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Wagakki Band is keeping on their toes this summer! They’ve just released the video for Kishikaisei, which will be used as the official Relay Song by TV Tokyo for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. WagakkiBand - Kishikaisei MV The other song that has been released digitally is entitled MI・RA・I and will also be used as the ‘official cheering song’ for TV Tokyo. Both songs are now available on iTunes, Recochoku, mu-mo, and mora. This has been done in preparation for the single’s release on August 17th, 2016.  KISHIKAISEI Regular Edition DVD - 1728 Yen
KISHIKAISEI Regular Edition Blu-ray - 2058 Yen
KISHIKAISEI First Press Limited Edition DVD - 2268 Yen
KISHIKAISEI First Press Limited Edition Blu-ray - 2598 Yen
-Dia
 "Trauma Techno Pop" outfit URBANGARDE have announced a photobook collaboration with the (in)famous photographer Yuki Aoyama. Titled "Schoolgirl Trauma", the photobook will feature Aoyama's well-known fetish-oriented photography with an URBANGARDE twist, such as vocalist Yoko Hamasaki posing in a sailor fuku. The photobook will be available on August 19th, though URBANGARDE will hold a pre-release event on August 5th during their show with singer/comedian Takashi Fujii.
 Legendary experimental musician Cornelius is touring the US this summer, and will be stopping in LA on August 6th to grace the Orpheum Theater with the unique sounds of his seminal album Fantasma. A-To-J will be there to provide coverage and photos after the show, but this is a set you won't want to miss! Cornelius' music ranges from psychedelic pop to noise rock, and everything in-between. Fantasma contains some of the musician's best work, with incredible songs like New Music Machine, Star Fruits Surf Rider, and God Only Knows. Make sure to catch this extremely talented artist on the anniversary of one of his best albums! The flyer for the LA show is below, along with a ticket link and some relevant information on Cornelius. Nosaj Thing will be supporting with a DJ set. -Justin  The Summer of Japanese music continues! August sees Sekai no Owari, Boris, and Cornelius just to name a few! Be sure to check to see if your favorite band is coming to the US by following A-To-J Connections! Sekai no Owari  Boris  Tickets
Cornelius  Tickets
Roli Angels 
Otakon  August 12-14th (Baltimore, MD) – Tickets
Liberty City Anime Con  August 19-21st – (New York, NY) – Tickets
-Kelsey
 After a three-year break, Her Ghost Friend is back with their fourth full-length album. On this latest album, the duo of Shinobu Ono and DJ Obake are picking up right where they left off on 2013's Chungking Express, never-ending story.
 It's been two years since Czecho no Republic released their bouncy dancefloor indie rock record 'Mantle', which is two years too long. With unforgettable singles like "Amazing Parade" and "No Way", 'Mantle' was the bubbly summer fun record we've always needed. And it wasn't even their first!
 WagakkiBand by Tomina Staeger (A-To-J Connections, 2016) I feel the need to apologize for just how personalized this live report is going to be as I continue to write it. I am by no means a journalist or anything, really, just someone who was lucky enough to have a band I like actually come overseas to perform. Being roughly 155 centimeters tall (around 5’1”), I wasn’t really able to see much of the stage despite wearing platforms. I stood on the right side of the stage, by shamisen player Beni Ninagawa and the guitar player, Machiya, so forgive the apparent bias towards them this report is going to have. About the venue: the place (Club Bahia in Los Angeles) wasn’t packed, but it was nice and cozy. A normal club setting, snazzy lighting, food and drinks available for purchase. Next to this huge mural was the band’s sign on the wall:  Snazzy, right? Here’s the setlist.
The concert started right on the dot I think, or maybe a few minutes after the clock hit eight. The songs I was anticipating, personally? Hanafurumai (‘Flower Behaviour’) and STRONG FATE - the full PV of STRONG FATE was recently uploaded to YouTube and can be watched here. The former was left out of the setlist, but they opened with STRONG FATE. This happened conveniently after I turned to the friend I attended the concert with and said, “I really hope they play this song!” Funny, right? About the crowd: Definitely more than a hundred people, maybe less than two hundred? Lots of phones and cameras out recording video, so the headbanging was quite minimal, from where I was standing, at least. Back to the concert. They began the song with their backs turned, only turning around as soon as they hit the chorus and beginning a slow, synchronized sort of headbanging. It sounded identical to the studio version, not a single note missed, but vocalist Yuko Suzuhana’s voice had this raw sort of quality to it; combined with the impact written into the actual song, it was enough to send a shiver down one’s spine. Next was Tengaku (‘Music of the Heavens’), which I sensed as soon as I heard that funky bass riff in the beginning, played by Asa. Possibly WagakkiBand’s second most popular song, if you’re going by YouTube views. Originally a VOCALOID song, this version can be found on their first album, ‘VOCALO Zanmai.’ Now, guitarist Machiya’s a wild one on stage. By this I mean spinning, running around, and dancing in place. It was at that point that I noticed he was barefoot, which isn’t much of a surprise if you’ve seen their live videos. After running up to the crate for his guitar solo, he decided to spin back into place, nearly beheading an unsuspecting Beni in the process. The two were laughing about it after since all was well and the show went on.
 When westerners think J-pop, they often think anime. Anime openings, anime endings, anime music in general. In recent years, one of the most prominent artists in that area of J-pop has been ZAQ. Breaking onto the scene with the opening theme to 'Sasami-san@Ganbaranai', ZAQ quickly solidified her place as one of the best in the game with her debut album "NOISY Lab." and single "OVERDRIVER". It's been two years, and ZAQ is back with a bright and explosive reminder of why it is we fell in love with her in the first place.
Tentenko is so prolific, we actually missed her most recent (at the time) release "Machi". While trying to catch up and get a review of "Machi" out, she went and released ANOTHER mini-album, "AEIOU". So I'm just gonna review this one. "Machi" is good too, if you're wondering.
As a music fan, I'm always on the lookout for up-and-coming bands. It can be a bit tough for an English-speaking fan of Japanese music to discover Japanese bands before they make it big, but once in a while the stars align and somebody crawls their way out of the fog. Mississippi Khaki Haze is one of those bands.
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