[Band Battle] OGRE YOU ASSHOLE vs. LOSTAGE

[CAT5 9075]

OGRE YOU ASSHOLE

Full Albums:
2005年12月7日 OGRE YOU ASSHOLE
2007年10月3日 アルファベータ vs. ラムダ
2009年10月7日 フォグランプ
2011年8月24日 homely
2012年9月19日 100年後
2014年10月15日 ペーパークラフト

 

 

VS.

 

LOSTAGE

 

 Full Albums:
2006年1月25日 PLAY WITH ISOLATION
2007年7月18日 DRAMA
2009年3月25日 GO
2010年6月02日 LOSTAGE
2012年7月11日 ECHOES
2014年8月06日 GUITAR
 

 

Ok, the battle is on! 2 bands that formed in 2001 and went on to become revered heavyweights of Japanese indie rock. Both bands also have 6 full albums under their belt. Which band do you think is better AND WHY?

[CAT5 9075]

This a pretty tough one for me. I started listening to both bands in 2007, as they were 2 of the important acts that helped pave my path into Japanese indie. Both bands have some cranked out some outstanding material, but I feel like OYA capped out after their 2nd album "Alphabeta vs. Lambda" and became a bit mediocre ( and this new psychedelic/experimental approach they're going for isn't working for them at all). LOSTAGE did undergo a change in sound after their first album, and even more so when they lost a guitarist. They've played things a lot safer than OYA overall, but the quality of their work has been more consistent. On the otherhand, I feel like OYA has been experiencing a steep decline. So...I gotta give this one to LOSTAGE.

OYA has some classic material, but LOSTAGE has classics sitting atop a lot of other great material too.

[saishuu 3220]

I feel like OYA at this point is just nice background music I wouldn't mind having on when trying to work or focus on something. I appreciate trying to be more experimental, but I think it's reached a point where it's just... pointless? With LOSTAGE, I feel like their music is just getting better. It's carrying an even more emotional load lately (which I appreciate a lot), the music itself sounds more polished, the production overall is really good and their releases are just very cohesive and pleasant to listen to. Plus, I still like "SURRENDER" better than anything OYA has ever done. So yeah, my vote goes to LOSTAGE.

[CAT5 9075]

Bless you, saishuu, ahaha. I was about to lose my faith in humanity if no one else commented on this thread. ;P But if anything, I guess it's a testimony to how expansive J-rock really is when bands like this that many would consider staples of J-rock are almost completely unknown in certain J-music communities.

[saishuu 3220]

Yeah, the taste range really is expansive and it's even more clear these days as more people seem to be getting into the scene. I actually always thought of LOSTAGE as sort of an underground icon amongst more "invested" indie fans instead of Japanese rock music as a whole, especially in the western fanbase. The fact that they only release LPs every year or so helps to this fact - it gets harder for people to remember them often. I'm not sure if I'm making sense, sorry. lol Regarding OYA, I feel like their transition to this kind of sound drove many people away from the hype train and now, at least from my point of view, they're just a presence in the scene and not much of a headliner anymore. They were some of the first names that were recommended to people who were getting into the indie scene a few years ago, now it's far from that and other bands, mostly smaller ones, have taken this spot.

[CAT5 9075]

Yeah, the taste range really is expansive and it's even more clear these days as more people seem to be getting into the scene.

This is true...I feel like the Japanese indie fandom is still fragmented and widely dispersed, which I guess is only natural because "Japanese indie" is essentially a huge umbrella term, so it's tough to find one group of ppl that are all familiar with same pools of bands.

The advent of sites like bandcamp, the rising popularity of ototoy, the increasing catalogs of itunes/amazon mp3/emusic - this has all made J-indie more visible and accessible than ever. And Even though there's still so much that gets left out of the equation, you're right - this has all made the ranges of taste in J-indie become more apparent.

For instance, there are a lot of glorified, major label-backed pop-rock bands getting mixed in and confused for J-indie - a lot of these younger "it" bands like KANA-BOON, indigo la end/gesu-no whatever, creephyp. I'm sure some of these bands started off as indie, so I can understand ppl still considering them as such, but their sounds couldn't be further away from the kind of innovative, DIY, and imo, quality stuff that the older J-indie community I came from used to cherish.

If you have FB tho, you should pm so I can add you to this J-indie FB group with a lot of the "old-heads" (the non elitist half, haha) that were already in the scene when I got into it.

 

I actually always thought of LOSTAGE as sort of an underground icon amongst more "invested" indie fans instead of Japanese rock music as a whole, especially in the western fanbase. The fact that they only release LPs every year or so helps to this fact - it gets harder for people to remember them often. I'm not sure if I'm making sense, sorry. lol Regarding OYA, I feel like their transition to this kind of sound drove many people away from the hype train and now, at least from my point of view, they're just a presence in the scene and not much of a headliner anymore. They were some of the first names that were recommended to people who were getting into the indie scene a few years ago, now it's far from that and other bands, mostly smaller ones, have taken this spot.

I think your take is pretty accurate. Most of my J-indie friends would also agree that OYA has gone down the drain, although from what I can tell, OYA still have a lot of clout and respect in the scene in Japan, regardless of their music direction. I could be wrong, but it seems their name precedes them to an extent.

[beni 2149]

I've only actually tried out OGRE YOU ASSHOLE because who could ignore such a name? xD I really am fond of them and should listen to them more, but seeing as LOSTAGE is winning in the poll, I'm very much intrigued in them more now. I've heard of them, I just haven't gotten around to checking them out. For now, since I really like OYA, I'm voting for them. Indie bands are way too precious.