Say Hello to a Bonjour Party

By Jon Wilks

Last month's Gaijin Sounds collection opened our eyes to a whole treasure trove of talent rumbling away alongside the loose plates this country's built upon. With the likes of Lullatone, Tailor Made for a Small Room, Tenniscoats and the Loyal We all producing increasingly high-quality iPod fodder, it would seem the twee pop revolution is - to borrow a popular local phrase - 'avin' a bitofa boom.

The common denominator for these J-Pop renegades is their fascination with acoustic sound combined with electronic fuckery, often espousing an almost unhealthy interest in nursery-school instruments and other childhood adornments that you probably wouldn't see at a Larc-en-Ciel gig. One such combo is the lush and languid 4 Bonjour's Parties, an autumnal and dusky band that recently released their debut album via Stateside label, Mush Records.

With 7 active members, they're hardly the kind of band you're likely to miss, even in a crowded bar. Japanzine caught them late May in the wilds of Shibuya, playing support to scene-leaders Tenniscoats at O-Nest, a mid-sized venue that 4 Bon (to use their fan tag) are quickly making their own. Judging by crowd reaction, it seems strange that the band are currently more popular abroad than they are at home. "We were really surprised when we got picked up by Mush," explains Ayumu, the band's fluffy-headed leader. "We'd been putting together our own label, Lost in Found Records, when we suddenly had offers from & Records [their Japanese label] and Mush. We couldn't believe it."
 
Not believeing seems to be a central tenet to the 4 Bon manifesto. While Ayumu says that he has certain aims in mind when putting together their English-language songs, he admits that the overall sound picture is what he's really chasing, and English words are just extra tools in his paintbox (singer and multi-instrumentalist Tomomi Shikano admits that she almost never understands what she's been given to interpret). The sound they produce, both on stage and on the Pigments Drift Down to the Brook - their excellent debut album - is what you might term chamber pop, though they're entirely unsure how to class themselves (soft rock is a handle they innocently, mistakenly bandy about). Partially reminiscent of the late 60s Cambridge scene, incorporating the likes of Barrett-era Pink Floyd and Soft Machine, there is also a healthy dose of Brian Wilson, with flutes and clarinets aching skyward in a respectful appropriation of Smile-era Beach Boys.

The band's set at O-Nest is wonderfully executed, and quickly has the largely-seated audience rocking back and forth like distressed patients succumbing to a powerful vision. With at least 12 employed during any given song, the musicians flit around the stage with a mechanical determintaion at odds with the wholly pastoral sounds they eminate. It's an overwhelming sound that slips from folk, through modern classical, via art-rock, touching down occasionally on the computer-enhanced beats that Ayumu teases from his MacBook. If it all sounds a bit prog, fear not - it has more in common with Bryter Layter-era Nick Drake than ELP, Ayumu's sock-stuffed crotch notwithstanding (joke).

Anyone intrigued by what we've said here could do worse than pick up a copy of Pigments Drift Down to the Brook - it's readily available via Amazon Japan, or from their website. Failing that, try typing 4 bonjour satellite into YouTube - the PV for the fascinating Satellite is well worth a watch. However, 4 Bon are at their best in a live setting, in which case, check them out at O-Nest on June 6th, where they'll be supporting Australian electronica outfit, Clue to Kalo.

4 Bonjour's Parties
www.lostinfound.com/4bon

TOKYO PICK-UPS

A few pick-up events for you capital people this month.

June 10th...

Test Tone presents vol. 34
Organic Travelogues from Terra Electronica
@ Super-Deluxe, Nishi-Azabu >>> 8pm / FREE!
A breath of fresh air after out making a living all day. Electronic atmospheres presented in subtle and wonderful ways. Beautiful breathy songstress Nacci, enigmatic underground artist Yusuke Kamijima and label owner/veteran of splendorous electronic music Shintaro Aoki make for an exquisite evening at Super-Deluxe.

Nacci: www.myspace.com/iamnacci
Yusuke Kamijima: www.myspace.com/yusukekamijima
Shintaro Aoki: www.aqsd.jp

June 12th...

Natsu no Hosii / The Summer's Star
@ Earthdom, Shin-Okubo >>> 7:30pm / ¥2000 (adv) ¥2300 (door)
The cream of Kansai's underground rock scene hit Tokyo. Hide (from Jello Biafra's Alternative Tentacles label) appears in Ultra Jr., uber-hitter Nani (from Bogulta, Zuinoshin) plays drums in Nokemono, and Nikka-sen (recently appearing alongside Spectrum's sold-out show at Earthdom) make for an exciting night of real rock! Ex-pat singer-songwriter Bloom-Creation opens the evening.

June 24th...

Tailor Made for a Small Room
@ Grapefruit Moon, Sangenjaya>>> 7:00pm / ¥2500
Last month's Gaijin Sounds winners, Lost in Found, collide onstage with 4 Bonjour's Parties to produce this psychedelic electronica act, currently bleeping up a storm on MySpace and Last.fm. See them while they're still relatively unknown!

MySpace: www.myspace.com/tailormadeforasmallroom

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