Tokyo's Coolest Sound

Playtime Rock (blog) is the unit of Takanami K-taro (ex-Pizzicato Five) and flutist/singer Ichiba Mina. After last year's split-album "Evening Primrose" (2012), here comes their real first full-length album "Play Time". Half of the tracks are covers of foreign songs but sung in Japanese, all arranged by K-taro, while the rest consists of originals (one song, "motto zutto" was previously heard on "Evening Primrose" in a different version). The concept is soft rock, but there's a wonderful techno-pop bonus track that will also please those fond of this side of K-taro's music.

Guest musicians include Kinoco Hotel's Marinanne Shinonome and Isabel Keme-Kamogawa, and bassist Sally Kubota (all on track 1), and also Kawaguchi Yoshiyuki (Kuricorder Quartet, ShibusaShirazu Orchestra) and more.

See also this report of a recent show in Tokyo.

playtime rock "Play Time"
プレイタイム・ロック 「Play Time」

1. Coffee Rumba (surf & garage ver.)
2. Fever ~moechau wa
3. This Is Love ~it's groovy love
4. Never on Sunday
5. Mo - Do - Ka - Shi (cat song)
6. motto zutto (unplugged ver.)
7. suteki na Marché
8. Shanghai Lil
9. kongaragatte Blue
10. Heartbreak Hotel
11. Coffee Rumba (reggae ver.)
12. "kikaserarenai Radio" jingle
13. GO! GO! kikarajitan

Playtime Rock PTR-005
Out 7/24, ¥2667 (excl. 10% tax)
Order: CDJapan, Amazon, HMV, Tower Records (Japan only) ^†
† Tower Records ships directly within Japan only. International orders are available via WorldShopping.

"This Is Love"

Album digest