Good morning! How's your Thursday?
Today's Bento Box artist is 黒色エレジー (Kokushoku/Black Elegy), a Japanese female fronted gothic rock / post-punk band from Okayama Prefecture, Japan formed by vocalist Kyoko, guitarist Ichiro, bassist Koichi, and drummer Yasuyuki. Ichiro and Koichi were originally from the punk band 肉弾 (Nikudan).
Kokushoku Elegy started as a goth rock band with a vocal style reminiscent of Alison Shaw from Cranes and Siouxie Sioux, and a knack for complex, intricate and unconventional songwriting. By 1987, however, whilst they were on the Transrecords label, they had evolved past the gothic sound in favor of a lighter post-punk / new wave style, paired with comparably catchier songwriting.
Kokushoku Elegy released three 12" EPs and appeared on many Japanese compilations during their career spanning between 1985 and 1989. A compilation CD titled "Esoderic Mania" was released in 1993 comprising all of their studio recordings. In 2020, for the first time since "Esoderic Mania’s" release in 1993, two CDs of unreleased and remastered studio recordings during 1985-89 were released on December 30, 2020 under the eponymous title of Kokushoku Elegy.
Japanese music Youtuber Fujii’s Music Talk on the band (with English subtitles)
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