APW: World's End Girlfriend (710 hits)
Category: Sound & MusicRating: 1.35 on 32 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by HurtByTheSun: Naked @ Noon. (View user info) at 2007-07-18 07:17:48 EDT
World's End Girlfriend is not, as the name might suggest, 'emo' in any way, shape of form. Rather, it is the musical project of Katsuhiko Maeda, a multi-instrumentalist and composer from Japan.
Describing the sound of this particular band would be like trying to describe that feeling when you wake up well rested feeling great and knowing that the day is going to be great; that happy feeling, tinged with a melancholy and despair gets you about halfway to the sound of WEG.
I first found out about them purely by accident having borrowed a CD from a hippy artist friend, Andy. It gets quite confusing when we hang out with a bunch of people, but since he's hairy, and I am going bald, he gets the moniker 'Hairy', whilst I am lumbered with the humiliating 'Baldy'. Anyway, I was expecting to borrow Bruce Springsteen's Seger Sessions album, but the doss cunt had put an album called 'Hurtbreak Wonderland' in there instead. Fuck it, I thought, I'll give it a listen, and I'm really glad that I did.
WEG is like a combination of techno and post-rock with a definite Eastern influence. Apparently Maeda loved his fathers classical records as a child and the influence shows both in terms of style and structure. Songs rarely check in at less than 5 minutes, and some run as long as 15 but you never feel like shit is getting repeated. A lot of post rock bands start feeling this way, Godspeed You! Black Emperor are particularly guilty, where Mogwai and Explosions in the Sky have a much more cut back feel. With WEG you get all the beauty and texture, but none of the pretensions that some of the other bands mentioned sometimes throw at you.
(One Godspeed track, which is just recorded silence fills me with such rage I would happily murder every single one of the cunts responsible)
There's a fair few torrents out there of WEG, which is just as well as I've never seen the band for sale in any record shop in the UK, which is a constant source of disappointment as the artwork, from what I can make out, looks awesome.
Here's a couple clips, there ain't much out there, but this is the best I can do (and I'm sorry if you fuckers can't get on youTube at work, but check them out when you get home: well worth it):
Live
Scorpius Circus: http://youtube.com/watch?v=xxjKSaoz380
This track just builds and builds until you think you'll go fucking mental, it's on the album 'The Lie Lay Land'. Personally I like it just as much as the studio version, but the jury is sort of out on whether WEG work as a live band. I think they do, and would love to see them live. I've been to loads of post rock shows and each and every one has rocked my fucking bollocks off.
Studio
We Are the Massacre: http://youtube.com/watch?v=3H5ERTHCJRI
This song is awesome. Screaming and suffering blended in with a truly haunting melody, pretty creepy really. Personally, the video does little for me as it's not as subtle as you'd expect, it's quite cool at the end when it's been sped up, but to be honest, it's a poor video. Still, the song's great and it's off the same album as Scorpius Circus.
All the other clips on youTube are gash in terms of sound quality, or they have a bunch of morons talking. Check 'em out if you want something a bit different.
User Reviews
Submitted by HurtByTheSun (user info) at 2007-07-18 11:36:19 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by Saeki (user info) at 2007-07-18 16:23:51 BST (#)
Ranking: 2
There's a lot of great, experimental electronica coming out of Japan nowadays. WEG's Hurtbreak Wonderland along with Death Ambient's Drunken Forest are probably my favorite 2007 releases so far in this genre.
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Will have to check out Death Ambient! Cheers!
Submitted by Saeki (user info) at 2007-07-18 11:23:51 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
There's a lot of great, experimental electronica coming out of Japan nowadays. WEG's Hurtbreak Wonderland along with Death Ambient's Drunken Forest are probably my favorite 2007 releases so far in this genre.
Submitted by Saeki (user info) at 2007-07-18 11:19:25 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
This is fantastic music. A little abstract and cerebral, but when I'm in the mood, this really resonates.
Submitted by czwij (user info) at 2007-07-18 08:47:56 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
meatgazer?
scrotum chewer!
Submitted by RabiedRooster (user info) at 2007-07-18 08:38:42 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
i was ok this morning until a minute ago
Submitted by EmissionImpossible (user info) at 2007-07-18 08:36:00 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
People are in bad moods today.
Submitted by HurtByTheSun (user info) at 2007-07-18 08:35:14 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by czwij (user info) at 2007-07-18 13:28:23 BST (#)
Ranking: 0
so hbts throws down the gauntlet...
fucking pussy, eh?
wish i was fucking pussy.
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Consider the gauntlet thrown, meatgazer.
Submitted by czwij (user info) at 2007-07-18 08:28:23 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
so hbts throws down the gauntlet...
fucking pussy, eh?
wish i was fucking pussy.
Submitted by Bananana (user info) at 2007-07-18 08:24:56 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by HurtByTheSun (user info) at 2007-07-18 08:18:09 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by czwij (user info) at 2007-07-18 13:13:39 BST (#)
Ranking: 0
im scared to.
what if i waste 5 minutes of my life listening to it?
why, i could be looking for all posts with nsfw instead.
again.
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Don't be such a fucking pussy.
Submitted by czwij (user info) at 2007-07-18 08:13:39 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
im scared to.
what if i waste 5 minutes of my life listening to it?
why, i could be looking for all posts with nsfw instead.
again.
Submitted by HurtByTheSun (user info) at 2007-07-18 08:07:04 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by czwij (user info) at 2007-07-18 13:02:15 BST (#)
Ranking: 0
what metally?
if beethoven was alive today, he'd have a double bass drum in his ensemble.
BTW, ol luddy van was the metallica, pantera, sepultura, slayer (or whatever huge hard act of your choice)of his day.
only electronic stuff i kinda like is trent reznor, ministry or maybe boldface industry (a small act from my hometown - wicked stuff)
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Yeah I know Luwig Van was hardcore.
This isn't really electronic like Reznor or Ministry. More like... well I dunno who really.
Give it a go if you want, or not.
Submitted by RabiedRooster (user info) at 2007-07-18 08:05:41 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
Bored of your music posts man
Submitted by czwij (user info) at 2007-07-18 08:02:15 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
what metally?
if beethoven was alive today, he'd have a double bass drum in his ensemble.
BTW, ol luddy van was the metallica, pantera, sepultura, slayer (or whatever huge hard act of your choice)of his day.
only electronic stuff i kinda like is trent reznor, ministry or maybe boldface industry (a small act from my hometown - wicked stuff)
Submitted by HurtByTheSun (user info) at 2007-07-18 07:56:46 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by czwij (user info) at 2007-07-18 12:55:00 BST (#)
Ranking: 0
double bass drums, then?
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They are not metally at all dude.
Submitted by czwij (user info) at 2007-07-18 07:55:00 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
double bass drums, then?
Submitted by orph (user info) at 2007-07-18 07:49:48 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Interesting.
Submitted by HurtByTheSun (user info) at 2007-07-18 07:47:50 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by czwij (user info) at 2007-07-18 12:42:30 BST (#)
Ranking: 0
any distorted guitars in it?
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Nah.
Submitted by czwij (user info) at 2007-07-18 07:42:30 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
any distorted guitars in it?
Submitted by HurtByTheSun (user info) at 2007-07-18 07:35:39 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
the only japanese toonage i can stand is shonen knife.
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Shonen Knife are fucking awesome. WEG are nothing like what you think they're like. No words for one thing.
Submitted by EmissionImpossible (user info) at 2007-07-18 07:35:12 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Hilarity I need you to soothe my brow, i have been very well behaved with my man whoreness :)
Submitted by czwij (user info) at 2007-07-18 07:33:27 EDT (#)
Ranking: -1
the only japanese toonage i can stand is shonen knife.
i werk in a japanese company (one more week to go and then a month of..........nothing!)
ive driven with some japs on business trips and i always talk about music for small talk.
the shit they listen to is so fucking gawdawful i wince whenever someone mentions a japanese music project, which equates to me images of kerry-okie and child like disco sung by pre pubescent grrls.
thank god i cant understand what they are saying.
so i must not accept this post on the basis of pre-judgment
Submitted by Hilarity_Ensues (user info) at 2007-07-18 07:32:56 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Me thinks EI is on some sort of pharmaceutical bender.
Submitted by EmissionImpossible (user info) at 2007-07-18 07:32:53 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
You know what I fucking hate and thats a weed induced hangover, its so weird, im in my own little world. Does anyone else know what I mean?
Submitted by Hilarity_Ensues (user info) at 2007-07-18 07:31:11 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Yay musik.
Submitted by storm (user info) at 2007-07-18 07:28:53 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
EI, that's precisely what I meant.
Submitted by EmissionImpossible (user info) at 2007-07-18 07:25:25 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
A shit burger? What a funny image I had in my head, I would say I want a camwhore showing this 'shit burger'
I almost think you really mean a burger with shit in..............
BUt im sure you don't.
Shhh quiet time.
Submitted by HurtByTheSun (user info) at 2007-07-18 07:22:00 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by storm (user info) at 2007-07-18 12:20:58 BST (#)
Ranking: 2
You happy yet?
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Dude, I was never 'unhappy', just making a point.
Submitted by storm (user info) at 2007-07-18 07:20:58 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
You happy yet?
Submitted by storm (user info) at 2007-07-18 07:20:47 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I ate a shit burger this morning so I'm grumpy.
Submitted by HurtByTheSun (user info) at 2007-07-18 07:20:00 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by storm (user info) at 2007-07-18 12:18:56 BST (#)
Ranking: -2
APW is about showing art to us, not making us click on some link. I can't youtube at work, so that means you failed.
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How is music not art? Since when was there a definition of what APW had to be?
Submitted by storm (user info) at 2007-07-18 07:18:56 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
APW is about showing art to us, not making us click on some link. I can't youtube at work, so that means you failed.