Urbangarde (see what they've done there?) are an arty noise-pop band (or a noisy art-pop band, you decide) who play "Tokyo Virginity Pop". This virgin thing seems to come up a lot, it's a thematic concern of theirs that I'm not very clear on, not being to understand most of the press about them but we can assume that... they like virginity. Elements like the giant kewpie doll costume and aggressive sperm (yes I know), the red and white spots, the dripping Japanese flag all work pretty well together to make a distinctive identity and artistic message. Here's the video for the first track off their new album:
The thing is that off the bat, I don't really like Urbangarde. That sing-song intro is so Deerhoof it's untrue (and people know Deerhoof in Japan) and after that... I think I'd rather be listening to Polysics? But they've got a lot going on, and I'm certainly not going to write them off straight away. I thought they were a fun band to point out though. Instead I bought The Residents' Commercial Album for half price. Half price! I've been looking for that for years! I'm going back to aching now.
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