Biography
Active in the 2000s, Andersens functioned as Japan’s equivalent to the psychedelic and orchestral indie pop emanating from America’s Elephant 6 collective during that era. Their sound merged delicate twee melodies, passages of understated folksiness, and Beatles-inspired pop-psych arrangements, resulting in several full-length releases during the band’s busiest period; the strongest material was later assembled for the 2020 retrospective compilation There Is a Sound.
Kiyokazu Onozaki launched Andersens in 2000. An avid follower of 1960s pop and psychedelic music, he decided to start his own project after encountering Japanese acts such as the Tenniscoats and Maher Shalal Hash Baz, whose idiosyncratic work drew from the same influences. Centered on Onozaki’s songwriting and arrangements, the group enlisted a rotating cast of musicians to realize his ideas. Following a self-released four-song CD-R in 2002, the debut album Between Static and Fire appeared in 2003. Over the ensuing five years, Onozaki and his collaborators issued three additional albums: 2004’s Prepared Landscape, 2007’s Gzi Gzi Gzeo, and 2008’s Musiquestions.
When an Andersens piece surfaced on a 2020 collection spotlighting obscure Japanese indie pop, plans were set in motion for a career-spanning anthology drawn from every prior release. Co-curated by Onozaki and Notwist member Markus Acher, There Is a Sound gathered sixteen tracks from the band’s catalog before its October 2020 appearance on the Morr Music label.
Kiyokazu Onozaki launched Andersens in 2000. An avid follower of 1960s pop and psychedelic music, he decided to start his own project after encountering Japanese acts such as the Tenniscoats and Maher Shalal Hash Baz, whose idiosyncratic work drew from the same influences. Centered on Onozaki’s songwriting and arrangements, the group enlisted a rotating cast of musicians to realize his ideas. Following a self-released four-song CD-R in 2002, the debut album Between Static and Fire appeared in 2003. Over the ensuing five years, Onozaki and his collaborators issued three additional albums: 2004’s Prepared Landscape, 2007’s Gzi Gzi Gzeo, and 2008’s Musiquestions.
When an Andersens piece surfaced on a 2020 collection spotlighting obscure Japanese indie pop, plans were set in motion for a career-spanning anthology drawn from every prior release. Co-curated by Onozaki and Notwist member Markus Acher, There Is a Sound gathered sixteen tracks from the band’s catalog before its October 2020 appearance on the Morr Music label.
Albums
Singles