Last updated 00.6.30
(*) means I don't own this album and haven't listened to it.
(@) means I don't own this album but have listened to it.
thanks to RG for the loan of some material!
official site
u.s. site
Sci Fi Surf indie band masterminded by guitarist and composer Jun Matsue. They are genewrally though of as part of the New Wave of New wave that appeared in the late 90s (including bands like Polysics and Motocompo), as with all these bands, there is a strong influence of The Plastics and Devo. In the case of The Spoozys their Plastics ties are carried out in quite directly with Tachibana guesting on some tracks and supervising the Plastics 20th anniversary tribute album Welcome to Plastic World
To the American music scene comparisons always come up with the band Man or Astro-Man? who seem to have been doing Surf music heavy on the Sci-Fi dossage in the U.S. well before the Spoozys. Apparently its a coincidence, though an odd one. I'd compare Man or Astro-Man as having more science fiction movie soundbytes and not having a new wave Devo Plastics component.
I just wish they'd cover the theme from the old British TV Show U.F.O.
TOKYO NEW WAVE OF NEW WAVE '98 Compilation (1998)
98.9.25 TicNstar MSR-TIN-006
2.HUMAN CYBORG RELATIONS / SPOOZYS
6.SECRET MISSION / SPOOZYS
11.WAR OF THE PLANET / SPOOZYS
landmark compilation
98.10.21 biosphere cd BICL-5006
This was the first album. A little wild and messy but thats probably part of the intent. Later stuff is more polished, but who knows, maybe less nutty?
The lineup: Jun Matsue, Rola Korpi (who gets co-composer credit), Naomi, Wataru Daiko
(*) 99.06.25 BAD NEWS 7" vinyl OW009
Don't have this vinyl single, presumably its the same tracks as on Astro 99 but I can't confirm. Besides Plastic Planet here is a piece called Surf Devolution on it though a piece here is called just Surf Devo.
99.10.22 OW/Bad News OW-010, BNCL-10 (re-release?)
This fun 5 song CD EP features Hajime Tachibana as guest guitar on 2 tracks. I think its the best balance between the earlier loose stuff and Astral Astronauts that sounds just a little monochromatic.
The lineup: Jun Matsue, Wataru Daikow, Rola Korpi, Naomi
'00 Jetset Records (USA) cd: TWA30CD
This is the same album. Its called simply SPOOZYS in Japan and has 2 extra tarcks and all tracks are in a different playing order. I believe there is a typo on the U.S. version. The booklet attributes a track called A-I as being written by Haruomi Hosono, I think this is an accident. On the Japanese version the Japan-only track Cosmic Surfin' is credited as writen by Hosono, which I know to be correct (its a famous YMO song), so crediting A-I to Hosono seems to be a slip-up. So to conclude, in case anyone asks me, there are no Hosono composed tracks on the U.S. version, if you want Cosmic Surfin' you have to by the Japanese CD. Also a slower track Nagisa-nite (On the Beach) is left out of the U.S version.
Okay, so whats it like?-- this is fast guitar based music with spacey noises. The openning track on the U.S. version is rather electronica-like, but the bulk of the album is tight guitar based numbers with some singing but without jungle type beats. Some songs have singing but quite a few are instrumental. Rola Korpi seems to have departed.
The lineup: Jun Matsue, Wataru Daiko, Naomi, addl vocals Kokko&Miki
(@)00.04.21 Bad News Records cd: BNCL-9004
now it gets confusing (the Japanese single's name is the same as the full US album's name but the Japanese album is self titled),4 track single with remixes by YUKA HONDA (Cibo Matto),Totem Pole From Outer Space[=SIGERU KISHIDA (KURURI)?] remixing a track from Astro '99,YUKIHIRO FUKUTOMI, not bad but not as fun as I expected, for example Yuka Honda while not bad, tries out some jungle beats and pares all the elements down but doesn't do anything particularily distinctive except for a short loungey interlude midway, I guess its most distinctive (?)for no longer sounding surf-like or plastics like by the time its done.
The Spoozys appeared on the U.S. Japan Nite 2000 compilation (@)which is a yearly showcase of japanese acts playing live, though usually the compilation tracks are from albums. They do "AI" and Then and Now" in longer versions that might very well be live
This material might have originally appeared on the Next From Stage 2000 v.a. compilation(*) (OW-008) but I can't confirm it further than the Spoozys are on it
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