Biography
Mo'some Tonebender distinguished themselves among perhaps a dozen acts from that era by fully embodying the “alternative” label in rock. Their starting point was an abrasive, fuzz-laden approach modeled on Hüsker Dü, yet they freely incorporated whatever other sounds caught their interest—punk, industrial textures, synth pop, and stray jazz accents among them. The resulting mix proved both infectious and slightly unhinged; although it never generated blockbuster numbers, that outcome had never been likely, and the band’s standing as an underappreciated J-rock gem remains the envy of far more prominent and conventional outfits.
The group formed in Fukuoka in 1997 after drinking companions Kazuhiro Momo, who handled vocals and guitar, and drummer Isamu Fujita encountered bassist Yasunori Takei at a local gig. The three began issuing demo tapes and playing clubs, landing a contract with indie Quattro UK Discs by 1999 that produced the debut EP Drive. Their first album, Dawn Rock, followed in 2000; the next two releases, Hello and Light, Slide, Dummy, both appeared in 2001 on Universal, yet the major dropped them once press acclaim and a dedicated audience failed to produce a sales breakthrough. Unfazed, Mo’some Tonebender put out the punk- and electronica-tinged experimental album Trigger Happy in 2003, then signed with Columbia, which supported a regular release schedule that began with The Stories of Adventure in 2004. They released nothing in 2006 but issued two albums the following year—Super Nice and C.O.W. (Check Out World)—before delivering their ninth studio album, Sing, in 2008.
The group formed in Fukuoka in 1997 after drinking companions Kazuhiro Momo, who handled vocals and guitar, and drummer Isamu Fujita encountered bassist Yasunori Takei at a local gig. The three began issuing demo tapes and playing clubs, landing a contract with indie Quattro UK Discs by 1999 that produced the debut EP Drive. Their first album, Dawn Rock, followed in 2000; the next two releases, Hello and Light, Slide, Dummy, both appeared in 2001 on Universal, yet the major dropped them once press acclaim and a dedicated audience failed to produce a sales breakthrough. Unfazed, Mo’some Tonebender put out the punk- and electronica-tinged experimental album Trigger Happy in 2003, then signed with Columbia, which supported a regular release schedule that began with The Stories of Adventure in 2004. They released nothing in 2006 but issued two albums the following year—Super Nice and C.O.W. (Check Out World)—before delivering their ninth studio album, Sing, in 2008.
Albums
Singles
