A Baltimore Based Indie Music Blog
Last year the world was treated to Japan’s Shugo Tokumaru’s beautifully animated and wondrous album Exit. This year we get treated to his beautifully animated and wondrous video for the track “Clocca”. It features a strange clockmaker (possibly Shugo?), birds turning into tugboats, a mouse, magically blooming trees, and a bird turning into a clock. Ah hell just watch it (after the jump)…
Continue reading ‘New Video: Shugo Tokumaru’s “Clocca”’
Japan’s version of Sufjan Stevens, Shugo Tokumaru, recently rolled through the Daytrotter studios for a quaint session. Back in September I wrote a post on him and was quite impressed with the forest of instruments being played on most of his tunes. In the Daytrotter session we get to hear the skeleton of a couple of songs and the outcome is quite different – but still good music of course. Here’s my favorite of the recordings:
mp3: Shugo Tokumaru – Wedding (Daytrotter Session)
Listen and read about the rest of the tunes here.
Tonight there is a slew of shows if you’re up for ‘em. Here in Baltimore the Ottobar has The XYZ Affair, FFHH, and E. Joseph while the Metro Gallery has HOPE Night (an Obama Fundraiser) with Wye Oak and Caleb Stine. Down in the District DC9 has The Royalties and Professor Pez while George Washington University has an amazing show with The Magnetic Fields and Shugo Tokumaru. Little Brother is also performing in DC at the Black Cat, and the unclassifiable Deerhoof plays the 9:30 Club with Experimental Dental School and Flying. Up north in Philadelphia Born Ruffians continue their east coast jaunt with Plants and Animals and sBach at Johnny Brenda’s. One of my all time favorites, The Dead Milkmen, are also playing in Philly at the First Unitarian Church with Northern Liberties and Mercury Radio Theater opening.. Finally in Philly Crystal Antlers, Pink Skull, and Mythical Beast play the Barbary. Enjoy!
mp3: Born Ruffians – Barnacle Goose
mp3: Plants and Animals – Keep It Real
mp3: The XYZ Affair – Ideals
mp3: The Magnetic Fields – I Can’t Touch You Anymore
mp3: Shugo Tokumaru – Green Rain
mp3: Deerhoof – Wrong Time Capsule
mp3: Dead Milkmen – Punk Rock Girl
mp3: Crystal Antlers – A Thousand Eyes
mp3: Wye Oak – Regret
Tonight in Baltimore Plants and Animals, Born Ruffians, and sBach play the Talking Head while, Jared Mees & The Grown Children and The Owls Go play the Hexagon. Down in DC Mirah and No Kids play the Black Cat while Z-Trip mixes it up at the Rock and Roll Hotel. Up north in Philly there’s a ton of solid shows. The Magnetic Fields, Shugo Tokumaru, and jon Natchez play the Merriam Theater while The Defog, Crooked Looks, Gonna Get Got, Naeemah, and Bosco & Peck play The Fire. Deerhoof, Experimental Dental School, and Flying perform at the Starlight Ballroom while finally at Pure Nightclub Late Off The Pier, 2 Many DJ’s, and Soulwax Nite Versions take it down into the early morning hours.
mp3: The Magnetic Fields – California Girls
mp3: Shugo Tokumaru – Button
mp3: Crooked Looks – VIP
mp3: Born Ruffians – Hummingbird
mp3: Plants and Animals – Mercy
mp3: Deerhoof – Milk Man
mp3: Mirah – Cold Cold Water
mp3: Dj Shadow – Six Days (Soulwax Remix)
mp3: Jared Mees & The Grown Children – 10:26
photo by david garland
Tokyo’s Shugo Tokumaru plays music that I can’t quite understand language wise, but fully comprehend and enjoy sound wise. I’m starting to call him Tokyo’s Brian Wilson or maybe Japan’s Sufjan Stevens. Why? Because Tokumaru writes jaw-dropping pop songs that blossom into masterpieces through the building and construction of bells, bips, whistles, bugs, organs, birds, flowers, pianos, guitars, reflecting pools, and his own soft precise vocals. It’s something worth trying for sure.
mp3: Shugo Tokumaru – Parachute
mp3: Shugo Tokumaru – Clocca
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