Ex-Girl’s index: CDs; Other Projects; Live
EX-GIRL
Kirilola--bass, vocal, casiotone & synthesizer
Keikos--guitar & vocal (Filled in after Chihiro left. Formerly with SUPER
JUNKY MONKEY. Helped to record the Endangered Species CD and then left the band.
Returned again when Zorek departed.)
Yoko--drums & vocal (Filled in after Chapple left the band.)
Chapple--drums (filled in after Fuzuki’s departure)
Zorek--guitar (replaced Keikos)
Fuzuki--drums, vocal, casiotone, percussion, recorder & kengari [left in
late 2002(?) when marriage called]
Chihiro--guitar, vocal, recorder, chroma harp & toys (left during the 2001
U.S. tour)
Hoppy Kamiyama--produces, performs (mini-moog, SH-101, piano, emu-II, percussion, sax...) & co-writes many of their songs
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Kero! Kero! Kero! (Ribbet! Ribbet! Ribbet!) -- (44:35) -- (1999)
-- Paranoiz -- PAR-50020
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| The first four songs on this CD seem more refined. Everything about them is slicker, more polished and poppier. There is still an outrageousness, but its aim seems to be fun rather than outrage. In the second half we get into some of the artier, more difficult to digest, material. It’s mostly quite worthwhile, though the thirteen-minute ‘Space Mushroom’ seems a pointless indulgence. There is a charming, other-worldliness to EX-GIRL that is refreshing. Even without Hoppy, this would be an interesting group. In his hands their range is startling. | |
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Big When Far, Small When Close -- (25:35) -- (2000) -- KiKi Poo
-- KPCD-001
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| This is a change of pace. Except for the makeshift brass band in Brecht & Weill’s ‘Alabama Song’; and the tribal drums of the ceremonial ‘Zozoi’; BWF, SWC features the glorious vocals of EX-GIRL, mostly a cappella. Some impressive vocal dexterity is on display here, and the arrangements are multi-dimensional and often surreal. Conceptually, I’m a bit lost. This is a bigger world than I’m accustomed to, but use the enclosed booklet’s drawings, lyrics, and translations, as a guidebook. In time, this new world may even become delightful. | |
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The Legend Of The Waterbreakers -- (51:44) -- (2001) -- Kiki Poo -- KPCD-005 | ||
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| Legend Of The Waterbreakers is a film by Naoko Nozawa (of THE ASS BABOONS OF VENUS). It’s about a popular all-gal rock band (EX-GIRL), who simultaneously all get pregnant, but their fans won’t allow them to break up the band, until in the dramatic final scene they all give birth on stage. Most of this is Hoppy doing inventive, but very low-budget soundtrack music, however, the first five are EX-GIRL tunes, and may well be worth the price of admission. They’ll have you redefining what EX-GIRL is, again, and, I’ll bet, dying to see how the movie compares to A Hard Day’s Night and Head! Hey, I am! | |||
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Back To The Mono Kero! -- (55:13) -- (2001) -- Ipecac Recordings -- IPC-15 (U.S. release)
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| There’s lots of wild, experimental fun, but this is easily the best EX-GIRL CD yet, and it’s a U.S. release! Yes, it’s still their sound. At a beat from Fuzuki’s drumstick songs change identity. ‘Cucumber Surrender’ features operatic vocals. Even the slower-paced ‘Crime Of The Century’ (9:46) is an enjoyable excursion, and almost a relief from the often frantic pace. A message from eX-Girl? “Take us to the millennium coaster/Some danger and hopes are waiting/Get through the surprising darkness.” OK, we’ll sing their version of ‘Pop Muzik’ on our way! | |
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Pop Muzik -- (17:01) -- (2001) -- Prime Direction, Inc. -- PQCD-10010
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| Yep, it’s got the lyrics, so you can sing along with Robin Scott (thanks to the glory of sampling), as he joins EX-GIRL on the extended (7:33) dance remix of his song, ‘Pop Muzik’. It’s a great song, and EX-GIRL were the perfect band to redo it. For those who own Back To The Mono Kero!, ‘Swanky*Spunky*Slinky’ is the other incentive to purchase this. It’s an upbeat and intriguing tune about various planets having strange problems and requesting our help. For those who don’t own Back To The Mono Kero!, buy it already! It’s a U.S. release, and with no postage, will be cheaper than this EP. | |
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Luna Rosé -- (22:48) -- (2002) -- Avex Inc. -- RRCD-85325
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| The coolest thing about this release is that the band is in transition. Keiko has joined and brought her sometimes subtle. sometimes enormous guitar sound, but Fuzuki’s trogglodyte drums are still pounding away. Hoppy Kamiyama’s rich production makes the karaoke versions worthwhile, and shows off the growth in EX-GIRL’s sound. Hoppy’s keyboards flirt with a disco/dance sound in both songs, but EX-GIRL’s vocals, though slightly more traditional in approach, go their own way, as always, and Keiko’s guitar seems more than capable of leading it all back toward the rock. | |
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Endangered Species -- (49:41) -- (2004) -- Alternative Tentacles Records -- VIRUS-313CD
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| It’s the new, full-length, EX-GIRL CD we’ve been waiting for, and, as usual, it’s too much to comprehend. Hoppy and Kirilola are a true team. Hoppy writes most of the music. Kirilola writes most of the lyrics. Hoppy has produced a very futuristic, but beautiful, rock sound; and Kirilola and her cohorts have curbed the vocal shenanigans, yet, regularly surprise and delight. Ex-EX-GIRL, Fuzuki, appears on three songs, and Keikos leaves us a measure of her mighty guitar. It’s a more traditional release for EX-GIRL, but with its power, beauty, richness, and density, I very much doubt the fans will complain. | |
eX-Girl/Deni Bonet--Arlene Grocery--3/23/99
I was there to see EX-GIRL.
I totally lucked out. I just happened to drop into Sounds on the way home, and
noticed a poster saying that they’d be playing at Arlene Grocery tonight.
I had previously heard that they were from Japan, so I made a point of being
there. They were “incredibly unique in sound and performance”, was
what I wrote down on their questionnaire, which they called their mailing list.
I was not lying. Their sound was very primitive and repetitive, but then each
of the trio would do technically impressive things. They could definitely play,
but they kept returning to the simplistic repetition. The drummer, Fuzuki, stood
the entire time and pounded out the rhythm, but then in one song she did long
drum rolls. Most songs had rebellious noise breaks, and various vocal shenanigans.
They are all good singers, but for the most part seem inspired by Yoko Ono and
the B-52’S to assault the listener aurally. This often continued in their
between song patter, which seemed rehearsed down to the screech. There was a
lot of futuristic/robot feel to their sound and stage performance, so there
may be a DEVO influence as well, but these girls are not joking, or at least
not letting us in on it. Their first song featured each of them in 3ft. foam
things that fit over their heads in grotesque ‘50s flip hair-dos. ‘Tofu
No Uta’ was an a cappela song. The simplistic repetitive beat was the only
thing you could really count on. In a couple of songs, sections would suddenly
switch into straight pop, with sweet vocals, and then back again to their unique
attack on music. Part of it was satire, but without a smile. Most of the songs
were in English, though difficult to understand. I was surprised and delighted
and I wish them well.
I picked up both their CDs and
talked with Fuzuki, the drummer, for a few minutes. She was quite sweet, and
her English was good, though she did seem to get a bit confused when another
fan began speaking to her in normal-speed English. She told me about their producer
Hoppy Kamiyama, who was with them, and that previously drums had been a hobby
of hers, but she had never imagined performing with them. Previously she had
been a singer, and it seemed that they all had. They are from Tokyo and are
thinking Americans may understand them better than Japanese. They are only one
and a half years old as a band, and are doing this American tour with the hope
of landing a big label. All three members of the band seemed quite pleasant
and open offstage.
eX-Girl/The Hissyfits--Coney Island High--3/25/99
I arrived late, and believe
I missed nearly half of EX-GIRL’s set. As far as I could tell they were
playing exactly the same set, and very much in the same way. It was pretty impressive
how very similar the two sets I’ve seen were. The bassist goes for an aggressively
sexy persona; the drummer plays the robot, with no inspired moves; the guitarist
is not so definable. They did lose some authority with the smaller stage of
Coney Island High’s upstairs. The biggest difference was their costumes.
On Tuesday at Arlene Grocery, they wore shiny, white, plastic outfits, with
matching mini-skirts. Each had a different colored stripe across the chest.
Tonight they were each wearing different-colored, short nightgowns, quite similar
to those on the cover of their new CD, Kero! Kero! Kero! After the show,
they were just as friendly and sweet as they had been at Arlene Grocery, talking
with anyone who wanted to say, “Hi!” and I even saw them posing for
a picture with a fan.
THE HISSYFITS started up in
a timely fashion and were OK, but compared to the originality and startlingly
unique approach of EX-GIRL, they had nothing. After four songs I went and talked
some with Kirilo, EX-GIRL’s bassist. She informed me that they had played
L.A., San Francisco, Seattle, Austin and were headed back to Japan on Sunday.
eX-Girl--Mondo Kim’s--3/26/99
The same band three times
in one week? Hey, it was free, and they’re so unique that I’m not
gonna see anything like them until they come back again. I was able to watch
from behind the set-up this time, and so get a different view, and a better
idea of the drummer’s performance. Previously she’s always had a microphone
in front of her face or (at Coney Island High) been hidden in shadows. There
were no changes of expression to watch, though. She pounds on the drums and
sings. The audience was not theirs. It was mostly just people who happened to
drop into Kim’s. It seemed that the great majority of those who happened
to walk in on it did get their curiosity piqued, but didn’t much like it.
EX-GIRL did fine though, doing their act the way they do it, and even adding
a couple of songs I didn’t remember hearing before. Afterward they seemed
a bit unsure of how to deal with a crowd who weren’t interested, but I
got the idea they were comfortable doing their job. They were probably happy
to have the tour over with, too. They’re an impressive band.
eX-Girl/John Zorn’s Cobra--Tonic--5/19/00
EX-GIRL came out, set up
their equipment, did a quick sound-check and left the stage. Five minutes later
they slowly made their way through the crowd in large pink wigs with long tendrils
which they used to teasingly whip their fans and each other. The wigs, with
a space in them for small pets, lasted only one song. The band wore dresses
with the colors rearranged so that each was individual. They started off with
a new rockin’ song, which I liked. Most of the rest of the material was
from their first two releases. I only recognized one song from Big When Far,
Small When Close. The a cappela work they did do, ‘Tofu Song’
and some song interludes, was impressive, so I’m surprised they didn’t
do more. They are a very unique band. Kirilo had foot-pedals that would send
out strange wavering notes. Chihiro’s guitar answered them with shuddering
chords that quivered and dissipated. Neither of them matched the vocal interjections.
Songs would stop, change gears several times and eventually return to their
origins. The reasonably sized crowd obviously enjoyed the humorous presentation
of this very original music, and rewarded EX-GIRL with much cheering and applause.
The encore, played in their white plastic raincoats, was one of the best songs
of the set and ended things on a wonderful note. I was able to talk with them
after the show, and again found them friendly, open, and doing a brisk business
with an impressive range of merchandise.
Enon/eX-Girl--Mercury Lounge--5/20/00
EX-GIRL were set up when
I entered. Before they began, I was able to check out their array on the floor,
and though there weren’t a surprising amount of pedals and boxes for a
band these days, it surprised me anyway. I had heard their array of sounds,
and there on the floor were some of the means. The Casio-style keyboard at Kirilo’s
feet did seem a bit out of place, but if it works, one can’t complain.
I knew ‘Alabama Song’ was the cue for their entrance, so when it came
on, I was ready for the three huge pink wigs slowly making their way toward
the stage. It was another wonderful show and they made me happy to have come.
They played several new songs, and from what I’ve heard on this tour, the
new songs are more creative, livelier, and often more rockin’ than the
wonderful material we’ve heard so far. The new metallic colored costumes
were a nice surprise, too. Their arsenal of sounds is expanding quickly, and
it was good to see them in Mercury Lounge, probably my favorite small club here
in NYC. Fuzuki pounds her way through the new sounds and the old ones. She may
have even added a cymbal or two. It was wonderful to see them again and hear
the new songs and the growth of EX-GIRL’s sound. Still, no matter how fast
they continue to grow, we can pretty much count on their vocals remaining the
dominant force. They played a new a cappela song tonight, and that will obviously
continue. Before the show, a woman had asked me who I was there to see. After
their performance, she said she could see why, admitting that, “They were
really good!’ There’s no band like them.
eX-Girl--Knitting Factory--May 15, 2004
SKELETON KEY’s set ended,
and a screen came down. Fittingly enough, they began showing an anime, which
later was showing on the monitors in the bar. I was informed by my friend, Mr.
Oni, and a friend of his that it was Castle of Cagliostro! from the Lupin
series, and that this particular one was directed by Hayao Miyazaki. When the
screen finally arose, well before the movie ended, there were EX-GIRL, front
and center, the three of them in a row, with red headdresses that gave them
the look of animated flowers. At times just Kirilola was visible, at others
they leaned this way and that so that it looked like they were all part of one
big flower. They soon removed the headdresses, showing that each had a peculiar
hairstlye all their own. Kirilola, on bass, is the only original member. Chapple
is the new drummer, and plays a full-set. Her tom-tom runs were always a nice
addition to the sound. Zorek, the new guitarist, had a very unique style. Her
repetitive runs were often odd, and surprisingly intricate, sometimes sounding
more like keyboard finger exercises than guitar lines, and yet, they were played
so skillfully, they had a mesmerizing affect. Kirilola has added three keyboards
to her on-stage arsenal. The keyboards were used for effects and accents, but
largely she relied on her bass. Most of the material was from their new Endangered
Species CD, which they played well, though the fullness of that CD would
probably take a larger band to truly recreate. The new band and new material
is a move toward a more traditional rock sound for EX-GIRL, but a good dose
of their original and varied approach remains, and their idiosyncratic live
performance, though not as outrageously surprising as the previous shows IÕve
seen, was joyful, humorous, and good rockin’ fun. The three-pronged vocal
attack remains strong, though I do miss Fuzuki’s operatic strain. One of
my favorite touches was the giant frog doll/backdrop, which rose up behind them,
and whose arms reached around them on either side. The audience was warm and
enthusiastic, but failed to bring them out for an encore.
| PUNK LADY (eX-Girl in disguise) | |
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| Chihiro--vocal & guitar Kirilo--vocal & bass Fuzuki--vocal & drums |
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Nagisa No Sinbad (Sinbad Of The Shore) -- (13:01) -- (1999) --
Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc. -- SRCL 4493
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| This is EX-GIRL doing some of PINK LADY’s biggest hits under the name PUNK LADY. It’s a great concept! Some may disagree, but these songs, as sung by PINK LADY, were great, stupid, pop songs. Considering EX-GIRL’s vocal prowess, and Hoppy’s production skills, I expected an inspirational tribute. It sounds like everyone took the “punk” approach to heart, though, and knocked this out pretty quickly. It’s good fun, and the cover’s great, but the music, unfortunately, only occasionally matches the inspirational heights of the concept. | |
| AKASAU | |
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| Kirilola--vocal Renge--Japanese bells |
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Akasau -- (40:53) -- (2004) -- Domo Records, Inc. -- 73031-2
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| Besides Kirilola’s spiritual vocals, and shaken bells, Akikazu Nakamura is featured in four songs on Shakuhachi (a large Japanese wooden flute), and five songs feature percussion by Whacho. When she handed it to me, Kirilola called it, “New Age music”. With the shakuhachi, bells, and percussion, it has a traditional Japanese music feel. My knowledge of both these musics is negligible. However, the music here does seem to awaken my senses, and give me a feeling of spiritual peace, and balance. So, perhaps the healing qualities claimed in the liner notes are not so farfetched. | |
