Japan has a dark history, and the pre-war years of Tokyo was an exciting time of politics, but also a great period for then-contemporary literature, visual art, and various movements that were taking place. Some inspired by the West, but still rooted in Japanese aesthetic. In the 1980s various members of the underground Japanese pop world were obsessed with the 1920s/1930s such as the band Guernica, Koji Ueno, and the great vocalist Jun Togawa. "Jingai Daimakyo" (the savage terrifying places) is a separate solo album by Ueno along with lyricist/visual artist Keiichi Ohta, based on the writings of mystery/horror writer Oguri Mushitaro (1901-1946).
"Jingai Daimakyo" is very much a Guernica album but without the vocal talents of Togawa. Each song has a different vocalist, and the most noted singer on this album is Haroumi Hosono, who at the time was a member of the Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO) and he and fellow YMO member Yukihiro Takahashi ran the Yen record label. Ohta, the lyricist as well as producer for this album is a noted artist/illustrator in Japan, and his work captures the sexuality/violence of the pre-war mentality. Retro to the extreme, both Ueno and Ohta make music and images that are unique, and could only come from Japanese pop culture.
The album is a small masterpiece because it captures a passionate part of history, and convey it to an aural assault of the senses. Ueno's music is very much in the manner of 20th-century music history. In a fashion, this album reminds me of Van Dyke Parks' "Song Cycle" album, if one needs a reference to their aesthetic. Not an easy album to find, especially outside of Japan. Still, one can locate the album on YouTube. Happy hunting!
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