Friday, October 7, 2011

Live From Tokyo

It starts out blending imagery and sound like a modern day version of the 1982 epic Koyaanisqati, only instead of trying to show us a world teetering on the edge of destruction to a soundtrack of Phillip Glass music, director Lewis Rapking is using the various musical styles of Tokyo to show us the city that inspired the musicians to write and play in the first place. Eventually the story settles down a bit to include interviews of the various underground bands playing in Tokyo, all of whom seem to be in it for the pure pleasure of creating something new and not just to be famous or make money (the fact that most bands have to pay the club owners for the privilege of playing at all is a shocking tribute to how much they believe in what they do.) Watch it with a pen and paper handy, because although you may not love — or even like — some of the sounds you hear, chances are watching Live from Tokyo will inspire you to add to your own music collection.

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