Don’t let the overly generic album title fool you, there’s nothing orthodox or typical about The Telephones or their debut album. JAPAN is a quirky, wacky release that reminds us of the basic reason why we listen to music — because it’s fun. The Telephones make their home on the electronic rock spectrum somewhere between avengers in sci-fi and Polysics, so they’re certainly in good company. While The Telephones’ other ’08 release, Love&DISCO E.P. is incredible, JAPAN offers double the dosage and precedes it by 10 months.

“it’s OK”
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It’s rare for a ‘best of’ album to even be considered for honors but Natural Punch Drunker’s NPDisc -BEST- wasn’t just considered, it was chosen. ‘Best of’ releases are often fragmented and can sound like the noticeably tossed together compilations they are. Although most of the tracks on the album were featured on previous releases, NPDisc -BEST- is suprisingly cohesive and is a predictably voluminous release.

“君を忘れたら” (Kimi wo wasure tara, If I forget about you)
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LOOP ON LIFE was a debut release that came out of left field by a blossoming new quartet, 空中ループ (Kuuchuu Loop). It’s just a mini album but the motifs and sounds are painted with such a beautiful and grandiose brush, it deserves the recognition of its 30-minute-longer counterparts.

“カゲロウ” (Kagerou, heat wave)
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If the band itself refers to HYPER, HYP8R, HYPER as the “masterpiece of 8ottoyear 2008″, surely it must be good. While it’s probably their honest opinion of their work, it’s marketing. Fortunately, they aren’t BSing. HYPER, HYP8R, HYPER is a remarkably strong release and builds a sturdy wall of rock from commencement to conclusion. While 8otto is heavily influenced by classic rock, the drummer-fronted quartet are not slavish nostalgics at all. Don’t worry, the music doesn’t hurt your ears like the cover art hurts your eyes.

“Classic”
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While Who are you? can’t compare to NICO Touches the Walls’ 2006 mini albums Walls is Beginning or RunovaxHandover, it’s still a solid album and a great effort by the young quartet. The release features some familiar favorites like “(My Sweet) Eden” and “image training” along with the singles “夜の果て” (Yoru no Hate) and “THE BUNGY” as well as “Broken Youth” and more. Who are you? offers a near-complete NICO Touches the Walls experience and that’s more than enough to keep you busy for months to come.

“B.C.G”
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