Tsu Shi Ma Mi Re
Oct 8, 2013 4:40:11 GMT -5
Post by gunnythewildheart on Oct 8, 2013 4:40:11 GMT -5
Apologies as I might get all misty-eyed and over excitable in this post, but it was only a matter of time, my friends. Only a matter of time...
If you have heard of them before but are unfamiliar with the music or perhaps heard the odd song, it may well be through the Good Charamel US Record label of which Shonen Knife are on.
(As well as some other great bands... 'Molice', 'Tricot', the now disbanded 'LazygunsBRISKY').
TSMMR toured the states every year from around 2003-2010. So I am both envious and kind of relieved (I didn't discover them until early 2011).
To describe their sound is pretty much impossible. They themselves describe their music as 'TsuShiMaMiRe sound'. I could attempt to describe individual songs... but they cover a helluva lot of music ground. I can think of songs with straight hard rock, funk, jazz, math, ska, out-and-out J-pop, thrash, every version of punk under the sun, and even spoken word.
If you are open to many kinds of music, you may find something special in theirs.
But the music is only half the story! The three band members all have their own totally individual personalities that are an incredible sight in a live setting.
Bassist Yayoi is the long-legged temptress who chicken-struts around the stage, giving everyone 'the eye'. She has this fantastic ability to switch her mood and presence according to the song.
For a funky song, she will bounce and dance around. For a more sensual, darker song, she will provocatively move and dip to the beat, intensely staring at the audience. Of course, there is headbanging abound for the heavy stuff and then... there's those HIGH KICKS.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nnd9tXRmwjQ
[Song: Yoi Tempo Desu / It's a Good Tempo]
There are two versions of this I wanted to show, but decided on the lesser sound quality to get Yayoi's dancing and high kick in near the start
Drummer Mizue, much like Emi, is the cute bubbly character. While arguably not as good looking, she still oozes cuteness with her head bopping and sometimes singing along to every song. She and Yayoi make up the technical creative brilliant of TSMMR songs. They rarely follow the same tune/beat the whole song, and occasionally mix things up with fills and slight changes - one of the main draws why I love 'em so much.
Here's a pretty good example of instrument proficiency and Mizue cuteness:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eS9aNM9J6IY
[Song: Sex on the Beach]
Lastly is singer/guitarist Mari. Upon first hearing them, I instantly loved their intensity and insanity, but something about Mari's voice put me off. It sounded slightly whiney and slightly too high-pitched to what I was used to. But I didn't let this stop my curiosity (I couldn't even if I wanted to.. I was too curious!) Over time, much like many of my favourite singers, I began to hear her voice as a warm friend and the initial thoughts of 'whining' became more of a delivery of passion and character - something which most Japanese singers just don't do.
Personality wise she is rather insane. There are songs that go from angry growling/shouting to sickly-sweet, almost nursery rhyme songs for both an astounding and hilarious twist. In live videos, I have seen her shake uncontrollably and 'fit' to the music, I've seen her go nuts on a xylophone, she's used the audience members as mic stands, she walks into the crowd and plays guitar and she regularly crowd surfs with many male members of the audience 'getting their moneys worth'.
This song is kind of a dirgey metal song, but please listen to see what I mean about shocking and funny stylistic changes. Skip to around the 2:45 - 2:50 mark to hear the change-up . I love crazy things like this. It's also a song where Mari seems to go nuts a lot.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=jD_ROS3spqs
[Song: Yamaguchi]
And finally, this is one of my favourite fan-filmed (or rather venue-filmed) footage of theirs. Two songs in Texas from 2010, including Mari's adorable broken English as she chats and explains one of the songs.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PO3DoiVQ5dM
[Song1: Rush Hour]
[Song2: Grandmothers' Bra ]
Rush Hour is a ska-pop song. Mizue and Yayoi play horns on the studio version. The second is one of their more crazy songs, with Mari 'fitting' as I mentioned earlier. The stage is absoultely tiny here, otherwise I suspect she would've rolled around on the floor.
If you have heard of them before but are unfamiliar with the music or perhaps heard the odd song, it may well be through the Good Charamel US Record label of which Shonen Knife are on.
(As well as some other great bands... 'Molice', 'Tricot', the now disbanded 'LazygunsBRISKY').
TSMMR toured the states every year from around 2003-2010. So I am both envious and kind of relieved (I didn't discover them until early 2011).
To describe their sound is pretty much impossible. They themselves describe their music as 'TsuShiMaMiRe sound'. I could attempt to describe individual songs... but they cover a helluva lot of music ground. I can think of songs with straight hard rock, funk, jazz, math, ska, out-and-out J-pop, thrash, every version of punk under the sun, and even spoken word.
If you are open to many kinds of music, you may find something special in theirs.
But the music is only half the story! The three band members all have their own totally individual personalities that are an incredible sight in a live setting.
Bassist Yayoi is the long-legged temptress who chicken-struts around the stage, giving everyone 'the eye'. She has this fantastic ability to switch her mood and presence according to the song.
For a funky song, she will bounce and dance around. For a more sensual, darker song, she will provocatively move and dip to the beat, intensely staring at the audience. Of course, there is headbanging abound for the heavy stuff and then... there's those HIGH KICKS.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nnd9tXRmwjQ
[Song: Yoi Tempo Desu / It's a Good Tempo]
There are two versions of this I wanted to show, but decided on the lesser sound quality to get Yayoi's dancing and high kick in near the start
Drummer Mizue, much like Emi, is the cute bubbly character. While arguably not as good looking, she still oozes cuteness with her head bopping and sometimes singing along to every song. She and Yayoi make up the technical creative brilliant of TSMMR songs. They rarely follow the same tune/beat the whole song, and occasionally mix things up with fills and slight changes - one of the main draws why I love 'em so much.
Here's a pretty good example of instrument proficiency and Mizue cuteness:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eS9aNM9J6IY
[Song: Sex on the Beach]
Lastly is singer/guitarist Mari. Upon first hearing them, I instantly loved their intensity and insanity, but something about Mari's voice put me off. It sounded slightly whiney and slightly too high-pitched to what I was used to. But I didn't let this stop my curiosity (I couldn't even if I wanted to.. I was too curious!) Over time, much like many of my favourite singers, I began to hear her voice as a warm friend and the initial thoughts of 'whining' became more of a delivery of passion and character - something which most Japanese singers just don't do.
Personality wise she is rather insane. There are songs that go from angry growling/shouting to sickly-sweet, almost nursery rhyme songs for both an astounding and hilarious twist. In live videos, I have seen her shake uncontrollably and 'fit' to the music, I've seen her go nuts on a xylophone, she's used the audience members as mic stands, she walks into the crowd and plays guitar and she regularly crowd surfs with many male members of the audience 'getting their moneys worth'.
This song is kind of a dirgey metal song, but please listen to see what I mean about shocking and funny stylistic changes. Skip to around the 2:45 - 2:50 mark to hear the change-up . I love crazy things like this. It's also a song where Mari seems to go nuts a lot.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=jD_ROS3spqs
[Song: Yamaguchi]
And finally, this is one of my favourite fan-filmed (or rather venue-filmed) footage of theirs. Two songs in Texas from 2010, including Mari's adorable broken English as she chats and explains one of the songs.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PO3DoiVQ5dM
[Song1: Rush Hour]
[Song2: Grandmothers' Bra ]
Rush Hour is a ska-pop song. Mizue and Yayoi play horns on the studio version. The second is one of their more crazy songs, with Mari 'fitting' as I mentioned earlier. The stage is absoultely tiny here, otherwise I suspect she would've rolled around on the floor.