Photographed here is Ed, who accompanied DJ Laura Lopez from the last post, on what seems to be another trip (of many) from D.C. to Tokyo, replete with lots of record shop exploring, and with whom I shared a lively conversation on all things music. Ed might be as big of a vinyl junkie as Laura is, having scored two records Japanese pressings by Taipei Jazz/Synth-Pop 5-piece, Sunset Rollercoaster, who, myself never having heard, is just a perfect example of new interesting music that I am discovering (and I hope you are too) by way of this project.
I’ve mentioned before that I love scoring records that are playing in record shops while I’m browsing. I do it as a sorta validating nod to the storekeeper, as to say “Hey, nice taste, keep it up” or to succumb to their “I will now sell four copies of “The Three EPs” by The Beta Band” moment. I also do it to create a little rapport with the shop, so that the next time I come in, I get the, “That’s the guy who bought the record that I was playing” preferential treatment. These might sound like shallow moves, and I admit, they are in a way, but I wouldn’t buy the records if I didn’t actually like them, and more importantly that all these aforementioned reasons, I buy them because I know they will take me back those exact moments, to those exact people, to a space in time when I was enjoying a little moment, a favorite scene in the movie of my own life.
Inasmuch, after giving a Sunset Rollercoster a first-time listen, and getting quite into something I’d never heard before, not to mention I’m now in-the-know about a hip Taiwanese band, and knowing that if and whenever I hear their name or music again, I will be taken back to THIS moment and THIS person in THIS picture and the delightful and authentic little interlude we shared in an otherwise mundane day amongst so many others, I can tell that I’ll be hard pressed to pass them by if they come across my eyes while crate-digging, “…Oh, this is the band that cool guy Ed visiting Tokyo who I photographed introduced me to. I wonder how he and Laura are …maybe I should pick this up and add to the collection. I think I will.”
Thanks Ed! More Tokyo Record Style on the way…
Sunset Rollercoaster (落日飛車) – Cassa Nova (半熟王子)
Label: Big Romantic Records – BBRCD-028
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Limited Edition, Red
Country: Japan
Released: Nov 2018
Genre: Rock, Funk / Soul, Blues
Style: Lo-Fi, Soft Rock, AOR, Indie Rock
https://www.discogs.com/release/12785847-%E8%90%BD%E6%97%A5%E9%A3%9B%E8%BB%8A-%E5%8D%8A%E7%86%9F%E7%8E%8B%E5%AD%90-Cassa-Nova
Sunset Rollercoaster (落日飛車) – 金桔希子 Jinji Kikko
Label: Big Romantic Records – BRRCD-027
Format: Vinyl, 12″, EP, Limited Edition, Repress, Translucent Pink
Country: Japan
Released: Mar 1, 2016
Genre: Rock, Funk / Soul, Blues, Pop
Style: AOR, Soft Rock, Indie Rock, Indie Pop
https://www.discogs.com/release/12785859-%E8%90%BD%E6%97%A5%E9%A3%9B%E8%BB%8A-%E9%87%91%E6%A1%94%E5%B8%8C%E5%AD%90-Jinji-Kikko-
Turnstile – Glow On
Label: Roadrunner Records – 1-654153
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country:USA & Europe
Released:Aug 27, 2021
Genre: RockStyle:Hardcore, Alternative Rock, Post-Hardcore, Shoegaze, Indie Rock
https://www.discogs.com/release/19955041-Turnstile-Glow-On
Try Best Offer Score
On Instagram