Biography
The Japanese group Coaltar of the Deepers functions chiefly as the creative outlet for Narasaki, an energetic musician who juggles multiple side endeavors while composing scores for various anime productions. Those outside commitments produced a looser timetable than most Japanese acts maintain, yet the outfit still built recognition through shoegaze modeled on My Bloody Valentine and fused with elements ranging from techno to heavy metal. Watanabe on vocals, Kanno on drums, Yoshio on bass, and Narasaki initially on guitar assembled the project in 1991; after Watanabe departed two years later, Narasaki assumed vocal duties as well. Demo recordings from the early period later surfaced on the debut EP White in 1991, which was followed by the EPs Queen's Park All You Change and Sinking Slowly, both issued in 1992 and the latter two without Watanabe's participation. A subsequent hiatus ended in 1994 when the band delivered its first full-length, The Visitors from Deepspace, via the major imprint Victor and including a notable cover of the Cure's "Killing an Arab." Another extended break preceded the 1997 singles "Cat" and "Cat II," the 1998 compilation The Breastroke, and the rarities collection Submerge that same year.
Narasaki kept pursuing outside work, most visibly through Sadesper Record, whose track "Torso" appeared in the 1999 anime series Boogiepop Phantom, yet Coaltar of the Deepers still completed the album Come Over to the Deepend by 2000, then issued the EP Robot alongside the third studio album No Thank You in 2001. The quicker pace reflected Narasaki's exploratory bent: No Thank You emphasized electronic textures, while its successor Newave drew on Eastern traditional music. The band supplied music to the 2002 anime series Beck, embarked on a U.S. tour in 2003 that yielded limited results, and resumed studio experimentation with the 2004 EPs Mouse and Penguin, which leaned toward a heavier sound. Narasaki again turned to other ventures in 2005 and 2006, scoring the anime Paradise Kiss, revisiting Sadesper Record, launching the side project Runaway Boys alongside Kyo from D'erlanger, and producing the shoegaze act Astrobrite. Coaltar of the Deepers resurfaced in 2007 with both the EP Bear and the fifth album Yukari Telepath, by which point Yoshio's departure had reduced the lineup to a duo.
Narasaki kept pursuing outside work, most visibly through Sadesper Record, whose track "Torso" appeared in the 1999 anime series Boogiepop Phantom, yet Coaltar of the Deepers still completed the album Come Over to the Deepend by 2000, then issued the EP Robot alongside the third studio album No Thank You in 2001. The quicker pace reflected Narasaki's exploratory bent: No Thank You emphasized electronic textures, while its successor Newave drew on Eastern traditional music. The band supplied music to the 2002 anime series Beck, embarked on a U.S. tour in 2003 that yielded limited results, and resumed studio experimentation with the 2004 EPs Mouse and Penguin, which leaned toward a heavier sound. Narasaki again turned to other ventures in 2005 and 2006, scoring the anime Paradise Kiss, revisiting Sadesper Record, launching the side project Runaway Boys alongside Kyo from D'erlanger, and producing the shoegaze act Astrobrite. Coaltar of the Deepers resurfaced in 2007 with both the EP Bear and the fifth album Yukari Telepath, by which point Yoshio's departure had reduced the lineup to a duo.