Tag: CHAI

Top 30 Albums of 2018: #’s 5 – 1

We’ve reached the top.  Here are my five favorite albums of 2018.

#5: CHAI – Pink – These Japanese ladies are not only challenging your concepts of attractiveness and what is or isn’t “cute” by being fiercely DIY, they’re also challenging anyone who dares to try rocking as hard as they.

#4: Miss Red – K.O. – This is a dangerous and sexy dancehall record featuring fast, stunning vocals by Miss Red and powerhouse beats by the Bug.  They’re the best tag team since the British Bulldogs.

#3: Here Lies Man – You Will Know Nothing – “What if Black Sabbath played Afrobeat?” is how this band was described by their label.  I can’t describe it better than that.  It’s full of dark beats, heavy bass, and African rhythms.  You can’t miss.

#2: BODEGA – Endless Scroll – Easily my favorite post-punk record of the year and one of the best records reflecting life in 2018.  It skewers hipsters, relationships, partying, and technology and is even heartbreaking a couple times.

#1: A Place to Bury Strangers – Pinned – Any record by APTBS is going to be among my top picks of the year, and I knew as soon as I heard the interesting direction they took with the addition of Lia Braswell on drums and vocals that anyone trying to dislodge this record from my #1 spot would have to bring its A-game (as APTBS does at every live show).  It’s dark, loud, creepy, and sinks deep into your brain when you hear it.

Thanks for all the views in 2018.  A lot of good records are already slated for 2019: The Night Beats, the Chemical Brothers, the KVB, and (let’s hope) the Chromatics just to name a few.

Keep your mind open.

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Top 20 Singles of 2018: #’s 10 – 6

We’re in the top 10 now. Let’s get right to it.

#10: “Never Coming Back” by A Place to Bury Strangers – I was excited to learn that Lea Braswell was the new drummer for APTBS. I thought she’d match the powerhouse duo of Oliver Ackermann and Dion Lunadon well, and this single not only proved me right, but it also heralded a new sound for the band that was outstanding.

#9: “Asia (Adrenaline)” by Hprizm – This single, and really the whole album, reveals more and more with each listen. Plus, the beats on it are great (That referee’s whistle used for timing!). It’s a song that makes you want to explore more of Hprizm‘s catalogue (as you should).

#8: “Fighting” by Here Lies Man – I was sent this by HLM‘s label, Riding Easy Records, in a clever scheme to make me fascinated with HLM’s heavy Afrobeat jams. The scheme worked, because this single was not only all over my earbuds, I even heard it on BBC 6 Music.

#7: “Great Job” by CHAI – These post-punks from Japan are fully committed to the DIY life and have serious musical chops. You can’t help but love them, especially when they make music as good as this single from their new record due later this year.

#6: “Curse of the I-5 Corridor” by Neko Case – Stunningly beautiful, this song is a prime example of Case‘s vocal wonders and songwriting skill. Few artists nowadays can write and sing a song like her, and even fewer could write and sing something like this.

Who made the top 5? That will be revealed tomorrow!

Keep your mind open.

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CHAI announce first 2019 U.S. tour dates and release new video / single “Great Job.”

CHAI ANNOUNCE 2019 US TOUR DATES;

WATCH NEW VIDEO FOR “GREAT JOB”
(photo: Julien Kelly-Gross)

Japanese sensations CHAI graced the shores of the US for an all-too-brief visit in September, with shows in New York and Los Angeles. Known for their energetic shows, matching outfits, absolutely insane music videos, and innovative concept of “NEO-Kawaii,” or “New Cute” (an empowering way to look at the frequently oppressive concept of cuteness in their home country), they captured the hearts of everyone who saw them perform. Pitchfork dubbed them a “Rising” artist and they just completed a hugely successful stint opening for Superorganism in the UK. So what’s next for the trendsetting young women of CHAI?

How about surprise-dropping a new video earlier this month for a new song “GREAT JOB“? How about announcing their first batch of tour dates in US for 2019, including their first US festival performance at Boise’s Treefort Music Fest? How about a return to Austin for SXSW? 2019 promises to be an even bigger year for CHAI than 2018, with more live dates to come, so this is only the beginning.

WATCH “GREAT JOB”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Odk94mxeHUWATCH MORE CHAI MUSIC VIDEOS
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVieoyO8NvikN4kCG61ArPw

CHAI TOUR DATES
Mon. Mar. 11 – Sun. Mar. 17 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
Mon. Mar. 18 – Washington, DC @ Union Stage
Tue. Mar. 19 – Brooklyn, NY @ Market Hotel
Wed. Mar. 20 – Toronto, ON @ The Velvet Underground
Fri. Mar. 22 – Sat. Mar. 23 – Boise, ID @ Treefort Music Festival
Mon. Mar. 25 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Moroccan Lounge
Wed. Mar. 27 – San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop
Fri. Mar. 29 – Seattle, WA @ The Vera Project
Sat. Mar. 30 – Portland, OR @ Holocene

PRAISE FOR CHAI

“Moments of pure joy are in short supply these days; a CHAI show is a reprieve.”
– Pitchfork

“Their music videos, which they design and direct themselves, are a spectacle
not to be missed.” – i-D

“CHAI bursts with an energy that is carefree, effervescent, and unmistakably feminine.”
– She Shreds

“CHAI’s material is a whirlwind of kinetic rhythms, sped up voices, and saccharine
laden choruses.” – CLASH

CHAI Online:
website: http://chai-band.com/
twitter: https://twitter.com/CHAIofficialJPN
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CHAIofficialJPN
instagram: https://www.instagram.com/CHAIofficialJPN

Keep your mind open.

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Review: CHAI – Pink

Originally released in Japan last October, but first released in the U.S. earlier this year, the four-piece pop-punk band CHAI might have released the most fun record of the last 12 months – Pink.

Twin sisters Mana (vocals and keys) and Kana (guitar) joined up with high school classmate Yuna (drums) and college pal Yuuki (bass) to create music that is cute, catchy, and crunchy all at the same time.  It’s the aural equivalent of Pocky, and I mean that in the best possible sense.

Beginning with “Hi Hi Baby,” a song about babies being goofy, CHAI puts down infectious cowbell-heavy beats, post-punk bass, and even steel drums to produce something so fun that you’re almost not sure how to process it.

“You are so cute.  Nice face, oh yeah!  We are so cute.  Nice face, oh yeah!” starts off “N.E.O.”, which is nearly three minutes of pop-punk laced with psychedelia and has maybe the sickest drum and bass groove of the last year.  This is the kind of track that makes you think, “Where the hell have these women been all my life?” when you hear it.  The bass gets fat and the guitars and synths get fuzzy on “Boyz Seco Men” while the dual vocals between Mana and Kana bring to mid early 1990’s glam-pop love songs.

“Horechatta” adds reverb and downright sexy vocals that remind me of late 1970’s yacht rock.  I’m fairly certain “Fried” is about how great fried fish is, but I could be wrong.  I doubt it, because a lot of songs on Pink are about food.  Tempura fish, when done well, is great, as are Mana’s bright synths on the track.  “She Is Kitty” bounces like a kitten looped on catnip and chasing a butterfly, and the psychedelic touches make you think the kitten has knocked over a lava lamp in the process.

Not weird enough for you?  Then try “Gyaranboo,” which I won’t even attempt to describe.  “Kawaii Hito,” a song about double standards of beauty, is almost as strange.  “Walking Star” is lovely pop-punk with some of the toughest guitar riffs on the record.  “Sayonara Complex” is a bass-driven song that seems to produce sunlight from your speakers.  The closer, “Flat Girl,” strolls along like a happy tourist on a Japanese beach.  By the way, it’s about women with small breasts.

This is one of the catchiest and surprisingly trippy records released in the U.S. this year.  It’s the perfect antidote for these modern, angry times.

Keep your mind open.

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Japanese post-punkers CHAI to reissue debut album on Burger Records.

INTRODUCING: CHAI

JAPANESE SENSATIONS TO PHYSICALLY REISSUE
DEBUT ALBUM PINK VIA BURGER RECORDS

NEW YORK & LOS ANGELES SHOWS IN SEPTEMBER;
WATCH VIDEOS FOR “N.E.O.” AND MORE

Today marks a very special day. It is the day that a larger American audience is introduced to Japanese sensations CHAI. Fusing sonic elements of artists like Basement Jaxx, Gorillaz, CSS, and Tom Tom Club, with lyrics focused on self-empowerment and re-defining the definition of “kawaii,” or cute in Japanese, CHAI have amassed a devoted following in their home country. Those lucky enough to catch them on their all-too-brief visits to the US around SXSW understand what those on the other side of the globe already know: CHAI are incredibly special and should probably be the biggest band in the world.

On September 7th, Burger Records is pleased to physically reissue CHAI’s debut album, PINK, appearing in the US on vinyl, CD, and cassette for the first time. Additionally CHAI (identical twins Mana and Kana and former school classmate Yuna and Yuuki) will come to the US for their first-ever headlining show in New York and will return to Los Angeles later this year. Dates and venues are listed below; tickets go on sale Friday, June 22nd, at 10AM EST.

To give you an idea of what is in store, check out the amazing video for “N.E.O.” (which is well on its way to 2 million views), as well as an incredible live performance for a YouTube Music Session. Additionally, watch the videos for “Boyz Seco Men” and “I’m Me,” but be warned, this might spur a CHAI Youtube hole from which you may never extricate yourself.

WATCH “N.E.O.” OFFICIAL VIDEO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMGf3zyhG94

WATCH “N.E.O.” YOUTUBE MUSIC SESSION
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFSspQc2Tzw

WATCH “BOYZ SECO MEN” VIDEO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psHh6OsA-mU

WATCH “I’M ME” VIDEO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-aKOc5nN2c

STREAM PINK
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2t3dNKV | Apple Music: https://apple.co/2t0s0YV
CHAI TOUR DATES (US dates in bold)
Mon. Sept. 10 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo [tickets]
Wed. Sept. 12 – Brooklyn, NY @ Rough Trade [tickets]
Mon. Oct. 15 – Bristol, UK @ SWX w/ Superorganism
Tue. Oct. 16 – Liverpool, UK @ Arts Club w/ Superorganism
Wed. Oct. 17 – Belfast, NIR @ Limelight 1 w/ Superorganism
Thu. Oct. 18 – Dublin, IE @ The Academy w/ Superorganism
Sat. Oct. 20 – Glasgow, UK @ SWG3 w/ Superorganism
Sun. Oct. 21 – Sheffield, UK @ The Leadmill w/ Superorganism
Mon. Oct. 22 – Leeds, UK @ Stylus w/ Superorganism
Wed. Oct. 24 – London, UK @ 02 Shepherd’s Bush Empire w/ Superorganism
Thu. Oct. 25 – Manchester, UK @ 02 Ritz w/ Superorganism
Fri. Oct. 26 – Cambridge, UK @ Cambridge Junction w/ Superorganism
Sat. Oct. 27 – Portsmouth, UK @ Pyramids Centre w/ Superorganism
Sun. Oct. 28 – Brighton, UK @ Concorde 2 w/ Superorganism
Tue. Oct. 30 – Oxford, UK @ 02 Academy w/ Superorganism

PINK Album Art

PINK TRACKLISTING
1. Hi Hi Baby
2. N.E.O.
3. Boyz Seco Men
4. Horechatta
5. Fried
6. She Is Kitty
7. Gyaranboo
8. Kawaii Hito
9. Walking Star
10. Sayonara Complex
11. Flat Girl

PRE-ORDER PINK ON VINYL: http://burgerrecords.11spot.com/chai-pink.html

CHAI Online:
http://chai-band.com/
https://www.instagram.com/chai_official/
https://twitter.com/2525_chai
https://www.facebook.com/CHAIJAPAN/

Keep your mind open.

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