Special Others is a Japanese band that blends improvised
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
with
post-rock
Post-rock is a subgenre of experimental rock that emphasizes Texture (music), texture, atmosphere, and non-traditional song structures over conventional rock techniques. Post-rock artists often combine rock instrumentation and rock stylings wit ...
influences.
Their lyrics on non-instrumental songs mix English and Japanese. The members of the band met in high school and formed the group in 1995. They began performing in 2000 and their first major release, ''Indy-Ann'', remained in the
CRJ-tokyo charts for seven weeks.
Their first release on
NMNL Records was the
EP ''Ben'' which entered the
Tower Records
Tower Records is an international retail franchising, franchise and online music store that was formerly based in Sacramento, California, United States. From 1960 until 2006, Tower operated retail stores in the United States, which closed when ...
Shibuya
is a Special wards of Tokyo, special ward in Tokyo, Japan. A major commercial center, Shibuya houses one of the busiest railway stations in the world, Shibuya Station.
As of January 1, 2024, Shibuya Ward has an estimated population of 230,60 ...
indie chart at No. 1, and No. 2 in the national Tower Records chart. After releasing their second EP, ''Uncle John'', in June 2005, the band played at the
Fuji Rock Festival
is an annual music festival, rock festival held in Naeba Ski Resort, in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. The three-day event, organized by Smash (Music promoters), Smash Japan, features more than 200 Japanese and international musicians, making it th ...
in July.
In June 2006, they released ''Idol'', which was followed by a performance at
Daikanyama UNIT in July, the release ''Aims'' at
Tower Records
Tower Records is an international retail franchising, franchise and online music store that was formerly based in Sacramento, California, United States. From 1960 until 2006, Tower operated retail stores in the United States, which closed when ...
in October, and the release of their first full album, ''Good Morning'', on November 22. The band toured with
Asian Kung-Fu Generation
(stylized in all caps) is a Japanese alternative rock band formed in Yokohama in 1996. For its entire career, the band has consisted of vocalist Masafumi Gotoh, guitarist Kensuke Kita, bassist Takahiro Yamada (musician), Takahiro Yamada, and dr ...
from late 2006, with guest appearances at five performances across Japan.
Band members
* (b. 1979) - Drums, vocals
* (b. 1979) - Bass
* (b. 1980) - Guitar, vocals
* (b. 1979) - Keyboard, vocals
Discography
Studio albums
*Ben (2004/08/18) EP/Mini Album
*#Ben
*#Ngoro Ngoro
*#Peacefultree
*#Cacao
*#Khechi Khechi
*Dubwise (2005/06/10) Limited edition 12" single
*
ide-A*#Mellotron
*#Khechi Khechi (Uchida Naoyuki Dub mix)
*
ide-B*#Mellotron (Iwaki Kentarou remix)
*#Random
*Uncle John (2005/06/22) EP/Mini album
*#Sunshine
*#Random
*#Uncle John
*#Meal
*#Mellotron
*Idol (2006/06/07) EP/Mini album
*#Idol
*#Aului
*#Saudade
*#Mambo No.5
*#Quinto
*Quinto Limited edition 12" single
*
ide-A*#Saudade (Kl mix)
*#Mambo No.5 (Milch of Source remix)
*
ide-AA*#Mambo No.5
*#Quinto
*Aims (2006/10/11) Tower Records limited-edition single
*#Aims
*#Mambo No.5 (live)
*#Mellotron (live)
*Good Morning (2006/11/22/)
*#Aims
*#Good Morning
*#Circle
*#Yagi&Ryota
*#Around the World
*#Session
*#Koya
*#Comboy
*#KHN
*#Door of the Cosmos (The Stars Are Singing Too)
*Surdo (2007/04/27) Tower Records limited-edition single
*#Surdo
*#Aims (live)
*#Meltoron (live)
*Star (2007/05/23)
*#Star
*#Surdo
*#When You Wish upon a Star
*#All Things - Part 1
*#All Things - Part 2
*#Aului 80 - Self remix
*Laurentech (2007/11/14) Tower Records limited-edition single
*#Laurentech
*#Star (live)
*#Ben (live)
*Quest (2008/02/06)
*#Night Paradise
*#Laurentech
*#Ovelia
*#Quest
*#Bump
*#Johnson
*#Apollo
*#Ubiquitous
*#ACN
*#Hankachi
*PB (2009/04/01)
*#Title
*#PB
*#Stay
*#SP in Wednesday
*#Charlie
*#Silent
*#Potato
*#Twilight
*#Life
*#Sunrise
*The Guide (2010/10/06)
*#Wait for The Sun
*#It's my house
*#Parabola
*#The Guide
*#Luster
*#Draft
*#Tomorrow
*#RCA (MONO)
*#Go home
*#Ido
*Special Others (2011/11/30)
*#Sailin' feat. kJ (from Dragon Ash)
*#Ano Kuni Made feat. Nobuo Ooki (from ACIDMAN) & Atsushi Horie (from STRAIGHTENER)
*#Karappo feat. Kiyosaku (from MONGOL800)
*#Iyomante Upopo feat. MAREWREU
*#Dance In Tsurumi feat. Masafumi Goto (from ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION)
*#Door feat. Cypress Ueno & Roberto Yoshino
*Have A Nice Day (2012/10/10)
*#ROOT
*#ORION
*#Raindrops
*#beautiful world
*#ORGAN BASS
*#Hawaiian Secret Beat
*#barrel
*#Dance Festival
*#Provence
*#Have a Nice Day
See also
*
List of post-rock bands
This article provides a list of post-rock bands. The list is not exhaustive, but bands that are added to this list are considered to be notable in the genre.
List
0–9
* 12Twelve
* 65daysofstatic
A
* A Dog Called Ego
* Aerial M / Papa ...
References
External links
Official website (Japanese)Victor Entertainment Special Others page (Japanese)Special Others Myspace pageYouTube Special Others pageiTunes Special Others page
{{Authority control
Japanese post-rock groups
Musical groups from Kanagawa Prefecture