New & good things coming soon!
[video]
[video]
Our friend Niwa-kun opened a new cafe in Nagoya called Kakuozan Larder. It is a great place to have a coffee and lunch while listening to Jonathan Richman.
While rediscovering a park by Yoshimi’s childhood home, we heard a nice song being sung by a Grandmother to a baby. After tracking down the voice, we discovered that it was the mom of Yoshimi’s favorite neighbor when she was little. So local!
maybe not so productive these days, but in a good way!
[video]
[video]
winter is on!
first snow of the year = building a snowman before breakfast
We have a new hobby - GIFing (as in “to GIF”)
Favorite park in our neighborhood recently…
[video]
We had a baby girl today! Her name is Nina.
We are now an officially very “productive” band.
We did a short interview for Tumblr’s Storyboard.
More Than Twee: Pajama Pop with Lullatone
Once a week on a local television channel in Nagoya, Japan, viewers can catch a short segment in which a lanky white American guy teaches kids how to make instruments from household objects — in fluent Japanese. The DIY instruments range from rubber-band guitars to cardboard drums and a xylophone made from a paper roll.
The host of this unique little production is Lullatone — a husband-wife musical duo (one part Japanese, one part American) who have pioneered a genre that Shawn James Seymour (the American half) calls “pajama pop” (not to be confused with “twee”). With a blend of lo-fi instrumentation, soft vocals (from wife Yoshimi Tomida), and simple (like really simple) lyrics — Lullatone’s songs range from “Growing Up” to “Going to Buy Some Strawberries” — Lullatone has emerged as a critical voice in commercial sound design. They’re also just about the cutest band on the face of the planet. James fills us in on their easy mystique.