Name: Kikagaku Moyo
Origin: Japan
Album: Stone Garden
Year: 2017
Links: Bandcamp
Label: Guruguru Brain
Vinyl Fridays slab comes from a band I named as my album of the year last year. Japans Kikagaku Moyo have released an EP titled Stone Garden. As always this band don't disappoint. This EP took 4 months in getting here. The band had a major problem distributing 500 of the 1500 records. The band went on tour in the US and left a Czech distributing company to post the records out. The records went missing and turned up in Holland 4 months later. As a result of this I got to know 2 members of the band. The bands record label Gurugurubrain hung in the balance for a few months because of the fuck up. Thankfully the mess was sorted and we can look forward to other amazing releases by the label.
In my frustration of not thinking this record would ever arrive I bought another. Murphy's law was at work again and both records arrived the following week! Luckily for me I had no problem passing on the spare copy to a good home.
I stumbled across these two YouTube clips of a couple of members of the bands going through the set up of their guitars which are well work a look. If only I knew how to play guitar I'd be all over those pedals!
Name: Kikagaku Moyo Origin: Japan Album: House In The Tall Grass Year: 2016 Links: Bandcamp, Sulatron Records Label: Guruguru Brain
Limited to 500 copies on clear vinyl with a blue blob
People of the universe stop what you are doing and let me imprint Kikagaku Moyo onto your brain! This album, 'The House In The Tall Grass' is my favorite of 2016 and one of my favorite albums in many a year. It was so nearly not the case, as I disregarded it for quite some time. Why? I was a musical snob! I thought to myself, 'music from Japan, sure that's not for me!' I kept seeing it posted every other day with people raving about it. This also coincided with their summer tour to the UK last year, again, people were going mad for them Live too! I wondered what all the fuss was about and had a listen on their bandcamp page and to say my musical world changed right there, is an understatement! It just so happened that I know somebody who was going to see them in Glasgow that very evening. I was straight on to her and put my name down for the beauty you see above. I was very lucky indeed as the band were running out of them by the time they got to Glasgow. You will pay a pretty penny for this version now, in fact, you'll need an extra mortgage if you want any first press by Kikagaku Moyo such is the demand for them. I'm glad I was on the ball that day!
Name: Kikagaku Moyo Origin: Japan Album: Self Titled Year: 2014 Links: Bandcamp, Sulatron Records Label: Captcha Records
Limited to 300 copies on ultra clear with deep red splatter vinyl
Full Album
As soon as my love affair started with Kikagaku Moyo started, I went back into their discography to see what else I could pick up. Sadly, if you don't pick up these albums when they go on release, you end up paying a fortune for them, like I did. Fortunately for you though, this album has had a reissue recently on Guruguru Brain. Sadly Captcha Records who originally released it ceased trading.
This album is their debut from 2013. The version I have is a reissue from 2014. The sleeve is a thing of beauty. The print is silver on mat black. Probably one of the nicest sleeves I own. This album doesn't quite reach the highs of House In The Tall Grass, but is a close second.
Name: Kikagaku Moyo Origin: Japan Album: Forest Of Lost Children Year: 2014 Links: Bandcamp, Sulatron Records Label: Beyond Beyond Is Beyond Records
Repress, Olive & black splatter
Forest Of Lost Children is the third album by Kikagaku Moyo. This was released On BBIB in 2014. I got lucky with this one knowing somebody who had a couple of spare copies hidden away, so I didn't end up spending a fortune on this one. This also has has a reissue recently coinciding with there US tour that is finishing up at the moment. The vinyl is clear with a black blob and can be bought over at BBIB as we speak. The only one That I'm missing now is Mammatus Clouds and hasn't as yet had a reissue since the year it was released in 2014. Fingers X that might happen soon with the popularity of the band at the moment.
The art on this sleeve is done by Go Kurosawa the drummer of the band. For ages I though it was by Nik Rayne of The Myrrors. Similar to his style and is well connected with BBIB.
