STRICTLY GLOBAL

So, I was watching Let's Make a Deal this morning, and a contestant lost a trip to Japan, a trip worth over $13,000...  Why does traveling to another country have to be so friggin' expensive!?  Even if you stay in hostels, and were to eat 2 pieces of sushi a day, I bet you'd still throw away $2000 on airfare alone. Barf.  I wonder if I'll ever return to my home country.  I can only dream.  But for now, we can all take in the bubbly music video scene of Japan, via this week's J-Pop special!  Saikou!  (That's Japanese for awesome!  Your welcome.)

Our mailbox got overloaded with J-versions of the Backstreet Boys, and tons of J-R&B, so we decided to spice up the hour by sending Danni Rosner out to interview some sugoku (super!) American underground visual-kei bands!  For example, from Boston, is the visual-kei hardcore band Typherus.  This group of "free willed soldiers" are the fantasy creation of basically a post-apocalytic totalitarian state, and through their music and costuming, they plan on delivering powerful messages to help listeners break free of mind control and join them in the will to survive.  Very deep.  Almost Matrix-like.  And a cover of "Pokerface" that puts Lady Gaga to shame, for seriously!

You will also be witness to the growl-tastic visual-kei metal wonder of Baltimore's Geist.  They appear as if they've stepped out of a live-action manga.  And singer Kane get's all cookie-monstered out, screeching Japanese lyrics in notes that one wouldn't expect to come out of such a kawaii-faced chick!  This bunch also makes regular appearances in the anime convention circuit, so go get down with it!

And another girl-fronted American-Japanese hardcore band we'll check in with is Gelatine, from NYC.  There is a definite reason these guys have played clubs like CBGB's, Bowery Ballroom, and the Knitting Factory;  they're live show is totally sugoku saikou!! (That is super awesome if you've forgotten already.)  Anyway, the singer Seiko was in a legendary girl punk band back in Japan in the 90's called 10 Yen Anakinoko, and definitely brought that punk flair over to her riotous stage performance with Gelatine.  And their 8-years in the making debut album, that came out this year, makes me crave ramen for some reason.