They Were a Very Good Four-and-a-half Years, or You Won’t Have Koharu Kusumi to Kick Around Anymore.
So Koharu Kusumi is leaving Morning Musume in December. It is a shocking and somewhat sad development. Her departure will end what has to be a record for longest intact lineup of Morning Musume ever (and the only Morning Musume lineup to record two studio albums – Cover You and Platinum 9 Disc – and be depicted on two different compilations – 2007’s ALL SINGLES COMPLETE and next month’s forthcoming B-sides collection – without a personnel change).
As much of a shock as it is, I am not upset, save for the momentary realization that my chance to see the band perform while she was in it is now gone (although, thanks to Kd Potter, ex of Iro Iro Aru Sa, I have a T-shirt from the summer 2009 Wonderful Hearts tour!). I was a fan of Morning Musume before Koharu joined the band, I remained a fan then, and I will remain a fan now. I did not hate Koharu like some bloggers did (even her supporters, like my colleague Vee, admit that Koharu was too easy of a target), and I found her three Kirarin Revolution “solo” albums to be some of the most twisted pop music ever released. Her intention to pursue a modeling career means that while we will still see her in the public eye, we won’t get to hear a more mature Koharu Kusumi making more serious pop records (well, more serious than her “solo” back catalog, anyway).
In a way, maybe we should have seen it coming. Maki Goto, like Koharu before her, had embarked on a solo career while she was still in Morning Musume, and she left after a short time period – only a couple of years – to pursue a solo career full time. So in a way, there is a precedent of sorts.
Does it affect the band? Not negatively. Quite honestly, there hasn’t been a personnel change in Morning Musume’s entire 12-years-and-counting history that has negatively impacted the band. There are still eight strong voices in the band; No doubt Koharu’s parts in all of her MoMusu songs will be shared amongst the other members (for example, Reina Tanaka might pick up Koha’s closing lines in the pre-choruses of “Egao YES Nude”). Talk of 9th generation auditions continues (although it would not be surprising if Tsunku turned around and tapped a Hello! Project Egg or two to add to the MoMusu lineup sometime late this year or early next year).
If there is any real advantage to Koharu’s departure, besides giving Morning Musume a fresh start (something every departure and addition to the group does), it is this: The temptation to lump Morning Musume in with anime, especially when promoting them outside of Japan, is gone. Now they can get fully back to what they always was, is and always shall be: a musical group.
Ganbare, Koharu. And rock on, Morning Musume.
I Guess It’s My Turn To Be Nostradamus…
I said it when I reviewed Morning Musume’s last single:
“An upbeat A-side along the lines of “Koko Ni Irusee!” and “Mikan” can’t hurt for single #41…”
Well, they didn’t disappoint:
Admittedly, the higher-register vocals threw me off at first, but when the song started to pick up steam, I knew the band had another winner on their hands. Some of the stylistic vibe of the past couple of singles is still there, but the song is way upbeat – just what the doctor ordered. Then again, with a title like “Kimagure Princess”, I highly doubt a dirge more fitting for the second side of Black Flag’s My War album would have been an appropriate musical backing.
It’s going to be a long five-week wait for this single to drop…
And as long as I’m making predictions of a sort about Morning Musume records, I’ll go out on a (short) limb: New studio album by May of 2010. That’ll be enough time to let it be the soundtrack to my final weeks of bachelorhood and my first months of married life. I wouldn’t be surprised if a “9.5″-numbered mini-album was released in time for the holidays, too.
Thomas Wolfe Gets Proven Wrong
Just got this press release that says it all:
For Immediate Release
DEVO SIGN GROUND-BREAKING WORLDWIDE PARTNERSHIP WITH WARNER BROS. RECORDS
LABEL TO REISSUE DELUXE VERSIONS OF ARE WE NOT MEN? AND FREEDOM OF CHOICE ON NOVEMBER 3RD
BAND LAUNCH SPECIAL TOUR TO PERFORM BOTH ALBUMS IN THEIR ENTIRETY
September 16, 2009 - Burbank, CA -DEVO have signed a unique, ground-breaking worldwide partnership with their original label home Warner Bros. Records that exhibits the band’s long-time commitment to innovation in all aspects of their career. In the ’80s, the band put the “new” in the music revolution labeled “New Wave” with their synergistic mix of electronic rock, unparalleled theatrical live shows, and self-directed, groundbreaking music-videos – creating a multi-media art assault that resonates in contemporary pop culture. Now DEVO continue to pioneer new territory by exclusively teaming with Warner Bros. Records to internationally service all aspects of the band’s career, including recorded music, touring, merchandising, web services, promotion, ecommerce, sponsorships, licensing, and endorsements.
“Devo have been called everything from geniuses to deviants and have always been ahead of their time,” says Elyse Rogers, SVP of Touring and Artist Development at WBR. “They are brilliant multi-media innovators who express themselves through far more than just recorded music. Their videos, live shows, merchandise, and visual attack are as big a part of their art as the music is. We could not be more excited to continue to break new artistic ground with them while working to redefine the evolving music-industry paradigm.”
“We are excited to embark on DEVO’s latest sonic subversion with the label that first unleashed us on the unsuspecting public,” says the band’s Gerald Casale. “De-evolution is real!” Adds Mark Mothersbaugh: “We wouldn’t be doing it if it weren’t in our genes!”
Warner Bros. Records released six of DEVO’s classic albums between the years of 1978 and 1984. To mark the band’s new deal, the label will reissue deluxe CD and limited-edition coloredvinyl versions of DEVO’s 1978′s gold debut Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! and 1980′s platinum favorite Freedom of Choice, as well as a seven-inch vinyl single of “Jocko Homo/Mongoloid” on November 3rd.
The day the reissues are released, DEVO will launch a series of very special live performances in select markets (Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, Washington D.C., New York City, and Toronto), during which they will play back-to-back nights in each city. One the first night, the band will perform Are We Not Men? in its entirety; on the second night, they will perform Freedom of Choice in its entirety. As a bonus, fans who purchase tickets onlineto any one of these concerts will receive three demos recently uncovered in the DEVO vaults. The three previously unreleased versions, “Whip It,” “Red Shark” (later re-titled “it’s Not Right” and recorded with different lyrics), and “Turn Around,” were all recorded on a four-track in the band’s rehearsal space at Modern Music in Hollywood, CA.Tickets for most of the shows go on-sale on September 18th. All tour dates are listed below.
Formed in Akron, OH in 1974 as a multi-media experiment, DEVO caught the attention of such pop music luminaries as Iggy Pop, David Bowie, and Neil Young, whose support led to a recording contract with Warner Bros. Records. The label released the Brian Eno-produced Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! in 1978, followed by Duty Now for the Future in 1979. In 1980, DEVO released its commercial breakthrough album Freedom of Choice, which featured the timeless Top 20 hit “Whip It,” followed by 1981′s New Traditionalists, 1982′s Oh, No! It’s Devo, and 1984′s Shout, its last album for Warner Bros. Records. After releasing 1988′s Total Devo and 1990′s Smooth Noodle Maps on Enigma Records, the band went on hiatus. Mark Mothersbaugh applied his aesthetic to the task of composing scores for TV and film features, while DEVO co-founder and principle co-songwriter Gerald Casale applied his DEVO-driven skills to directing music videos for scores of hit bands before becoming a full-time commercial director.
Now original members Gerald Casale, Bob Casale, Mark Mothersbaugh, and Bob Mothersbaugh are back with drummer Josh Freese (Nine Inch Nails, Weezer, Guns N’ Roses) and cooking up huge plans. De-evolution 2010 will include the release of a brand-new studio album (featuring top-notch producers and collaborators), international festival appearances, and a proper tour of North American, Europe, Japan, Australia, and South America. Stay tuned for more DEVO news, or visit the band’s website, www.clubdevo.com.
DEVO’s upcoming tour dates are as follows:
11/03 Los Angeles, CA Henry Fonda Theater
11/04 Los Angeles, CA Henry Fonda Theater
11/06 San Francisco The Regency Ballroom
11/07 San Francisco The Regency Ballroom
11/08 Seattle, WA The Moore
11/09 Seattle, WA The Moore
11/12 Chicago, IL The Vic Theatre
11/13 Chicago, IL The Vic Theatre
11/15 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
11/16 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
11/20 New York, NY The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza
11/21 New York, NY The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza
11/23 Toronto, ON Phoenix Concert Theatre
11/24 Toronto, ON Phoenix Concert Theatre
REVIEW: Ace Frehley “Anomaly”
ACE FREHLEY
Anomaly
(Bronx Born Records/RED Distribution)
Available on CD, 2xLP, iTunes (with bonus track), and AmazonMP3.com
Rating: 
I picked up the guitar because of this man back in 7th grade. There were a few others that were pushing me in that direction (Rick Nielsen and Pete Townshend come to mind), but Ace Frehley and his smoking guitar (onstage, literally, thanks to his fertile imagination and the breeding ground KISS’s early stage shows provided) lit the fuse. Granted, that guitar stayed in my hands a couple of years down because of the likes of Johnny Ramone, Steve Jones, Greg Ginn, etc., but by that time (1982), Ace was already walking away from the band.
Ace’s self-titled 1978 solo album is an underrated, five-star classic that has never gone out of print. His post-KISS output – two albums and a live EP under the Frehley’s Comet moniker and a “second” solo album, Trouble Walking – were welcomed by fans happy to hear from the “Space Ace” but were not as consistent as they should have been. Still, even though he didn’t record anything since 1989, he still kept playing, touring on a regular basis to the delight of diehard fans and being an almost regular presence in Guitar World magazine and its then-sister publication Guitar School. (At one point during this period, Ace rebutted some comments Gene Simmons had inaccurately made to the same magazine about Frehley’s guitar skills in his post-KISS work).
Of course, Ace participated in the reformation of the original KISS lineup, making the band one of the biggest concert draws for the next five years. But the band only did one studio album in that time (Psycho Circus, which only really had Ace on two songs – Tommy Thayer played the rest of the solos). The group then stayed in back catalog land with their set list, something that didn’t completely please Ace. He left KISS for the second time after what was supposed to be their farewell tour, taking a little time off to recharge, explore a few other artistic avenues (including acting), and get sobered up (insert smartass remark incorporating the phrase “being driven to drink” and the name “Gene Simmons” here if so inclined).
When talk of a new Ace Frehley solo album, twenty years after Trouble Walking, came to pass, fans had reason to be skeptical. Ace had been talking about putting out a new solo album for years, especially after walking away from what was rapidly becoming an oldies act (albeit one that puts asses in arena seats rather than state fair bleachers). There was also talk that the album was going to “go back” to the style and attitude of the ’78 album. Thankfully, none of it is talk.
Anomaly is indeed everything it has been promised to be. Much of the album is the same five-star quality rawk and then some that Ace delivered 21 years ago: Out-of-the-box rockers (“Foxy and Free”, first single “Outer Space”), generous helpings of Frehley brand humor (“Pain in the Neck”, “Sister”, iTunes-exclusive track “The Return of Space Bear”), an Ace-ified cover version (Sweet’s “Fox on the Run”), and a closing instrumental in Frehley’s “Fractured series” (“Fractured Quantum”). Added to the mix this time around are a couple of introspective tracks and two more instrumentals. On “Too Many Faces”, Frehley appears to address with his lyrics the kind of second thoughts he was having near the end of his second tenure with KISS, while on the acoustic-based “A Little Below the Angels” he references his bouts with alcohol and (for the second time, counting “Rock Soldiers” from Frehley’s Comet) his related DWI and reckless driving incidents. He delivers a bit of lyrical inspiration with “Change the World” and “It’s a Great Life”. The two instrumentals, “Space Bear” and “Genghis Khan”, are two fine excuses for Ace to stretch out with his much-lauded guitar skills. His vocal skills, once a self-admitted weak point, sound much more confident than ever.
Ace didn’t miss a beat with Anomaly. Like the recent return-to-action albums from the Stooges, New York Dolls, and Mission of Burma, it was worth the decades-long wait. Five out of five stars.
(Special side note: Check out a podcast interview with Ace about the album from PodKISSt.com here!)
Way To Go, Kanye!
The above headline is not sarcasm. And I’m not a fan of Beyonce’s solo work, but Kanye West (one of the few Western mainstream artists that gets my money every goddamn time to begin with) jumping in and interrupting pop-country puppet Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech for her undeserved MTV award was great. Last night’s incident was a reminder of why Kanye West is one of the few hip-hop artists worth paying attention to in an era dominated by talentless 50 Cent clones, and why artists like Taylor Swift are a total joke in the current state of Nashville’s parade of fake-country artists that wouldn’t survive a week, let alone a entire tour, with a legit country artist like Hank III or Willie Nelson.
Let’s see what these people who are quick to defend Taylor Swift now will say when she’s playing nothing but state fairs in five to ten years, while Kanye West is still making records as both artist and producer.
ETA: Triggerman over at SavingCountryMusic.com has his own, rather lethal point of view on last night here.
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday to Morning Musume’s leader and one of my favorite MoMusus, Ai Takahashi! She’s 23 today!
How mindblowing is it that Takitty has gone from this, eleven years ago (a rare pre-Morning Musume TV appearance)…
…to this (Takitty’s first PV with MiniMoni, after she’d been in Morning Musume for at least a year)…
To, most recently, this. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, even though this blog focuses mainly on the music, as a hardcore Morning Musume fan I proudly present to you, via her latest PB, Ai Takahashi and her J-Pop Badonkadonk (and yes, you can click on the pic to see the aforementioned badonkadonk in non-thumbnailed form):
Ah, My Listening Habits (An Ongoing Series of Musical Self-Analysis)
I’ve had a Last.fm account since around the late summer of 2004, around which time I had a nice Apple PowerBook, no iPod to speak of then (although I did have iTunes and was burning mix CD’s like a motherfucker), and come to think of it, last.fm was known under another name back then. Anyway, thanks to last.fm’s scrobbling technology I’ve found it quite interesting to see how it charts my listening habits day to day and week to week as far as my iPod and laptop go. Obviously, it does nothing when I’m slapping a record onto the turntable or slipping a CD into the player of my car, but since the iPod still seems to be the primary device I derive much of my melodic and rhythmic intake from, we’ll go with that.
Using my last.fm page’s static weekly charts as a guide, I’m going to self-analyze my listening habits and try to put a paragraph to them. Because goodness knows, I’m the only one who can explain why Mission of Burma comes up on my iPod one moment and John Coltrane comes up the next. (I’m sure the guy who has been running Gallery of Sound in West Hazleton since it first opened in 1987 sometimes tells the guys who work under him about the one time in 1992 when I walked up to the counter with a New Kids on the Block remix CD in one hand and the Bitches With Problems CD in )the other…
Just as a general foundation, here’s what my overall last.fm Top10 chart looks like:
1) Morning Musume
2) The Stooges
3) Nine Inch Nails
4) Minutemen
5) Black Flag
6) W
7) Puffy AmiYumi
9) Frank Sinatra
10) Hank Williams III
Now, here’s what my listening habits looked like, from #10 on down, as they looked for the week ending Sunday, August 30, with my somewhat pithy/pitiful explanations following each one: (Last.fm usually finalizes these charts at Midnight Greenwich Mean Time on Sundays) Continue reading
