Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on November 2010
When Metropolis catches up with Yolz in the Sky singer Takanobu Hagiwara by cellphone in the streets near his Osaka apartment, it seems the band are facing what Japanese like to call a “dai pinchi.”
You see, they’ve recently lost their longtime bassist. “We’re trying to make the best of a difficult situation and see what happens by continuing with just the three of us,” Hagiwara says. “We’ve thrown away our old set and are doing only songs that we’ve composed since he left. People talk about creative destruction—hopefully it’s going to work out that way for us.”
Formed seven years ago by mates at Kansai University in Osaka, Yolz in the Sky (the name has no particular meaning, says Hagiwara) offer one of the Japanese indie rock scene’s more formidable live shows. Hagiwara dances like a man possessed, his thin, high shriek ascending over a barrage of minimalist notes and pummeling beats courtesy of guitarist Kentaro Shibata and drummer Shinya Hirase.
His voice has been likened to that of Yasuko Onuki, singer for indie/noise eminences Melt-Banana, but it’s a comparison he rejects. “Maybe it’s because we both have high-pitched voices—people have told me that before,” he says. “But our vocal styles are completely different. I respect them, but I’m not really a big fan to be honest.”
The members of Yolz in the Sky first came together through a shared love of old-school punk, but aside from Hagiwara’s voice, which sounds something like Sid Vicious might after being kicked in the nuts, there’s not much in the way of punk or hardcore in their sound.
Instead, last year’s Ionization bears closer comparison to the post-punk minimalism of Manchester bands from Joy Division on. “The dance element in our music comes from Shibata—he’s into minimal, techno… all kinds of music,” says Hagiwara. “Our drummer also really digs The Smiths’ drummer, so the Manchester similarity may come in there.”
Yolz’ songwriting process usually begins with a beat from Hirase, after which Shibata will layer on a typically repetitive, slashing guitar line. “The vocals come last, but often I’ll have an idea in mind,” Hagiwara says. “I don’t want people to come away with specific messages from my songs. But I do hope they take some kind of feeling from them.”
Does the stripped-to-the-bone “One Way to the Trouble” say something about the band itself? “I wasn’t exaggerating when I wrote that,” he laughs. “We like to party and do things out of the ordinary, so perhaps we’re headed for trouble. When I first met the others, my impression was, ‘Who are these guys?’ And I still feel that way about them—they seem more interesting and unusual the longer we stay together. Every new experience seems like an experiment for us. It never gets boring.”
In 2007, Yolz in the Sky took a break from their relentless Japan touring to play the prestigious South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas. The local paper described them as “a thunderous noise assault that could be called full-throttle agit-punk even without understanding the lyrics.”
“It was my first time abroad, so it was a powerful experience,” Hagiwara recalls. “People come right up to you and talk to you, and before you know it you’re drinking together. I’d never experienced such a responsive crowd, although these days we have pretty rowdy fans. I don’t think American audiences are more responsive than Japanese ones anymore—our audience can be full on.”
“Saiko Vol. 7”
Japanese indie rock showcase featuring Wrench, Yolz In The Sky, Kinlay Band, Molice and Sunset Drive. Nov 19, 7pm, ¥2,300 (adv)/¥2,800 (door). Club Edge, Roppongi. Tel: 03-3505-4561.
