Last updated 02.12.1
Buffalo Daughter are suGar yoshinaga (guitar, 303, vocals), yumiko ohno (minimoog, bass, vocals) and moOog yamamoto (turntables +voices. he spins mostly old moog synthesizer records). Yumiko and Sugar were previously half the band Havana Exotica formed a band with DJ and graphic designer by day Moog formed Buffalo Daughter to explore some, at least in terms of JPOP, out there musical ideas. They've also produced for other artists, most notably Takako Minakawa who broke out in a new direction with the album they worked on. The Beastie Boys signed them for their U.S. label Grand Royal making them one of the very rare japanese acts signed directly overseas (unconnectedly it appears Isao Tomita's classical synth albums were also done under contract to an American major label). Unfortunately Grand Royal folded some years ago which might have added to the long postponement of their album i. Since then they have signed to Virgin Records founder Richard Branson's label V2. The bad news is V2 I don't belive has a releasing setup in the U.S. so their albums and subsequent live shows have bypassed the U.S..
It's worth noting for new collectors that their Grand Royal releases are out of print outside of Japan. However they were released in sizable numbers so certainly the major albums are quite findable and affordable on the used market.
Their style seems a very quirky take
on many styles of American music combined with 70s Krautrock electronics and
up and coming electronica elements, taken in a mundane context, just that- trendy
riffing, but in the context of the other stuff not usually found along side
it, quite original and creative
Shaggy Head Dressers1994 Cardinal Records BDCAR-CS0002
First album. Drummer Chica Ogawa is the 4th member. Tracks from this one (aside from the first intro track) and the next wound up as part of their first U.S. release, Captain Vapor Athletes. Haven't had the chance to listen and compare. Out of print. |
Amoebae Sound System1995 Cardinal Records BDCAR-CS0004
Two numbers, the later of which is a long dubby electric number and appears on the following US debut in a different version. The first, available only here is like a folky acoustic western song. Out of print, most copies have a greenish CD booklet in color though I've seen a shiny silver cover with black and a 3rd bronze cover too. I'd suspect one is the initial packaging, one is the regular packaging and the third is a reissue after their Grand Royal signing though I've not verified this. LI303VE-DU303B is about a half an hour long. OUT OF PRINT |
Captain Vapor Athletes1996 Grand Royal (USA) cd: GR030, Japan TOCT-50433/4
with lots of bloop and bleep electronics. When they are doing songs they're great. Some of their material is jamming/noodling which isn't exceptional if you know your 1970s electronics. Great catch up album to get an idea of their original sound. I think Japanese CD copies have a bonus disc of Socks, Drugs and Rock'n Roll remix material. |
U.S. version |
Japan version |
1996 Grand Royal (USA) 7": GR027
Contains 2 songs Cold Summer
(from the above) and Daisy (seems to be from Shaggy Head Dressers
but non-album in the US) . Clear yellow vinyl.
Socks, Drugs and Rock'n Roll1997 Grand Royal cd: GR043Remix album
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1997 Digitalogue SSCX-10100
This is an out of print and seldom seen computer game soundtrack where each band plays new though often fairly simple instumentals on alternate tracks. There is a cartoon monkey stick figure on the cover so I assume this is a fairly minimalist game.
New Rock1997 Grand Royal cd: (released 1998 in the US) GR052Cool material. Contains some superb solos. The noodling/jamming content is much lower than the previous one. Very reccomended. Earlier U.S. and Japanese versions had an acetate cover rather than regular paper. The Japanese version has a bonus CD3 and an inner booklet designed by Delaware. Japan-only bonus CD3:
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U.S. version |
Japan version |
a single with
WXBDTHE WICKED FREQUENCY FROM LA, SAN FRANCISCO, BRUSSELS, LONDON AND TOKYO3.25.1999 Toshiba EMI TOCP-61014, also a U.S. Version on Grand RoyalEarly Japanese copies are said to have more deluxe packaging. From their website I gather that there is an extra track compared to the US version. The title I guess is supposed to be like U.S. radio station station I.D. call letters. Remixes and live performances. |
U.S. version |
J. version |
1999 Grand Royal (US) 7" GR083
a live 7" 33 1/3rpmclear pink vinyl single from a 1999 shows in Osaka. Hajime Tachibana does the sax in question and did the single's collage cover artwork. The B side track has no sax but does have a delicate solo by yumiko.
neu(*) 2000.7.27 TOCP-65485 •not released• Announced but not released this was to have included a bonus CD3. I presume the demise of Grand Royal put it on hold but others have pointed out Sony signed artists Polysics coincidently scheduled an album with that name at that time i01.11.21 TOCP-65914 -- 2002 release on Emperor Norton (no final Cibo Matto track) long delayed its finally out. This is a tough one to talk about since its both very creative and not fully working as an album. A big range of styles though several people have commented that it tries too often to be a bit straight and serious. I guess this comment would not have come up if it were suceeding at being serious. Thats the critical part I think. A lot of it seems like 'lets see if we try to do this'. After beautiful track thats 99 and 44/100% pure comes some experiments that don't quite work, a spoken collage that's like a lot of other people's spoken collages and then a try at something heavy or punk (Earth Punk Rockers) that might be fun live but doesn't work out and winds up kind of depressing. Then another kind of interlude then a more optimistic straightforward rocker Volcanic Girl almost saying "we can do this too" and the do. The 6th song, "5 minutes" is the first with the more familiar buffalo elements in it, though maybe in slicker than usual production-- mighty catchy though it unfortunately lasts less than the 5 minutes long, I guess you just can't have 5 minutes of heaven mentioned in the lyrics. "Robot Sings" is a little tricky. It uses manipulated vocals and has nice riffs, the centerpiece is sung robot-like lyrics that are kind of an overused effect today but I guess far less so if and when it was recorded presumably some time back. Whats challenging is its sometimes hard to tell what's ironic and whats sincere, sometimes both? The flower generation style "I" is one of them. "Moog Stone" has some fine groovy keywork. "Mirror Ball" works with a nice simple psychedelic feel with long long airy sounds swirling. "Long Slow Distance" is quite delicate but not long at all. Someone online already commented on the disco nature of this album which confuses me since the 12th track is the first with any outright disco elements(Discoteque Du Paradise), though even this has a latin beat underlying with the disco elements only appearing over it. The team up with Cibo Matto is on the designated "Japan only track". It has a disco feel too. I guess this has sort of become Cibo Matto's final track, as they've split up at the end of 2001. Still after all that said there is plenty to check out.
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U.S. Version
Japan Version |
A Long Life Story Of Miss Cro-magnon02.08.07 Capitol / Toshiba/EMI cd: TOCP 61069 This is sort of the "Japan only" accompanying remix album to i. It opens with an almost 9 minute new song, Son of Altair which has a more typical in a good way bd style. Then a FLOATRIBE re-edit of Discoteque Du Paradise merging with the original version, essentially extending it. Then the original Volcanic Girl followed by what seems to be a cover by DMBQ in a harder more acid rock style with a male vocalist. |
Pshychics (@) 2003 V2 CD compatible SACD, also a regular CD UK, EU and AUS/NZ releases This album is not released in the U.S. yet. I have to hear it more times. Some definite Krautrock influences. |
British version |
J CD/SACD |
Euphorica(*) 06.4.2 V2 sacd: V2CL-10002 haven't heard it yet |
1996 - EVOLVE OR DIE (PVCP-901) Sad Days Lonely Nights, lots of the most cutting edge japanese bands doing blues covers.
1998 - MUSIQUE NON STOP Autobahn more info
1999 - PLASTICS CHILDREN WELCOME TO PLASTIC WORLD Cards (this is a 20th anniversary tribute to the Plastics)
2000 - 303 + 606 = ACID (original
track) from At Home with the Groovebox
1996 Roomic Cube~A Tiny Room Exhibition album by Takako Minekawa
1998 Micro Blue (1 song from
the album MEGAPHONE SPEAKS) by Tomoe Shinohara (Ki/oon
Sony KSC2-236)
1998 Blue - Another Side Of Megaphone Speaks Tomoe Shinohara (Ki/oon
Sony SYUM0076-7) -it took me years to get this vinyl only double 12" despite having had some contact with TS and BD, really cool and has a wicked very different Giorogio Moroder style arrangement of micro BLUE
1999 Tokyo Tawarudo TV (1 song from the album Dream & Machine) by
Tomoe Shinohara
(*) 2000 TEION YAKEDO (VICL-60573) by Hal --Yumiko Ohno production
(*)? XL for Original Love (PCCA-1324)
1997 Crown of Thorns by Miki Nakatani (FLCG-3032) on Vague
(*)1998 Surfers of Romantica by T.S.E.(included on : in on out)
1998 Orly Narita for Kahimi Karie on a K is a K is a K
1999 New Music Machine for Cornelius on FM (USA released)
(*)1999 Lucious Jackson's Ladyfingers Remixes "bd's smoothfinger remix"
(*) 2000 Lucious Jackson's Nervous Breakthrough 2x12" : US [SPRO 7087 6 15107 1] (Promo)
for suGar and Yumiko's former band see Havana Exotica
suGar guests on some records (like Miki Nakatani's and Takako Minekawa's) and is a member of metalchicks They released a private release EP and then a proper album in 2005
moOog and his wife mariko are phonic, a graphic design company. He DJs and even played guitar collaborating with Yuka Honda in 2005.
yumiko was a member of Hajime Tachibana's Low
Powers and Yann Tomita's Astro Age Steel Orchestra
as well as in 2006 backing on new Yann Tomita projects on the side. She does not have any upper case letters in the middle of her name.
thanks Tokion Magazine for the event!
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