Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on September 2012
What goes around comes around and in the Japanese rock world the ’90s are seeing something of a renaissance. It’s being powered by the large cohort of 30-somethings, the children of Japan’s postwar baby boom.
Hard to believe it, but alternative rock once made significant inroads in Japan’s pop music charts. Some of these bands, including Hi-Standard, who took North American melocore and translated it to success in Japan, reconvened last weekend for a revival of punk fest Air Jam in Tohoku, featuring other lights of the era like Brahman and Kemuri.
Hugely influential on Japanese rockers who emerged in the ’90s were of course the Red Hot Chili Peppers, whose blend of funk and punk was dubbed “mixture rock” in Japan. Peerless among Tokyo’s own mixture rock outfits were the Cokehead Hipsters, who have just released a new album and documentary DVD.
The compact, five-song Hit Or Miss makes the Chilis sound a bit worn out in comparison, and jumps with a naughty spirit lacking in the Red Hots’ recent albums. Singer Komatsu even sounds like a cross between Anthony Kiedis and Flea (with a touch of Jello Biafra) on the lead track “Day By Day,” and the band’s stop-start punk/funk/metal/hardcore mashups burst with irrepressible drive.
The Cokehead Hipsters took a long break during 1999-2007, and returned sounding refreshed—maybe something the Chilis would have benefited from instead of slogging on all these years.
After enduring the full major label runaround in the ’90s, the Cokehead Hipsters re-signed for their revival with indie imprint Pop Group, producers of the alternative music festival Kaikoo.
At the beginning of next month the Hipsters head up Echoes, a one-day event featuring other punky groups from the era like Hawaiian6 and newer outfits including the indescribably zany but technically accomplished big band Wuja Bin Bin.
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