FAQ
1) So, what's the deal?
The deal is that, compared to the incredible amount of Japanese rock music that's been produced, there's precious little information in English. However, Julian Cope's excellent Japrocksampler and Sonore's book "Japanese Independent Music" have gotten the ball rolling, as well as a smattering of sites like Rock of Japan. I started Jrawk as a way of keeping my notes in order for the book I'm writing, which is a (selective) history, starting from the 50s up to now. This site is a way to drum up interest, as well as get some badly overdue exposure to many of these artists. It's impossible for the book to be definitive (that would require an absolutely massive volume that would be too heavy to lift,) but it'll be a good overview.
2) What are you covering?
Basically, well, rock. Hence the title.
It should be noted, however, that this is not a site about Jpop, folk, enka, jazz, dance, hip-hop, or traditional music, etc, although since rock is constantly absorbing new styles and experiencing cross overs, there's going to be some overlap. For example, there's Puffy (Puffy AmiYumi for those of you in the States,) but no Ayumi Hamazaki.
Nothing against Ms. Hamazaki, or others that don't fall within the scope of this project...but the line has to be drawn somewhere. See #5.
3) A lot of this is old.
This site isn't about new releases, it's about offering information on Japanese rock artists, historical and otherwise. Of course, we'll have new stuff all the time, but we're covering the overall history, not just the current stuff.
4) Where are the BAD reviews?
Is there crap? Oh, yes. Lots and lots of it. 90% of everything in the world is crap. Japanese rock is no different.
But the size and time limitations of this project are such that there's not much point in spending time on said crap. This site is about the stuff that has legs, or we feel deserves to be heard.
Of course, just because it's not on the site doesn't mean it sucks. See #6.
5) How do you decide what gets in?
Like Potter Stewart, we'll know it when we see it.
This site is run by a rock geek who has been collecting music for long enough to have grown up on 8-tracks. As such, it is biased towards the sort of sounds that rock geeks of the past forty years or so have generally fixated on: prog, psych, indie rock, classic rock, guitar based experimental music, shoegazer, britpop, heavy metal, punk, garage, mainstream, underground...
This site also has the philosophy that commercial appeal or success has no relevance to quality one way or the other. So, while it might make some cringe, artists with such varying degrees of commercial success and "cred" as Kimura Kaela, Fushitsusha, The Willard, Jun Togawa, Les Rallizes Dénudés, The Stalin, Ippu Do, Judy And Mary, The Jacks, etc, will be approached with the same degree of seriousness.
This is not to say we're gonna start recommending C.C.C.C. to Puffy fans, or vice versa. The reviews, interviews, and other information should make it clear what you're in for.
6) Wow. You're missing a lot of stuff.
The site is essentially a side project, concurrent with the book. It's mostly for mentioning albums that caught our ear and the occasional interview. The book, being a book, will have a structure that will trace how rock developed throughout Japan, and a lot of research doesn't lend itself to a site format. Don't worry: just because a band isn't featured here doesn't mean they won't be in the book.
7) Hey, the discographies...
...are occasionally incomplete. Yes. Many of these artists are insanely prolific, have releases that only have 100 copies, etc. This project is about spreading the word, not nailing down every bit of technical information.
8) Wow, some of this stuff is hard to find. Would you...
No.
9) Aw, come on.
Apologies, but it's just not feasible. This project is very ambitious in scope, and time is tight as it is.
Even if we ignored copyright laws, the act of trying to fill the requests of who knows how many people would quickly (as in, immediately) become overwhelming.
Sorry :(
However, whenever possible, there are links to online stores that sell the stuff in question (often Amazon.com.)
The deal is that, compared to the incredible amount of Japanese rock music that's been produced, there's precious little information in English. However, Julian Cope's excellent Japrocksampler and Sonore's book "Japanese Independent Music" have gotten the ball rolling, as well as a smattering of sites like Rock of Japan. I started Jrawk as a way of keeping my notes in order for the book I'm writing, which is a (selective) history, starting from the 50s up to now. This site is a way to drum up interest, as well as get some badly overdue exposure to many of these artists. It's impossible for the book to be definitive (that would require an absolutely massive volume that would be too heavy to lift,) but it'll be a good overview.
2) What are you covering?
Basically, well, rock. Hence the title.
It should be noted, however, that this is not a site about Jpop, folk, enka, jazz, dance, hip-hop, or traditional music, etc, although since rock is constantly absorbing new styles and experiencing cross overs, there's going to be some overlap. For example, there's Puffy (Puffy AmiYumi for those of you in the States,) but no Ayumi Hamazaki.
Nothing against Ms. Hamazaki, or others that don't fall within the scope of this project...but the line has to be drawn somewhere. See #5.
3) A lot of this is old.
This site isn't about new releases, it's about offering information on Japanese rock artists, historical and otherwise. Of course, we'll have new stuff all the time, but we're covering the overall history, not just the current stuff.
4) Where are the BAD reviews?
Is there crap? Oh, yes. Lots and lots of it. 90% of everything in the world is crap. Japanese rock is no different.
But the size and time limitations of this project are such that there's not much point in spending time on said crap. This site is about the stuff that has legs, or we feel deserves to be heard.
Of course, just because it's not on the site doesn't mean it sucks. See #6.
5) How do you decide what gets in?
Like Potter Stewart, we'll know it when we see it.
This site is run by a rock geek who has been collecting music for long enough to have grown up on 8-tracks. As such, it is biased towards the sort of sounds that rock geeks of the past forty years or so have generally fixated on: prog, psych, indie rock, classic rock, guitar based experimental music, shoegazer, britpop, heavy metal, punk, garage, mainstream, underground...
This site also has the philosophy that commercial appeal or success has no relevance to quality one way or the other. So, while it might make some cringe, artists with such varying degrees of commercial success and "cred" as Kimura Kaela, Fushitsusha, The Willard, Jun Togawa, Les Rallizes Dénudés, The Stalin, Ippu Do, Judy And Mary, The Jacks, etc, will be approached with the same degree of seriousness.
This is not to say we're gonna start recommending C.C.C.C. to Puffy fans, or vice versa. The reviews, interviews, and other information should make it clear what you're in for.
6) Wow. You're missing a lot of stuff.
The site is essentially a side project, concurrent with the book. It's mostly for mentioning albums that caught our ear and the occasional interview. The book, being a book, will have a structure that will trace how rock developed throughout Japan, and a lot of research doesn't lend itself to a site format. Don't worry: just because a band isn't featured here doesn't mean they won't be in the book.
7) Hey, the discographies...
...are occasionally incomplete. Yes. Many of these artists are insanely prolific, have releases that only have 100 copies, etc. This project is about spreading the word, not nailing down every bit of technical information.
8) Wow, some of this stuff is hard to find. Would you...
No.
9) Aw, come on.
Apologies, but it's just not feasible. This project is very ambitious in scope, and time is tight as it is.
Even if we ignored copyright laws, the act of trying to fill the requests of who knows how many people would quickly (as in, immediately) become overwhelming.
Sorry :(
However, whenever possible, there are links to online stores that sell the stuff in question (often Amazon.com.)