Decibrity Playlist: Melt-Banana

Melt-Banana‘s last record Fetch earned a place in our top 10 of 2013. Since Kevin Stewart-Panko already asked the now duo of vocalist Yasuko “Yako” Onuki and guitarist Ichiro Agata nearly every question imaginable back in October (most importantly about their Geocities website), we weren’t left with much ground that hadn’t already been covered. Onuki and Agata’s tunes may not be as popular in Japan, which they call home, as they are here, but that didn’t stop Yako from telling us about five records by Japanese bands that she listened to when she was a kid. Having never heard of any of them, I have a lot of catching up to do. You can pick up a copy of Fetch here (the link is real, we promise).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsVH9CqrTeA

RC Succession–Single Man (1976)
They were a very famous rock band in Japan. Their singer Kiyoshiro was a kind of idol to me. This album is their early work and one of my favorite albums.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrX9YmCUrA0

The Stalin–Stop Jap (1982)
They must appear on my list! They were the first Japanese punk band that I ever listened to.

Jun Togawa–Tamahime-sama (1984)
She is still one of my favorite singers in the world. She was also in a band Guernica, and it was good too, but for this list I am going with her outstanding solo work Tamahime-sama.

Inu–Meshi Kuuna! (1981)
This is a band from Osaka. They didn’t put out many albums since [they] didn’t have a long career.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-A2CJLaoNlk

Uchoten–Peace (1986)
I didn’t know much about this band before buying this album, but I just liked the sound of it. Kind of techno?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Jnyfgq7dlA

*Order Fetch here.

**Past entries include:

Junius (Part 1) (Part 2)
Alcest
East Of The Wall
Enabler
Wolvserpent
Drugs Of Faith
SubRosa (Part 1) (Part 2)
Vattnet Viskar
Skeletonwitch
Ihsahn
Earthless
Watain
Orange Goblin
God Is An Astronaut
Primitive Man
Gorguts
Exhumed
Ulcerate
Pelican
Scale The Summit
Mikael Stanne (Dark Tranquillity) (Part 1) (Part 2)
Mouth Of The Architect
Howl
Kings Destroy
Zozobra
Call of the Void
Saint Vitus Bar
Coliseum
Woe
Anciients
Soilwork (Dirk Verbeuren) (Björn Strid)
Intronaut
BATILLUS
Inter Arma
Helen Money
Misery Index
Ancient VVisdom
Holy Grail
Rotten Sound
Ancestors (Part 1) (Part 2)
Kowloon Walled City (Part 1) (Part 2)
Aaron Stainthorpe (My Dying Bride) (Part 1) (Part 2)
Early Graves
All That Remains
Bison B.C.
A Life Once Lost
Fight Amp
Witchcraft (Ola Henriksson) (Magnus Pelander)
Vision of Disorder
Grave
Anders Nyström (Katatonia) (Part 1) (Part 2)
“Best of” Rush (Part 1) (Part 2)
Dawnbringer
Ufomammut
Shadows Fall
Horseback
Greg Mackintosh (Paradise Lost) (Part 1) (Part 2)
Torche
“Best of” Meshuggah
Astra
Pallbearer
Barren Earth
Shane Embury (Napalm Death) (Part 1) (Part 2)