The Pillows | Artist
The Pillows are a Japanese alternative rock band formed 1989 in Hokkaido by Yamanaka Sawao (vocals, rhythm guitar), Yoshiaki Manabe (lead guitar), Shinichiro Sato (drums), and Kenji Ueda (bass, 1989-92). Kenji Ueda left in 1992 and the band continued as a trio, adding Tatsuya Kashima as a guest bassist. The group, with it's hook-laden Indie/Power Pop sound has a huge Japanese and worldwide fanbase. They have released 22 uniformly excellent studio albums, several EPs and over 40 singles. Outside Japan, they are best known for the soundtracks to the FLCL anime series. Although the band released a series of highly successful early singles, their first four albums went largely unnoticed outside Japan. Their breakthrough came in 1997 with their 5th album, the acclaimed Please Mr. Lostman, which also spawned three hit singles "Kanojo wa Kyou", "One Life" and "Hybrid Rainbow". Their sixth album Little Busters came out in February 1998 and became one of their most popular and commercial records. 1999 started with the release of Runners High and to celebrate their 10th anniversary they released their first video clip compilation DVD "We Have a Theme Song" followed by new singles "Carnival" and "Rush", which featured on the second studio album of that year, Happy Bivouac. That record paid tribute to the Pixies in songs such as "Back Seat Dog" and "Kim Deal" and it is the first album to feature new guest bassist Jun Suzuki. In the same year, The Pillows were approached by the anime studio Gainax, which licensed their three previous albums for the soundtrack of the original animation FLCL or "Fooly Cooly" in English. Thanks to the exposure of the FLCL soundtrack, The Pillows enjoyed a boost to their western fan base which allowed them to release their "Ride on Shooting Star" single in the US in 2000 and later tour that country. Over the coming years as their popularity continued to grow The Pillows undertook more American tours, as well as many Mega-Concerts in Japan at venues such as the Nippon Budokan. From their 26 studio albums and soundtracks, several standouts include Please Mr. Lostman (1997), Little Busters (1998), Runners High (1999), Happy Bivouac (1999), FLCL Series 1 [Addict] (2000), FLCL Series 2 (2001), FLCL Series 3 (2005) and the compilation FLCL Progressive/Alternative (2019). To celebrate 30 years of The Pillows, the band held their own temporary museum, entitled "the pillows museum: Buster's Diner". The event took the form of a vintage American diner filled with memorabilia related to the band and a shop which sold FLCL themed goods. The museum ran from August to September 2019, at Shibuya Tower Records, followed by a run in September 2019 in Osaka. Core band member Yamanaka Sawao has also released numerous solo albums plus he is a member of side-project The Predators. Yoshiaki Manabe also works and records under the aka Nine Miles. Original bassist Kenji Ueda, who was formerly with the band Kenzi & the Trips, also has solo releases.
Artist Website: pillows.jp
Featured Albums: The Pillows
Related Artists: Yamanaka Sawao, Nine Miles
Video Clips: One Life, Energy, 90s My Life
