The Blog Urban Aspirines is very proud to introduce you it's favourite psychedelic band of the
last decade. Their name is KIKIKAGU MOYO and they are from Japan.
Kikagaku Moyo (in Japanese Kanji 幾何学模様, transliterated Kikagaku Moyō) translates to
“geometric patterns”, which the drummer Go Kurosawa suggested as a band name after getting visuals caused by sleep deprivation during a long jam session at night.
Kikagaku Moyo are a Tokyo-based psychedelic rock band whose sound incorporates elements of
Krautrock, Indian ragas, and acid folk. Over the course of a short period of time, they released a series of records -- including 2016's breakout House in the Tall Grass and 2018's sharply sculpted Masana Temples -- that balanced heavy, crushing jams with softer, more contemplative moments, recalling Japanese psych groups like Acid Mothers Temple and Ghost, as well as their predecessors such as Far East Family Band and the Flower Travellin' Band.
Future drummer and guitarist Go Kurosawa and Tomo Katsurada met in the summer of 2012 in Tokyo
following Tomo's return from studying film in the US. Having similar interests in music, fashion, and movies, they decided to start playing music together. Though Go had played piano and Tomo knew the cello, neither had substantial prior experience in the instruments they wanted to play in the band. Initially, the two often played together in an old studio where their friend worked, from midnight to morning, the reason for that being the high price of playing in the studio during the day.
Dissatisfied with their sound, Go and Tomo soon went out to search for more people to join the band.
They specifically sought people who didn’t have much experience like Go and Tomo themselves, but wanted to play music together. They started with putting up signs and handing out posters at their college. They eventually met their bassist Kotsoguy, who at the time was recording sounds from a vending machine on the street for a drone project.
Tomo met their second guitarist Daoud Popal in the college's smoking area. Around the same time, Go's
brother Ryu Kurosawa returned from India and joined the band as their sitarist. The members had little in common in terms of musical taste, leading to difficulties sharing about their musical interests that persisted until they had been playing together for a year.
The group recorded their self-titled debut in 2013. Initially self-released digitally, the album was given a vinyl release by Greek label Cosmic Eye later in the year, followed by an American release by
Captcha Records in 2014. Kikagaku Moyo released two more albums in 2014 (Mammatus Clouds and Forest of Lost Children) and became darlings of the international psychedelic scene, with appearances at Austin Psych Fest and L.A. Psych Fest in addition to successful tours of America, the U.K., and Europe. In 2015, the group shared split 7" singles with Moon Duo as well as Kinski and Acid Mothers Temple leader Makoto Kawabata.
In 2015 the band toured extensively through Europe with appearances at Eindhoven Psych Lab and
Duna Jam. Members of the band also started the record label Guruguru Brain in 2015 to showcase the unique music scene in East Asia. They would release their next two records on it: House in the Tall Grass, released in May 2016, and Masana Temples, released in October 2018.
Kikagaku Moyo are now one of the most acclaimed bands in the alternative psych scene. Having toured
the world several times over, they’ve also graced prominent slots at renowned festivals such as Bonnaroo Music Festival (US), End Of The Road Festival, Green Man Festival (both UK), and Concrete & Glass (China),and have been commissioned by world-famous fashion brands such as Gucci and Issey Miyake. Recent album Masana Temples received stellar reviews from the likes of Mojo and Uncut, and the band were also invited to appear on acclaimed radio station KEXP, performing for one of their famed live sessions.
Kikagaku Moyo have come a long way –both literally and metaphorically– since their humble
beginnings busking on the streets of Tokyo back in 2012. A tight-knit group of five friends who bonded over the desire to play freely, and explore music associated with space and psychedelica, their initial ambitions were modest semi-regular slots in the cramped clubs of the city’s insular music scene. Yet the band’s progressive, folk-influenced take on psychedelica marked them out from their peers and re-started Japan’s psych rock scene; it also brought them international acclaim.
They also shifted out of their comfort zone when it came time to record their next album, traveling to
Lisbon to work with producer Bruno Pernadas, a noted Portuguese jazz guitarist. These changes contributed to a slight shift in their sound and led to the band's most streamlined and focused record yet, 2018's Masana Temples. On 19 January 2022, the band announced they would go on an indefinite hiatus after 2022, and that their next record would be their last. Titled Kumoyo Island, the album was released in May 2022. Kikagaku Moyo played their last show December 3, 2022 at Meguro Persimmonn Hall in Tokyo.
Tokyo psych-rock quintet Kikagaku Moyo are no more. The band—drummer/vocalist Go Kurosawa,
guitarist/vocalist Tomo Katsurada, bassist Kotsuguy, sitar and keyboard player Ryu Kurosawa, and guitarist Daoud Popal Akira—announced Wednesday that 2022 will be their last year as a band, after which they will go on the dreaded “indefinite hiatus.”
“We have come to the conclusion that because we have truly achieved our core mission as a band, we
would love to end this project on the highest note possible,” their announcement reads. “Since first starting as a music collective on the streets of Tokyo in 2012, we never, ever imagined being able to play all over the world for our amazing audiences. It is all because of you that this was ever possible … and to this we are eternally grateful.”
DISCOGRAPHY - STUDIO ALBUMS
1. Kikagaku Moyo (2013, Cosmic Eye/Sound effect/Guruguru Brain)
2. Forest of Lost Children (2014, Beyond Beyond is Beyond)
3. House in the Tall Grass (2016, Guruguru Brain)
4. Masana Temples (2018, Guruguru Brain)
5. Kumoyo Island (2022, Guruguru Brain)
1. KIKAGAKU MOYO - KIKAGAKU MOYO (MINI ALBUM) 2013
Kikagaku Moyo's debut album exerts an elemental power. Enlivening their sound with sitars, percussive drums, theremins, wind instruments and ethereal vocals, the band manages to sound
powerfully spacious and lazily serene all at once. Their songs can be light as air, or heavy as earth. Many evolve out of intense experiences of engagement with the natural world. The album’s first track, “Can You Imagine Nothing?” was written over a night spent jamming on a suspended footbridge in remote mountains. As the song progressed the bridge began to sway, making band members feel as though they were floating weightless in midair. Most importantly their music is about freedom of the mind and body and building a bridge between the supernatural and the present. Improvisation is a key element to their sound.
Kikagaku Moyo – Kikagaku Moyo
Label: Not On Label (Kikagaku Moyo Self-released) – none
Format: CD, Mini-Album, Limited Edition, Reissue
Country: Japan
Released: 2016
Genre: Rock
Style: Psychedelic Rock
TRACKS
01. Can You Imagine Nothing? 4:26
02. Zo No Senaka 6:52
03. Tree Smoke 6:40
04. Lazy Stoned Monk 5:02
05. Dawn
LINE - UP
Bass – Kotsuguy
Drums, Vocals – Go Kurosawa
Guitar – Daoud Popal
Sitar – Ryu Kurosawa
Theremin, Voice – Angie Gotopo
Vocals, Guitar – Tomo Katsurada
Written-By [All Songs] – Go Kurosawa
Flac Size: 184 MB
2. KIKAGAKU MOYO - FOREST OF LOST CHILDREN 2014
Previously released on May 20th 2014.
Kikagaku Moyo here sound anything but lost, their child-like wonder manifested in a confident, courageous exploration of sound. Labels – psychedelic, folk, prog-rock, psychedelic-folk-mixed-with-prog-rock – do little to accurately reflect the spectrum of influences on display, let alone the more impactful realization of completeness in Kikagaku Moyo’s songs.
Kikagaku Moyo – Forest Of Lost Children
Label: Beyond Beyond Is Beyond Records – BBIBR013
Format: CD, Album, Digipack
Country: US
Released: May 20, 2014
Genre: Rock
Style: Psychedelic Rock
TRACKS
01. Semicircle 3:15
02. Kodama 4:20
Written-By – Tomo
03. Smoke And Mirrors 7:16
Written-By – Go, Tomo
04. Streets Of Calcutta 3:55
Written-By – Ananda Shankar
05. Hem 3:51
Written-By – Go
06. White Moon 8:24
Written-By – Go
LINE - UP
Bass – Kotsuguy
Drums, Vocals – Go Kurosawa
Guitar – Daoud Popal
Sitar – Ryu Kurosawa
Theremin, Voice – Angie Gotopo
Vocals, Guitar – Tomo Katsurada
Flac Size: 212 MB
3. KIKAGAKU MOYO - HOUSE IN THE TALL GRASS 2016
More so than their previous releases, the album is a cinematic journey, with noted influences including Ry Cooder's score for Paris, Texas and Bruce Langhorne's 1971 cult favorite soundtrack to Peter
Fonda's 1971 Western The Hired Hand. The album has a similarly wide-open feel, with the group often employing a forest-sized aura of reverb. The group's notable usage of sitar sounds earthy and mystical rather than trippy. A few of the songs clock in at eight or ten minutes, but instead of being meandering freakouts, these are actually the most focused numbers on the album. Opener "Green Sugar" rides a slimmed-down Krautrock groove and features chiming tremolo guitars, distant glockenspiels and playful percussion, and a slightly Zappa-esque melody.
The song bobs along pleasantly for a while before building up to a heavy (but not crushing) finale.
"Silver Owl" spends its first two thirds calmly drifting and building anticipation before hitting the distortion pedals, gloriously rewarding the listener's patience and curiosity. "Trad" is a cosmic folk-prog epic that is almost certainly an homage to Swedish legends Träd, Gräs och Stenar. Curiously, some of the album's shorter pieces seem far less considered, possibly even underdeveloped. Soft, snoozy "Melted Crystal" spends five minutes going nowhere in particular, and while "Dune" is one of the album's more upbeat tracks, its distant drum rhythm sounds too flat, and the two-minute track simply
seems like an unfinished idea. However, other tracks on the album benefit from sparseness, such as the lovely acoustic closing track "Cardigan Song," which brings to mind Songs of Green Pheasant. The album isn't perfect, but at their best, Kikagaku Moyo excel at their unique, thrilling brand of psychedelic acid folk. (Paul Simpson)
Kikagaku Moyo – House In The Tall Grass
Label: Guruguru Brain – GGB-008CD
Format: CD, Album, Digipak
Country: Japan
Released: 2016
Genre: Rock
Style: Acid Rock, Psychedelic Rock
TRACKS
01. Green Sugar 7:54
02. Kogarashi 4:41
03. Old Snow, White Sun 3:25
04. Melted Crystal 5:31
05. Dune 2:08
06. Silver Owl 10:05
07. Fata Morgana 1:21
08. Trad 8:35
09. Cardigan Song 4:49
LINE - UP
Bass – Kotsuguy
Drums, Vocals – Go Kurosawa
Guitar – Daoud Popal
Sitar – Ryu Kurosawa
Theremin, Voice – Angie Gotopo
Vocals, Guitar – Tomo Katsurada
Flac Size: 264 MB
4. KIKAGAKU MOYO - MASANA TEMPLES 2018
After building a solid backlog of unpredictable records that flowed through jazz, psych, prog, and space rock territory like cosmic drifters, Japanese combo Kikagaku Moyo settle down a little bit on 2018's
Masana Temples, and come up with their most unified and cohesive record yet. The band worked with an outside producer for the first time, journeying to Lisbon to work with jazz guitarist Bruno Pernadas. He and the band tone down their stylistics excesses in favor of a more streamlined approach featuring a tightly wound rhythm section, more concise songwriting, and a clean and direct production style. The songs themselves tend to be more laid-back and dreamlike too, with a tiny bit of West Coast cosmic folk floating around the edges like wood smoke.
Kikagaku Moyo – Masana Temples
Label: Guruguru Brain – none
Format: CD, Album, Digipack
Country: Japan
Released: Oct 5, 2018
Genre: Rock
Style: Psychedelic Rock, Psychedelic
TRACKS
01. Entrance 2:26
02. Dripping Sun 7:50
03. Nazo Nazo 3:07
04. Fluffy Kosmisch 3:40
05. Majupose 4:01
06. Nana 3:13
07. Orange Peel 4:27
08. Amayadori 1:35
09. Gatherings 6:40
10. Blanket Song 3:11
LINE - UP
Bass – Kotsuguy
Drums, Lead Vocals – Go Kurosawa
Guitar – Daoud Popal
Guitar, Lead Vocals – Tomo Katsurada
Sitar – Ryu Kurosawa
NOTES
Recorded at Valentim De Carvalho Studio in Lisbon, Portugal, April 2018
Flac Size: 473 MB
5. KIKAGAKU MOYO - KUMOYO ISLAND 2022
In 2022, after roughly a decade of psychedelic exploration, Japanese psych band Kikagaku Moyo announced they were going on an indefinite hiatus, and that their fifth album, Kumoyo Island, would be their last. Kumoyo Island is no different, and the versatile set of songs finds Kikagaku Moyo
seamlessly traversing cosmic funk, airy folk sounds, ragged kosmiche-informed garage rock blasting, and more, often shuffling through a multitude of styles and sounds in a single song. As Kumoyo Island plays out, the band wanders through moments of early morning post-rock softness ("Effe"), crunchy power chords and dazzled guitar leads (“Yayoi Iyayoi”), chaotic, repetitive jamming ("Field of Tiger Lilies"), ambient dreamscapes ("Maison Silk Road"), and other diversions. These various curiosities flow into one another, and any moments of chaos are completely controlled.
Stunning playing, unexpected turns, and precisely detailed sonic architecture are all commonplace elements of Kikagaku Moyo's sound and the stylistic tangents and world-building atmospheres of Kumoyo Island feel more even more like a statement than any of the band's already seriously crafted
previous albums. In many ways ‘Kumoyo Island’ represents the culmination of a journey for Kikagaku Moyo. While their decade-long career can be summarized as a series of kaleidoscopic explorations through lands and dimensions far and near, there’s a strong intention in each of their works to take the listener to a particular place, however real or abstract they may be. In that sense, the title and cover art for the band’s fifth and final album draws you into a magical mass of land surrounded by water—but the couch suggests that ‘Kumoyo Island’may not be a fleeting stop, but rather a place of respite, where one could pause and take it all in.
Kikagaku Moyo – Kumoyo Island
Label: Guruguru Brain – none
Format: CD, Album
Country:
Released: May 6, 2022
Genre: Rock
Style: Psychedelic Rock
TRACKS
01. Monaka (Written-By – Go, Guy, Ryu, Tomo) 5:15
02. Dancing Blue (Written-By – Go, Guy, Tomo) 6:14
03. Effe (Written-By – Go, Tomo) 3:22
04. Meu Mar (Written-By – Erasmo Carlos) 6:07
05. Cardboard Pile (Written-By – Go, Guy, Tomo) 4:06
06. Gomugomu (Written-By – Go, Tomo) 2:04
07. Daydream Soda (Written-By – Go) 3:25
08. Field Of Tiger Lillies (Written-By – Guy) 1:19
09. Yayoi, Iyayoi (Written By – Go, Tomo) 6:58
10. Nap Song (Written-By – Go) 2:58
11. Maison Silk Road (Written-By – Ryu) 6:20
LINE - UP
Bass – Kotsuguy
Drums, Lead Vocals – Go Kurosawa
Guitar – Daoud Popal
Guitar, Lead Vocals – Tomo Katsurada
Sitar – Ryu Kurosawa
NOTES
“Monaka”, its name taken from a type of Japanese wafer sweets, takes melodic inspiration from
traditional minyofolk styles, while “Yayoi Iyayoi” is a rare instance of the band singing in their native tongue, its evocative lyrics utilizing archaic words taken from old poetry and nature books found in one of the many second-hand bookstores of Tokyo. For “Meu Mar”, an Erasmos Carlos cover, the original Portuguese lyrics were translated into English, then to Japanese. Strangely enough, the words seem to conjure an image of the protagonist floating among the clouds, looking down upon Tokyo Bay.