tashaki miyaki

One of this writer's favorite Bob Dylan covers is "I'll Keep It With Mine" by Rainy Day, a sort of mini-supergroup made up of bands from L.A.'s early-'80s Paisley Underground scene. No less gifted interpreters than Judy Collins, Nico, and Fairport Convention had previously performed the wistfully jangling song, which centers around a beautifully evocative idea of time as a physical thing you can store somewhere. But Rainy Day's version has an affectingly warm, clear-eyed vocal by the Bangles' Susanna Hoffs, plus stabbing strings, rickety guitar strums (Mazzy Star's David Roback was also a member), and tuneful bass. A lone tambourine sits at the bottom of a pocket Wall of Sound.

Emerging L.A. duo Tashaki Miyaki strike at a similar blend of folk, psych-rock, and dream-pop on their songs so far, including fuzz-infused jangler "Best Friends", reverb-swallowed reassurance "Somethin' Is Better Than Nothin'", and dusky cowboy-shoegaze ballad "Get It Right." They've also gorgeously covered the Everly Brothers — not Dylan, but just as appropriate. "Tonight," the other side of Tashaki Miyaki's new double-A-sided "Best Friends" single (due out August 7 via Luv Luv Luv Records), moves more clearly into the stomping dream-pop territory of the Jesus and Mary Chain circa "Just Like Honey" — so it's worth keeping in mind all this stylistic variation to help see what sets these two apart from other JAMC torch carriers.

"I wanna go out dancing," begins the hard-to-identify female singer, over bouncy percussion and buzzing guitar, but she doesn't sound like she wants to go out dancing. Her voice is wispy, removed; an effects-drenched guitar solo interrupts the song, as if suggesting her escape this evening will be more about turning on and dropping out than shaking her tail-feather. It's not far off from fuzzy shimmy of current bands like the Raveonettes or Dum Dum Girls, but another reference point might be the sort of lilting, hazy pop of Mazzy Star-hazy pop, the same that Taken By Trees' Victoria Bergsman reinterpreted a few years back with the Concretes. That's promising company.

- Spin Magazine

The reach of The Velvet Underground is long and many limbed -- a sound so basic that it never really goes out of style, no matter how many bands ape it. As long as you do it well. Take Los Angeles trio Tashaki Miyaki, who made their NYC debut last night at Glasslands, and put some magic hour West Coast rays on that iconic guitar chug, owing as much to David Roback's many bands (like Rain Parade and Mazzy Star) as Lou Reed.

The band only have about 10 songs to their name at this point, and we got most of the high points, including their terrific new single "Best Friend" and a cover of Guns n' Roses "Sweet Child O' Mine." The latter has also been covered in a similar style by Luna but between the sweet female harmonies (drummer singer Lucy and bassist Dora) and no reliance on the song's signature riff (which Dean Wareham used) it still felt fresh. There are probably not many songs that wouldn't work VU-ized. Tashaki Miyaki definitely do it well and the crowd swayed gently throughout the set.

The band are still in town and will play Pianos tonight (8/7, 9PM) with Diego's Umbrella and Karikartura (tickets). If you haven't checked them out yet, song streams are at the bottom of this post along with more pictures from Takashi Miyaki's Glasslands set.

It was a strange bill Tashaki Miyaki were on last night. Dirty Fences preceded them and brought a sizable crowd with them. The Brooklynites play '70s-ish rock dipping three or four years either side of 1976, be it MC5 or The Damned, and have the sound down pat. They were good but definitely a 180 sonically from the headliners. Ex Cops were in the crowd last night -- now that would be a good double-bill.

Before that it was Boston's Dirty Dishes who seemed to leap straight from 1998 with their coo-to-a-caterwaul singer and sound that stayed just shy of alt-metal. (Not bad, but not my thing.) I only caught the last song of openers Sky Picnic who seemed to be going for 1968 acid rock, complete with headbands and white bell bottoms. New York on a Monday: sometimes it's about who can play, not who's most complimentary. - Brooklyn Vegan

L.A.-based darkwave duo Tashaki Miyaki have a new video out for their song, "Tonight" and PAPERMAG is excited to exclusively be premiering the clip. Directed by Juan Iglesias (who also directed their vid "Best Friend"), the cryptic black-and-white video features a wigged-out anti-heroine of sorts who looks like she came out of a Godard film and may or may not have kidnapped a mysterious, mustachioed victim. It's all very Cold War spy thriller-esque and beautifully shot. - Paper Magazine

This LA duo's effortless nugget of quietly devastating pop noir suggests the last days of summer in a five-minute, third Velvets album kind of burst. And does the video intimate their dog is in the band? - Mojo Magazine

When most bands realise they can't afford to go to SXSW, they either pack away their dreams for another year, or ask their parents to delve deeper into their savings to provide money for transport/accommodation/beer money. Tashaki Miyaki decided to write a new track and sell it in the hope of actually being able to afford to eat whilst being schmoozed by some of the music industry's finest chancers. Sleepily brilliant, as ever. - lostlostlost.com

"In a very simple way, I just wanted to explore the different definitions of the words best friend," director Juan Iglesias tells Spinner. "I had been wanting to work with my friend Wulf Anderson and his German Shepherd, Eddie, for some time and saw this as a perfect opportunity to make it happen. I also drew a some inspiration from Terrence Malick's "Badlands." It's a film that I know really resonates with the band and I wanted to allude to it in a small way without being too referentia - Spinner.com

L.A. duo Tashaki Miyaki has released a cover of Father John Misty‘s “Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings.” The girl-guy group takes Josh Tillman’s Americana thumper, from this month’s Fear Fun, keeps the lyrics, trades the male singer for a slouching female vocal and adds some lo-fi pop fog. If you play the tracks simultaneously, you can hear that the Tashaki Miyaki version lags just a hair behind the beat of the original, even though it seems much more delayed. Tempo-wise, Father John Misty is warmed up Log Cabin, while this cover moves as sweetly and slowly as molasses on a cold day. - CMJ

Tashaki Miyaki have a way with other people's songs. The first time we heard from them it was with a Sam Cooke cover, then an Everly Brothers covers EP, and even a version of the Bob Dylan-penned "If Not For You". The band has posted their most contemporary cover yet, a reverbed, fuzzed version of the lead single from Father John Misty's new record, "Hollywood Forever Cemetary Sings". Hear the track below, and head to their Bandcamp page for more. - Prefix Mag

Doing covers! Such a risky game. At this point, if you’re going to cover something, you’d better put your signature on it hard, or else people are going to just go on YouTube and listen to the original for awhile, which is great for that original artist, but less great for the band covering that artist. Tashaki Miyaki, who we’ve blogged about before, and who are doing great things with an established fuzzy music formula, took on a pair of Everly Brothers songs for an upcoming 7-inch on Rough Trade called Tashaki Miyaki Sings The Everly Brothers. “I Wonder If I Care As Much” is the b-side, and it’s a gorgeously slow burnout of a track.

Read more: http://www.thefader.com/2012/02/21/tashaki-miyaki-i-wonder-if-id-care-as-much-mp3/#ixzz1ysbEfQsF
- FADER

In Katy Perry's version of California, Daisy Dukes, Snoop Dogg, and gin cocktails are as native to the state as It girls and traffic on the 405. But every so often we're craving the darker flipside to all this sunshine-y goodness, and this time around it comes in the form of gorgeously foggy pop.

L.A. boy-girl pair Tashaki Miyaki first caught the attention of record label The Sound of Sweet Nothing (also home to other favorites like Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Gross Magic) for their haunting cover of the Everly Brothers' classic track "All I Have to Do is Dream." Now they're being touted as the female Jesus and Mary Chain thanks to dreamy songs like "Somethin' is Better Than Nothin,'" and we're not about to argue.

With molasses-thick vocals blanketed in reverberating guitar riffs, this lo-fi gem is the ultimate winter anthem... California girl or not. You can buy their new EP here, but first, check out the Juan Iglesias-directed video for the single below.
--LIZA DARWIN



- Nylonmag.com

Mysterious LA duo Tashaki Miyaki are pleased to unveil their new video for “Best Friend,” beautifully directed, shot, and edited by Juan Iglesias. The video follows a young couple, their dog, and their gun. Watch the story unfold here at Noisey. If you’re heading down to Austin next week you can catch the band at SXSW. Shows listed below.

You can also check out a brand new Tashaki Miyaki track called “City” about their beloved hometown of Los Angeles here at the band’s Bandcamp.

Tashaki Miyaki recently released a 7? on world-renowned label Rough Trade, entitled Tashaki Miyaki Sings The Everly Brothers, including covers of “I Wonder If I Care As Much” and “All I Have To Do Is Dream.” You can grab your copy here. - http://noisey.vice.com

LA’s Tashaki Miyaki have produced one of our favourite EPs of the year in this, their debut self-titled effort. Their brand of fuzzy Jesus and Mary Chain style gloom-core makes us want to release a frothy mouthed joyous scream – but obviously we keep it bottled up tightly inside, as any outward elation would be at odds with the music’s introspective mood.

It’s not often you can find a band who take a song title Happiness and turn it into a shoe-staring, blue-souled, fuzz-fuelled moment of self-examination. The lyrics “Let’s stay out and watch the sun/We won’t always be this young/Will it always be this fun” seem beautifully at odds with the slow-handed buzz of the guitar.

This is the case throughout the four song EP, where the sweet Kim Deal-style vocals hold a candle to the dark undertones of the musical backdrop, creating a contrast most bands can only dream of. This culminates in closing track Get it Right, which sounds like the ominous throb you get in your stomach and ears when you know you’ve done something wrong that will inevitably cause you sadness sometime down the line. - bowlegsmusic.com

There is a good chance that upcoming L.A. band Tashaki Miyaki will become touring buddies with Best Coast or Cults in the future based on their ’60s girl-group melodies and sweet vocals. Perhaps it’s already in the works without any of our knowledge, because there is still so much mystery that envelopes this media-less group. The magnitude of reverb is inescapable when it comes to Tashaki Miyaki, and it’s somewhat of a double-edged sword. Heavy distortion is what gives their sound some color, yet it also makes one wonder if more layers are still developing in the process. This is another SoCal group working with the popular basics — simplified sunny melody with some fuzz. It’s pure and pleasant, but isn’t reinventing the wheel for pop when one recalls the Jesus and Mary Chain. If the guitar is even tighter on other songs off their forthcoming debut EP (out Oct. 31st on The Sounds of Sweet Nothing), then there will be more to talk about. - Buzz Bands LA

Someone, somewhere must be making the first waves in their career by simply recycling the demos of bands that everyone else had forgotten about. During the opening bars of Tashaki Miyaki’s ‘somethin is better than nothin’, you’d be forgiven for thinking that this could be an act trying to get away with passing off some dusty Best Coast recording as their own, all swaying west coast melodies and sugary sweet vocals. Perhaps, though, it’s the region itself that is to thank rather than any kind of plagiarism, given the band hail from the same sun kissed shores as Bethany Cosentino and company, California once again giving you fuel for a summer soundtrack.

Any kind of online presence is, at the moment, low, especially considering any search invariably ends up in discovering a forgotten Japanese actor who reached their peak in 1996's The Pillow Man. However, these kind of doo-wah inspired snippets can’t stay undiscovered for long, especially considering the languid, silky smooth cover of ‘All I have to do is dream’ they have for streaming. This could all turn out to be the side-project of some vastly famous, established star, but even if that is the case, let’s just bathe in it’s brilliance.
- thepigeonpost.com

How midday-dance-in-your-living-room encouraging is it that rising Californians Tashaki Miyaki sound even better playing their own songs than they do playing covers? That a band who is clearly capable of updating and heavy-riffing Buddy Holly has their own novel ideas too? I wish we were in the movies where no one is ever alone/ and when you tell me you love me we could go on home/ It’s gonna be all right. Keep it simple, hit the notes with aspiration, craft a pretty video to match the tone and you’re golden. Tashaki Miyaki’s debut 12-inch comes out Ocrtober 31st on The Sounds of Sweet Nothing, available for preorder now.

Read more: http://www.thefader.com/2011/09/19/video-tashaki-miyaki-somethin-better-than-nothin/#ixzz1bY5A3yUP
- thefader.com

“I wish we were at the movies,” coo California’s Tashaki Miyaki on ‘Somethin’ Better Than Nothin’, the lead track from their forthcoming EP, amidst a haze of pastel guitar lines and 60s pop inspired motifs. Pure in its pursuit of the wholesome all-American sound that’s littered certain circles of music recently, the results are nothing short of idyllic; woozy romanticism to dream of lazy days on the west coast to. - abeano.com

September 27, 2011 6:13 PM

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Tashaki Miyaki is a band of beauty and mystery

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William Goodman
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(CBS) - I need some excellent music right now and love a good mystery - the band Tashaki Miyaki gives me a bit of both at the same time. Check out their music video for "Somethin' Better Than Nothin'" above.

Tashaki Miyaki has a sound to them that is both very old and new at the same time, with a haunting beauty that fascinates me. Listening to their music brings to mind something of a mix of David Lynch and the Cowboy Junkies, but not because of a comparable look or style, but because of the emotional resonance of their unique sound.

And you're probably wondering why I mentioned something about a mystery in a very mysterious way and then kind of let it drop... well, the long and short of it is that little seems to be known about this band right now. I came across a track of theirs about a month or so ago and started looking into the band, only to find out I wasn't the first to do so, and a search comes up with more questions than answers.

They are based out of Los Angeles, have a BandCamp page and there are a few tracks floating around on the Internet, but that's about the extent of it. Not that I'm complaining in the least. I love what I've heard so far and am fascinated by the mystery, so will keep on doing the occasional search and let you all know and hear more as I come across it.

If you're interested to check out more of their (limited) music, you can go to their BandCamp page by clicking here. And if you happen to know more about them, definitely leave me some comment love below. - cbsnews.com

Something is better than nothing'.

I'll agree with that statement wholeheartedly.

...Even though I don't really know - or care - how to quantify it properly.

It's a cool sentiment, anyway, and LA's tykes' Tashaki Miyaki's song of the same name is befittingly brilliant. It's a bit Best Coast, a bit Elastica, a lot distorto-sultry woosiness, and a fuckload of Moz circa 1992. It has that heavy, heavy, sullen feeling at the start, not too dissimilar to 'Everyday Is Like Sunday' (probably because of those weighty C and F chords, right?), and once the sullen vocals kick in I'm totally won over, every single time. Have been for the past six months or so, which is how long I've been humming the track surreptitiously. I usually go by the 'six month rule' on whether a song's any cop or not (ie. If i can still listen to it after that time and not want to smash my own head in... it's pretty damned decent). And this is deffo one of my favourites of the past year. - NME magazine

The background: Today's column is brought to you from a poolside in Tunisia. We say this not to boast that we're in a better place than you but to highlight the irony of telling you about a band of happy-when-it-rains types from a country that includes within its borders the Sahara Desert. Then again, the people of LA, Tashaki Miyaki's home town, have always been into dark stuff, treating the Cure like superstars and making Morrissey feel like an exiled king. We also once travelled to Beirut with Marc Almond, where we saw him get mobbed at the airport and generally welcomed like a black-clad god, so maybe we're tuning into some north African/Middle Eastern goth sensibility or something.

We also mention the Tunisia thing because we've got a terrible broadband connection here and so are struggling to check details on the web about Tashaki Miyaki, to the extent that we don't know which one's Tashaki and which Miyaki, although this does perhaps play into their hands because what little surfing we've been able to do reveals that they're one of those outfits keen to retain a degree of mystery and anonymity. All we know for sure is that they have a self-titled EP released soon on the Sounds of Sweet Nothing (the label behind excellent recent New Bands of the Day Gross Magic and Unknown Mortal Orchestra), and that they will be performing at the 100 Club in London tomorrow night, which we won't be able to attend because, as we say, we're in Tunis, where we'll probably still be attempting to Google who's on drums in the band even as you watch them play.

Doubtless they'll be unveiling tracks from their forthcoming self-titled EP. The first track, Somethin' Is Better Than Nothin', posits TM as a female Jesus and Mary Chain, which is great because the least appealing thing about the Mary Chain was Jim and William Reid's sullen male schtick (discuss). The vocals are from the Debbie Harry school of sounding sweet and then kicking your face in. It's lovely – just like honey, in fact, only watch out for the razor blades. All I Have to Do Is Dream is a cover of the Everly Brothers ballad, only slower, like a funeral march on Mogadon. You'll like it if you always believed the original needed a little fuzz and feedback to tease out the sense of menace, and if you found Don and Phil excessively cloying. Also, this makes the lyric sound more like a threat than a promise, which is nice. They've done a cover of Sam Cooke's Nothing Can Change This Love, too, that goes, "You're the boy of my dreams?"

Did Sam really sing that? Probably not. He was many things, but soul's first gay star he wasn't. Not unless something happened during that fateful night at the motel that we, and LA's finest, are not privy to. Best Friend is really strung-out. Tashaki, or it could be Miyaki, sings, "I will be your best friend" and makes it sound like she really means "your drug buddy". It's a three-chord drone based on the Velvet Underground's oeuvre, by which we mean the Velvets of Pale Blue Eyes not Venus in Furs. Happiness is faster, featuring rhythms that make Bobby Gillespie's early stand-up drumming with the Mary Chain seem like the height of sophistication. It's total Spector sugar-pop with lashings of whine from a new band who put the "psycho" and "candy" into Psychocandy.

The buzz: "They put the 'psycho' and 'candy' into Psychocandy" – Paul Lester, Guardian New Band of the Day.

The truth: No, they really do.

Most likely to: Become best friends with Best Coast.

Least likely to: Move to the West Coast. Of Africa.

What to buy: The Tashaki Miyaki EP will be released on 31 October on 12in and digital download by the Sounds of Sweet Nothing.

File next to: Jesus and Mary Chain, Cults, Best Coast, Spiritualized.

Links: tashakimiyaki.bandcamp.com/. - The Guardian, UK