Group Sounds) bands when they started going heavy. Synthesizer and electric guitar player Yutaka Uda comes to the fore with some copious wah-wah.  春はもうすぐ (“Spring Will Come Soon”) is top-tier first-rate pop that takes off on a dash driven by a chanking rhythm guitar and Beatles-esque harmonica fills. Next, 秋は淋しい(“Lonely is the Autumn”) is a yearning campus folk number at its foundation, embellished with blues runs and topped with a lovely flute solo. There is a real Eiichi Ohtaki/Niagara slant to 砂に書いたイニシャル (“Initials Written in the Sand”)-a lovely ‘50s styled song complete with triplets that would sound perfect coming from Sony pocket transistor radio. The album closes with  誕生日 (“Birthday”) that has Bando channeling his inner-John Lennon and some subdued blues guitar playing before Ken Miyoshi adds the exclamation marks of xylophone and recorder. 

Flap (1978) is a much more succinct and spartan affair presented with a much clearer production. In fact, the fidelity soars above the somewhat submerged sounding Seasonal Wind. On an interesting sidetrack, Flap was recorded at Ascot Recording Studios in Hollywood by Jim Rayton, which was where Instant Orange also recorded two of their EPs with the same engineer. (Instant Orange were an exceptional yet unsung folk-rock band from San Bernardino, California, who were influenced by the Byrds and Love!) The studio appears to still be active today in Burbank with Jim Rayton remaining at the helm. The group had truly come into its own to offer a truly distinctive sound on Flap (TBP-02).

The biggest difference is the inclusion of female vocals with the arrival of Kikuko Murakami who brought in an entirely new dimension to their sound. Murakami’s lead vocals are like the sun shining through the marine layer on their poppier songs and also lend a dreamy quality and otherworldly feel on the slower building numbers. From the limited information I could gather, her previous singing experience was with the Alhambra High School choir. She transitions well to the pop-rock idiom and proves competent singing in a variety of styles. The album starts strong and only gets better with its mostly sunny, bright and catchy melodic songs. Murakami’s vocals grace the lovely “Summer Day” that blends well with the ‘50s percolating guitar. From this number, it does sound like Bando was definitely familiar with the legendary Eiichi Ohtaki and Niagara (f)all stars. Yoko Ono and her greatest album Approximately Infinite Universe are evoked once again in the song “Letter” with its stark arrangement and strident tone. “We Can’t Go Back” brings the fuzz in a way that deserves to be heard by musician, author and Japanophile Julian Cope. The instrumental innovations of Eleki, Takeshi Terauchi and the Ventures also figure into their guitar tones and sounds. “Blue Sky” is a lovely strummy instrumental that seems to draw from the hushed third Velvet Underground album emerging from the Shadows.

Arriving like the first brisk winds of autumn, “Red Umbrella” is probably their poppiest number and falls somewhere along the folk-pop parade as the We Five, the Seekers, the Red Birds. “Love Song” showcases Murakami’s vocals before giving way to a “Pale Blue Eyes”-like epic guitar solo that lingers on like the sun setting over the Pacific. Coincidentally the album ends with a spiraling song titled “Sunset.” It’s an epic closer that reflects the indelible impact of “House of the Rising Sun” with intertwined guitars that crunch, bend and sting. Flap is my favorite of Bando’s three albums for the arrival of Murakami, the austere production and spare, but sweeping folk-pop-rock songs. Overall, it’s an attractive display of Bando’s ultra-melodic sensibilities with the ‘50s pop & rock and early ‘60s folk and instrumental elements coming to the fore.

Silver Lake-Affection (TBP-03)

The first aspect that jumps out is one of the most striking and intriguing color covers ever. Could it be emblematic of the band feeling displaced and marginalized in the transient culture of Los Angeles? Appropriately, the album was recorded at 302 Recording Studio, in the Silver Lake area of Los Angeles from February to December 1979 and released in 1980. Interspersed are atmospheric sounds (e.g., crashing thunder to start the album, seagulls & surf, winter winds) lending a mysterious undercurrent that there may be a seasonal concept and/or a thematic statement on the cycles of life coursing throught the record. The songs alternate between male and female vocals that would later be employed on Double Fantasy. The musician line-up is reconfigured (except for the vocalists and the drumming & keyboard work of Ken Miyoshi, who also contributed to the Kisetsu Fu album). The songs are presented with an overall thickened and murkier sound (in comparison to the sparkling clear production of Flap) with the vocals for the most part engulfed and subsumed by the music. Overall, the album casts a more solemn and melancholy tone than the two previous albums. “Mou Hikitomerarenai” is a vehicle for Kikuko Murakami with fuzz runs that rival the biker instrumentals of Davie Allan & the Arrows or the aforementioned Takeshi Terauchi. Songs like “Shashin” (Picture) are delivered with overall blusier hues and smokier tones that seemingly indicate that the group had moved on from coffee cafes and Obon festivals to cabarets and nightclubs. Murakami’s smoldering vocals lean more towards blues rocking Maki Asakawa than poppy Seiko Matsuda, while demonstrating her adeptness with singing in a variety of styles. On one of their rare duets “Dakedo Emily,” Bando and Murakami achieve a stirring vocal blend that commands attention. “Aoi Kaze” is an acoustic driven number with baroque acoustical runs that seem inspired by “Classical Gas.”  The pronounced fuzz returns on the dashing “Owari Soshite” along with the appearance of trumpet. Jazzy chord changes, blues bends and heartfelt singing from Bando of “Kigatsukeba Itsumo Ashita” brings the album to a strong finish.  Message in a C.C. Lemon Bottle

With their deep ‘60s influences and somewhat mysterious origins, these records live up to their private press designation, current reputation and stratospheric prices. Fittingly, Toshi Bando remains an enigmatic figure who remains busy with his gardening. It is fortunate that the records can be easily accessed on YouTube, as now more people can hear them than ever before. Still, many questions abound that could help fill in gaps. I would love to hear first-person primary accounts and recollections from any of the participants to clear up some major blind spots on the history of the groups and gain an overall better understanding of the context of the times. Keeping the mystery intact does heighten the allure, intrigue and perhaps the prices of these three obscure records, which were limited to begin with in their initial press runs. 

Nonetheless, the music speaks for itself and close listening will reveal Bando’s attempts to reconcile and express both the melancholic and the glorious aspects of life as well as the chasms between. On a larger level, Bando was able to sonically connect the Far East with the Far West on these three groundbreaking records. The recordings do represent a significant achievement as Bando and the musicians helped usher in a new era of music for Los Angeles and Japanese-Americans. Whether Bando receives belated historical recognition is still to be determined, however he definitely made waves as these could even be considered the most remarkable Japanese-American records ever recorded between the mountains, freeways and the vast Pacific.

Eiichi Ohtaki-NIAGARA CONCERT '83

Eiichi Ohtaki (1948-2013) was a towering musical figure in Post-WW2 Japanese music.  One of his foremost strengths was his ability to ingeniously unify a multitude of musical and non-musical influences into a captivating and cohesive whole. Many of his musical achievements were seemingly impelled by his natural ease and resolve to manifest, express and share his own envisioned artistic world. In addition, his overall passion for music was second to none. Inspired by his surname which means “Big Waterfall,” he established his Niagara label to release his own music along with the music of counterparts like Taeko Onuki and Tatsuro Yamashita, who both would go on to renown in the Japanese mainstream during the late ‘70s and ‘80s. Collectively, their releases have gone on to be considered the core recordings of what is now known retroactively as City Pop. This music has been at its heights of popularity this decade as it has found a worldwide audience thanks to streaming.

Ohtaki himself has been called many things: Super Producer, the Japanese Phil Spector, and the Pioneer of City Pop. Unlike Phil Spector, the more you learn about Ohtaki, the better you like him as a person and artist. As a producer and composer, he deserves to be considered in the same visionary musical realms as Brian Wilson, Gregorio Paniagua (Spain), Sohail Rana (Pakistan) and Joe Meek. In fact, he's the most Beach Boys and ‘50s & ‘60s-influenced musician of the so-called City Pop musicians as some City Pop has a little too much Miami Vice Soundtrack-ish gleam on it for my ears. Some of Ohtaki’s notable productions include Celia Paul’s Yume De Aetara from 1977 and 1981’s Kaze Tachinu by Seiko Matsuda, which both shine with their ‘60s leaning production styles. Another aspect of Ohtaki’s immense talents was his ability to compose instantly catchy songs and create art on demand. In similar fashion to Roger Nichols in the United States, Ohtaki was commissioned to compose catchy commercial jingles (known as CM songs in Japan) for iconic Japanese products like the Sony Digital Handycam, Maxim Instant Coffee, Suntory Lemon, and Mitsuya Cider. Further, I can envision Haruki Murakami writing to this music as the Waseda University alumni seemingly share a similar pop culture aesthetic that encompasses a love for baseball, real & imagined travel and a deep knowledge of Western music, all which informs and inspires their respective art forms.

Tokyo City Pop in the record store wilds of Osaka

Arrivals & Departures One can jump into Ohtaki’s catalog at any point and discover if it’s not immersive, it is intriguing at the least.  Some of his ‘70s material could be pastiche-almost to the point of a Zappa-esque mishmash where he combines elements of doo wop and the Beatles in one song and generally works depending on one’s mood. He was indeed a musical omnivore as he incorporated, assembled and arranged elements of Okinawan folk music, Gershwin, exotica, Roy Wood’s Wizzard as well as Caribbean and New Orleans rhythms besides the aforementioned ‘50s & ‘60s pop influences. By the early 80s, he was able to transition from the idiosyncratic sound of his own private musical jukebox in his head, which can be a wonderful and whimsical place, and breakthrough to a more wide-open, boundless and universal sound. By evoking and expressing the feelings of departures, new experiences and returning home filled with newfound insights and inspiration, he found a memorable sound that had the most widespread appeal in Japan. His most highly-regarded and commercially successful release also happened to be his most fully-realized. A Long Vacation lives up to its hype as a Japanese masterwork and I consider it one of the best conceptual albums ever released. The album’s opening song “You Are a Natural Color/Kimiwa Tennenshoku” is even used as a departure song on the East Japan Railway (JR East). By connecting the Brill Building to City Pop with his own Wall of Sound, he suddenly became a Japanese hit maker in the process.

NIAGARA CONCERT '83 LIVE JAM 1983/7/24 Seibu Lions Stadium At the time of this concert, Ohtaki was riding the momentum of A Long Vacation (1981) and preparing for his subsequent successful 1984 follow-up Each Time. In this period between his two most popular releases, he also recorded two albums consisting entirely of orchestrated renditions of his compositions under the name the Niagara Fall Of Sound Orchestral. While these instrumental albums, Niagara Song Book & Niagara Song Book 2, are good as airplane boarding music, they are not great because their overall production comes across as a little too clinical, which is generally not typical of Ohtaki’s studio recordings. Things are rectified in the live setting as this album features both the Niagara Fall Of Sound Orchestral and Eiichi Ohtaki himself. Both musical acts were accompanied by the New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra for the concert. The live version of the Niagara Fall of Sound Orchestral transverses somewhere in the vicinity of the Hollyridge Strings, the Surf Symphony, the Beach Boys’ Stack-o-Tracks & The Smile Sessions and Song Cycle by Van Dyke Parks. “Water Color” in particular sounds like the Pet Sounds instrumental “Let’s Go Away for Awhile” converging with some soft-focus lounge pop found on a ‘60s film score. 

The cheerful “Like a Blue Sky” presents a lovely and sweeping melody perhaps inspired by “Puff the Magic Dragon” and “Navy Blue” by Diane Renay.  “In the Canary Islands” seemingly foreshadows Van Dyke Parks & Brian Wilson’s Orange Crate Art collaboration from 1995. These instrumental songs come across as alive and dimensional as the stellar recording captures the music moving through the open air of Seibu Lions Stadium on a joyous July night almost 40 years ago. 

Ohtaki then steps to the forefront to offer “Detective Story” from A Long Vacation which could be described as the Zombies’ “Leave Me Be” meets “Hurt So Bad” by Little Anthony and the Imperials suffused with Bacharachian inflections. “Just A Little Gentle'' channels “Cara Mia” by Jay and the Americans, while revealing Ohtaki’s knowledge that Brian Wilson based “Surfer Girl” on “When You Wish Upon a Star.” Another song from A Long Vacation, “Karen in Love” more than hints at “Where Have You Been All My Life” written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil and recorded by Arthur Alexander and the Searchers. Next, “Funx4” starts off new wavey before becoming just playfully fun. The abundant and sweeping Spectorian melodies of “You Are a Natural Color/Kimiwa Tennenshoku” cascade down from the musical heavens as the concert reaches its pinnacle. Ohtaki’s signature number offers melodies that will keep swirling in your head for a week. As a consummate musician with excellent intonation, Ohtaki performs all of these songs with apparent ease on what would be his final live performance. The Niagara Fall of Sound Orchestral returns to properly close the musical evening on a lush note that was fortunately recorded for posterity. 

Ohtaki’s small musical enterprise has gone on to become an entire City Pop empire in Japan. By integrating some of the best aspects of Eastern and Western music, he settled on a sound all his own which was integral in the eventual rise of the City Pop movement. This sound would go on to inspire the High Llamas’ Sean O’ Hagan, Shibuya-kei along with contemporary Japanese groups & producers operating along similar wavelengths. These highly influential sounds are still continuing to ascend and radiate both in Japan and around the world.

Photo from Monari Wakita's Passing By single