Now, let’s dive into the real meat of the list, shall we? Here we go…

If a band were to lose their primary songwriter and frontman, most bands would just call it quits or reform under a different name. But, those bands aren’t フジファブリック (Fujifabric). Despite the tragic passing of Masahiko Shimura (志村正彦), the remaining members pulled together and managed to release the album “MUSIC”. They also held a special festival at the theme park Fuji-Q Highland known as Fuji Fuji Fuji Q. A number of guest artists came to pay tribute to the band. A video of the famed Tamio Okuda (奥田民生) of Unicorn playing Fujifabric classic “茜色の夕日” (Akeneiro no Yuuhi, Madder Run Sunset) at Fuji Fuji Fuji Q is below.

It had been 3 years since the indie/punk stalwarts bloodthirsty butchers released any new material. But, they came back in a big way in 2010. Making a return to major label King Records, the band re-released a remastered limited edition of their most acclaimed album “kocorono”. Not only re-releasing what many call their masterpiece, they also released the very solid new album “NO ALBUM ç„¡é¡Œ”, a true display of how bloodthirsty butchers has grown and changed over the course of their long history. A video for one of the tracks off their new album, “curve”, is testament to their continued bright future.

Another band that made a triumphant return this year is Spangle call Lilli line. Known for consistently making some of the most beautiful trip-hop you’ll ever hear, SCLL didn’t skip a beat upon their return to action, releasing a bundle of material in 2010. Two real top-quality albums, “VIEW” and “forest at the end of the river”, and their first single since 2003, “dreamer”, isn’t bad in any stretch. Especially for a band like Spangle call Lilli line. The vocalist of SCLL, Kana Otsubo (大坪加奈), who also goes by the moniker NINI TOUNUMA, also released her second solo album “Woolgathering” today. Below is the video for the song “eye”, found off of “VIEW”.

Alright, folks, the top 3 is next. The cream of the crop of 2010. To give them proper coverage, we’re gonna go one by one from now on, but look forward to some truly great artists!

After almost 3 years, long-standing Japanese indie/punk icons bloodthirsty butchers make a triumphant return to both the limelight and major label King Records with the recent release of their new album titled “NO ALBUM ç„¡é¡Œ”. Coinciding with a re-release of their highly revered album “kocorono完全盤”, the new album deftly demonstrates the group’s continued effort in creating the same heavy, angular punk-rock sound that you have come to expect from bloodthirsty butchers. The stop-motion puppet show featured in the video for “ocean” sums up the album fairly well as it feels like something of a mixture of a nostalgic return to the the fervent past and yet also includes something that has never been associated with bloodthirsty butchers: just a bit of polish. However, this is without a doubt a bloodthirsty butchers album, albeit a little lighter than usual.

You can find more info on this prolific band at their official website and MySpace.

There are numerous great artists from Japan’s large, expansive northern island prefecture. Though, most of the bands mentioned below formed in Sapporo, many of the members are from elsewhere in Hokkaido. Here’s an alphabetical list of 10 great bands from Hokkaido, some moderately popular, some massively huge. Check it out:

BAZRA formed in 1999 in Sapporo. Watch “Jump” by BAZRA

bloodthirsty butchers have been rocking ever since they formed in Sapporo in 1987. Watch “Jack Nicolson” by bloodthirsty butchers

Bugy Craxone started taking stages in Sapporo in 1997. Watch “Come On” by Bugy Craxone

Eastern Youth formed in Sapporo in 1988. Vocalist/guitarist Yoshino Hisashi is from Obihiro and drummer Tamori Atsuya is from Rebun. Watch “Boiling Point 36℃” by Eastern Youth

monobright formed in Sapporo in 2006. Members are from Nemuro, Ishikari, Iwamizawa, and Sapporo. Watch “踊る脳” by monobright

Sakanaction (サカナクション) formed in Sapporo in 2005. Members are from Otaru and Sapporo. Watch “セントレイ” by Sakanaction

sleepy.ab formed in Sapporo in 1998. Watch “Melody” by sleepy.ab

tacica formed in Sapporo in 2005. Watch “人間1/2″ by tacica

the pillows formed in Hokkaido in 1989 and vocalist/guitarist Sawao Yamanaka and guitarist Yoshiaki Manabe are from Hokkaido. Watch “雨上がりに見た幻” by the pillows

Yoshida Brothers are originally from Noboribetsu. Watch “Rising” by Yoshida Brothers

OTHER RANDOM MENTIONS (because there’s still too many more to list):

Rappers THA BLUE HERB as well as DJs DAISHI DANCE and Michita are all from Sapporo. Miwa Yoshida (吉田美和) of mega-huge duo DREAMS COME TRUE is from Ikeda. NICO Touches the Walls’ guitarist Furumura Daisuke (古村大介) is from Hakodate.

There are a ton more artists from Hokkaido, both more and less famous than those mentioned here or now defunct. Who else is cool and from Hokkaido?