Last weekend dupobs recorded some new material. A release date is yet to be determined, but the promotional video will be something (or exactly) like this:

DeliciouSweets now have two CDs for sale at Vancouver’s Zulu Records courtesy of dupobs. The first CD, “Soreike! Haranchi! Suttonkyo!†(see image) contains 18 tracks and a poster. The second CD, “Coquette Gaho†consists of seven tracks and is packaged in a 96 page book containing photos, cartoons, and band data. For those unfamiliar with Shibuya-kei or Japanese independent music generally, DeliciouSweets sounds something like Nomiya Maki-era Pizzicato Five, but with more of a raw edge and unstable character. Songs range from enka-like ballads to silly fluff (sample song title: White Panty Delight) to dark, carnivalesque pieces that would sound at home in a Terayama Shuji movie soundtrack.
On “Soreike!â€, one song of particular interest is “Bajoren no Utaâ€, a call to action taken from an obscure 1968 Japanese film called “Nihonichi no Uragiri Otokoâ€. DeliciouSweets have adapted the song to reflect current interests: band leader Chaamar is a social activist concerned with the negative impact of gentrification connected to Tokyo’s bid for the 2016 Olympics. The Tokyo government has plans to relocate one of the city’s cultural treasures, the Tsukiji fish market, to a toxic industrial site in order to make room for an Olympic village. This is regressive measure for sure, and one that sounds familiar to dupobs, here in Vancouver, home to another impending Olympic fiasco.
“The only way to a woman’s heart, said the Marquis de Sade, is along the path of torment. Dupobs are reaching the heart of music by the same path.”
– Momus
As indicated by the above comment, dupobs’ music clearly has some resonance with Momus, the songwriter and cultural commentator who has produced a number of artists including Kahimi Karie. As a producer, Momus has a knack for writing songs that come off as endearingly believable ‘self portraits’ of the performer. One can only wonder: if Momus were to write a song for dupobs, what would the words be?
「マルã‚・ド・サドã«ã‚ˆã‚‹ã¨ã€å¥³ã®å¿ƒã¾ã§ã®é“ã¯éžå¸¸ã«ã¤ã‚‰ã„é“ã§ã™ã€‚デューãƒãƒƒãƒ–ズã¯ãã®ã‚ˆã†ãªé“を音楽ã®å¿ƒã®å†…ã¾ã§é€šã—ã¦ã„ã¾ã™ã€‚ã€
– モマス
以上ã®ã‚³ãƒ¡ãƒ³ãƒˆã®ã¨ãŠã‚Šã€ã‚«ãƒ’ミ・カリィをプãƒãƒ‡ãƒ¥ãƒ¼ã‚¹ã—ãŸã‚·ãƒ³ã‚¬ãƒ¼ã‚½ãƒ³ã‚°ãƒ©ã‚¤ã‚¿ãƒ¼ãƒ¢ãƒžã‚¹ã®å¿ƒã¯ãƒ‡ãƒ¥ãƒ¼ãƒãƒƒãƒ–ズã®éŸ³æ¥½ã¨å…±ã«å…±é³´ã—åˆã£ã¦ã„ã¾ã™ã€‚プãƒãƒ‡ãƒ¥ãƒ¼ã‚µãƒ¼ã¨ã—ã¦ã®ãƒ¢ãƒžã‚¹ãŒãƒ‘フォーマーã®å¿ƒé«„を見極ã‚る能力ãŒç§€ã§ã¦ã„ã¾ã™ã€‚モマスãŒãƒ‡ãƒ¥ãƒ¼ãƒãƒƒãƒ–ズã®ãŸã‚ã«æŒè©žã‚’書ããŠã‚ã—ãŸã¨ã—ãŸã‚‰ã€ã©ã‚“ãªä½œå“ãŒç”Ÿã¾ã‚Œã‚‹ã ã‚ã†ã‹ï¼Ÿ

Zulu Records is a Vancouver record store that has long been a major force in Vancouver’s independent music scene. In February, Zulu added drop the coin to their “Local & Canadiana” listening booth, allowing customers a chance to sample dupobs’ brand of regressive noise. A sticker on the CD entreats customers to “LISTEN!”, and refers to the group as “Local pranksters”. Some are sure to be enticed. But who’s going to buy this crap?