Otoboke Beaver, "anata watashi daita ato yome no meshi" (Damnably)
Westerners are used to Japanese women musicians creating cutie-pie songs that are the aural equivalent of Hello Kitty graphics, with a bit of Ramones worship thrown in for spice. Exceptions exist, of course, such as Melt-Banana, Yoshimi of Boredoms and OOIOO, Wata of Boris, and Afrirampo, but by and large, the Shonen Knife template has proved to be durable. So it's refreshing to have one's ears mercilessly scorched by Kyoto up-and-comers Otoboke Beaver, who give zero fucks about decorumâor preconceptions about Japanese women rockers.
Accorinrin (lead vocals, guitar), Yoyoyoshie (guitar, vocals), Hiro-chan (bass, vocals), and Pop (drums, vocals) define themselves as âJapanese girls âknock out or pound cakeâ band.â Got it? Good. "anata watashi daita ato yome no meshi," the lead single from their new album, Itekomi Hits (out April 26), is a speed-demon thrashatron that spasms with No Wave recklessness. A couple of quirky, quiet breakdowns offer respite and chuckles, but the overall impression is one of breakneck madness.
Otoboke Beaver may present calculated rebellion, but the band strikes this Westerner as a radical subversion of how the majority of the world expects young Japanese women to comport themselves in the studio and onstage. Also, the video for this track deserves all the awards. It's, uh, lit.
Otoboke Beaver's only US date in the near future is at this March's SXSW in Austin, Texas, but let's hope they do a more extensive North American tour sooner rather than later. You can pre-order Itekomi Hits (out April 26) here.