Melt-Banana | Artist
Melt-Banana aka MxBx is a Japanese noise rock band formed 1992 in Tokyo by core members Yasuko Onuki (vocals) and Agata (guitar, electronics). Additional members Rika (bass) and Sodoh Toshiaki (drums) made the band a four-piece for a number of years, but the band is now a duo. Yasuko formed the band when she was a student at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. Melt-Banana is known for playing extremely fast grindcore and noise music mixed with experimental, electronica and pop-based song structures. The band quickly gained the attention of Indie label Skin Graft Records, American producer Steven Albini and John Peel in the UK. Their first Peel Session was in September 1999 and Peel described the session as "Simply one of the most extraordinary performances I have ever seen and ever heard ... just mesmerizing, absolutely astonishing". The band has released Nine studio albums and undertaken extensive worldwide tours and collaborated with Mike Patton's Fant么mas. Standout albums include "Charlie" (1998), Teeny Shiny (2000), Cell-Scape (2003), Fetch (2013), MxBx 1998 (live) and the singles compilation 13 Hedgehogs. The band's most recent album 3+5 released August 2024 is their first in Eleven years, and is also highly recommended. Although the band is Japanese, their lyrics are written in English. Onuki originally sung in Japanese, but she changed to English, believing that it was better suited to her style of singing. Because English is not her native language, Onuki often has to look words up in dictionaries, which also allows her to find words that sound interesting to her.In writing a song, Onuki typically starts with particular words and then works backwards. Guitarist Agata is noted for his distinct style of guitar playing that involves heavy use of effects and pedals. In 2007, Melt-Banana recorded the song "Hair-Cat (Cause the Wolf Is a Cat!)" for Perfect Hair Forever on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim lineup.
Artist Website: maroon.jp/melt-banana
Featured Albums: Melt-Banana
Related Artists: MxBx, Fant么mas
