Media & Reviews

Yeah, last week I received a very hot package from Japan (not comparable with Jim's Chili but just as mind-blowing)! It was the latest Album of one of my secret favourite band, namely Ego-Wrappin'. It is a Japanese Band from Osaka, and even inside Japan it was difficult to find someone that knows of them. It is still a mystery how I came to my first track of them, one day years ago (these were still the days of Napster), I found myself seeking for the new sound on the MTV Japan homepage and by chance came to Ego-Wrappin'. I immediately fell in love, and over the years had to import all of their albums over strange japanese online retailers. Anyhow, let me tell you a bit from them, as you probably won't find much relevant information over the net. By the was this is taken partly from Metropolis:

There's a certain time in Japanese pop-the mid-Showa period in and around World War II-that some Japanese musicians keep returning to. Like the Pizzicato Five before them, popular Osaka-bred duo Ego-Wrappin' are fascinated with the kitschy, jazzy, big band songs of the era.

"There's an element of nostalgia, but for someone of my generation it also comes as something new," reflects guitarist and songwriter Masaki Mori in an interview at his record company office in Shibuya. "It's completely different from what you hear on today's charts, and sounds much fresher to me. I think it could appeal to younger people, but most are not exposed to it. The only time when people might hear such music is on New Year's TV programs."

"The pre- and post-war period musicians had a real dedication to their craft," chimes in vocalist and lyricist Yoshie Nakano. "They lived in an age of material poorness, but created a more heartfelt music than that of today. Current Japanese artists seem to be simply copying Western artists."

No one could accuse Ego-Wrappin' of mimicking Western pop stars. While chart-toppers like Hikaru Utada and Dragon Ash have refined the art of ripping off Western R&B and hip-hop, Ego-Wrappin' come off as something entirely original. Which is not to say they aren't derivative. Since debuting in 1998 with Bule Speaker, the duo have amalgamated influences from Showa period pop and jazz to rock, ska, cabaret and lounge music into a contagious stew that has won them a devoted following.

"Osakans have their own world," Nakano elaborates. "They're unconventional." This, after all, is the city that gave the world noise-rockers The Boredoms and eccentric all-female punk band Shonen Knife. Unlike her plain demeanor in person, Nakano is transformed on stage, adopting various persona to convey the drama of her songs, whose impressionistic lyrics are delivered alternately in Japanese and English.

Originally trained as a concert pianist, Nakano had always wanted to pursue singing, and met Mori soon after college. Mori had pursued music secretly against the wishes of his parents. "My brother was into music and had a band. But my parents forbid it. I had to play secretly. It was only after I left home at 20 that I could play music. Now of course they feel completely differently. They support me 100 percent."

Like many Osaka-based bands, the demands of commercial success ultimately led Ego-Wrappin' (the idea is that they wrap their egos in the package of their music) to relocate to the entertainment capital of Tokyo in 2000, where their record company Toy's Factory is based. But their hearts, it seems, remain in Kansai.

Nakano recently participated in her first political demonstration. "In winter, I joined an anti-Bush rally. We wanted to march directly in front of the US Embassy, but were forced to take a Ginza route by the police. I was wondering if it had any meaning."

About the latest release I must say that I found it more interesting than the one before (Merry Merry). And if you're interested in their music, please check their site, you'll find some songs to listen to.

Here's some artwork from their albums:

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Click to view original size

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