We Don't Care About Music Anyway

Saw this film at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, as part of the Zipangu Film Festival, back in November:

Been meaning to write something about it for ages. A documentary about the avant-garde music scene in Tokyo, ... We Don't Care About Music Anyway is obviously going to be huge.

It was really great, actually. Went into the cinema with such a bad headache, ... and completely forgot about it until the film had finished. I often find that loud, agressive music blows the pain straight out of my head. Infinitely better than paracetemol, ... I won't dwell on the fact that it is probably more that my attention is diverted.

The film was really engaging. That can be a problem with some documentaries, if it's a load of people talking about a topic in an academic way (either with statements or responses to questions) ... things can become very dry, very quickly. Every artist provided some narration to their own music, but even the roundtable discussions that split up these segments were pretty interesting. It would be hoped that a number of talented musicians placed in the same room would have something interesting to say.

Perhaps the best way to make a documentary is to let the subject speak for itself. Senna is a really good example. It's composed entirely from clips and interviews produced at the time the events were happening.

Back to We Don't Care About Music Anyway. Not all of the music contained in the film was to my taste. One guy (Fuyuki Yamakawa) particularly tested my nerves. The music was pretty poor and he was extremely pretentious, though I'd imagine it'd be pretty difficult for everything in this film to please everyone.

So, my favourite...

...definitely Umi no Yeah!! It roughly translates as Beach House, apparently. According to their website:

The two met in Yutsubo marine park in Kanagawa prefecture. Got along. Formed the band.

Their motto is to have a good business and a tropical sound. Their Curry rice is neither disgusting nor delicious. A profoundly mysterious beach hut. We don’t have boats to let.

Umi no Yeah's members are [Aloha] Takehisa Ken and the actress [Bikini] Tomoko Shimazaki. It’s a Tropical noise unit! Recently they've been joined by a part-time participant Syrup-san (aka Compuma) and Mojah-sensei (aka Kujun). 24/7, 365 day. All year around. Non-stop open business!

Basically the highlight of an Umi no Yeah!! performance is seeing the 'guitar-hero like strip-tease performance of Bikini' backed by cheap synth tunes and powerful guitar drones. I really dig it. There's something to be said for both the music and the performance:

Following the entrance, the wailing guitar and the strip-tease (of part one above) ... the music gets even better (in part two below). Some classic guitar smashing too. Listen to that feedback. The crowd totally aren't getting into this as much as they should be, ... but perhaps that's just me:

Totally need to see this band play live. Apparently they played at Cafe Oto in East London during March 2011, as part of a three-day festival promoting the film. So disappointed I didn't attend.

Ah, well basically ... I just love this band! Tomoko Shimazaki is a true rock star!!

Musically, mention should be made of Sakamoto Hiromichi. An experimental cellist. This guy is totally awesome. The axle grinder on the cello, whilst playing loops through effects pedals, is a pretty nice way to finish off this performance:

So, skipping to the conclusion ... if you ever get the chance (and you have any interest whatsoever in 'alternative' music), just watch this film. Unlikely perhaps, as I'd imagine it will never get a proper UK release ... but totally worth it! Definitely for fans of noise everywhere.