Coaltar of the Deepers
Encyclopedia
Coaltar of the Deepers are an Alternative rock
band from Japan
. They formed in May 1991. Although primarily influenced by shoegaze and post-rock
sound, their sound incorporates musical elements as diverse as thrash metal
, electronica
, neo-acoustic, and bossa nova
. Possessing a devoted fanbase, they are also known for their Prince
, The Cure
, The Primitives
, and My Bloody Valentine covers.
The band had little activity until the release of their first album, The Visitors From Deepspace in 1994 on Victor Records. In 1997 the band released new material; another EP, "Cat EP" was released on ZK Records. In 1998, the band released "Submerge", an album full of remixes, rare and new songs and a best-of album, Breastroke. A new EP Dog EP preceded their next full-length album in 2000, Come Over to the Deepend (a play on the band's abbreviation COTD).
In the style of Come Over to the Deepend, the band released Robot EP in 2001, which was followed by the album No Thank You. The album marked a new era for the band as they experimented even more heavily with electronic beats and noises. A new album was released in 2002, newave. With their small U.S. tour in 2003, Narasaki showed interest in an even heavier sound and released the Mouse and Penguin EPs.
After the release of the 2004 EPs, Narasaki composed the musical score for the anime Paradise Kiss
and worked on his side project Sadesper Record, which released a full-length album earlier that year. In 2006, the band continued working on a new EP and album, both of which were released in mid-2007.
In 1999, Narasaki created the side project Sadesper Record which is more electronic based than Coaltar of the Deepers. In 2004, the second Sadesper Record album was released.
He has also contributed to the band Tokusatsu in which the group created the soundtrack for the movie Stacy: Attack of the Schoolgirl Zombies
.
Narasaki has also contributed to the shoegaze band Astrobrite.
Narasaki also takes credit for producing all the background music for the anime adaptation of Deadman Wonderland
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band from Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. They formed in May 1991. Although primarily influenced by shoegaze and post-rock
Post-rock
Post-rock is a subgenre of rock music characterized by the influence and use of instruments commonly associated with rock, but using rhythms and "guitars as facilitators of timbre and textures" not traditionally found in rock...
sound, their sound incorporates musical elements as diverse as thrash metal
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
, electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
, neo-acoustic, and bossa nova
Bossa nova
Bossa nova is a style of Brazilian music. Bossa nova acquired a large following in the 1960s, initially consisting of young musicians and college students...
. Possessing a devoted fanbase, they are also known for their Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
, The Cure
The Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
, The Primitives
The Primitives
The Primitives are a British indie pop band from Coventry, best known for their 1988 international hit single "Crash".-Biography:The Primitives were part of the indie music scene of the mid-1980s alongside bands like The Jesus and Mary Chain, Primal Scream, My Bloody Valentine, the Soup...
, and My Bloody Valentine covers.
History
In early 1991, the band was formed in Tokyo by frontman Narasaki. During that time, they recorded demo tapes including most of the songs eventually incorporated into their first release "White EP," on Strange Records. The EP had former member Watanabe on vocals while Narasaki played guitar. The bands activity was silent until the end of 1992 when they released their second EP, "Queen's Park all you change" on Stomly Records. The band gained some recognition which showed the release of their third EP, "Sinking Slowly" a month later.The band had little activity until the release of their first album, The Visitors From Deepspace in 1994 on Victor Records. In 1997 the band released new material; another EP, "Cat EP" was released on ZK Records. In 1998, the band released "Submerge", an album full of remixes, rare and new songs and a best-of album, Breastroke. A new EP Dog EP preceded their next full-length album in 2000, Come Over to the Deepend (a play on the band's abbreviation COTD).
In the style of Come Over to the Deepend, the band released Robot EP in 2001, which was followed by the album No Thank You. The album marked a new era for the band as they experimented even more heavily with electronic beats and noises. A new album was released in 2002, newave. With their small U.S. tour in 2003, Narasaki showed interest in an even heavier sound and released the Mouse and Penguin EPs.
After the release of the 2004 EPs, Narasaki composed the musical score for the anime Paradise Kiss
Paradise Kiss
, abbreviated to "ParaKiss", is a manga series written and illustrated by Ai Yazawa. It appeared as a serial in the Japanese manga magazine Zipper. Shodensha collected the chapters into five volumes...
and worked on his side project Sadesper Record, which released a full-length album earlier that year. In 2006, the band continued working on a new EP and album, both of which were released in mid-2007.
Outside projects
Narasaki, while being the leader of the band, has been an active musician in Japan.In 1999, Narasaki created the side project Sadesper Record which is more electronic based than Coaltar of the Deepers. In 2004, the second Sadesper Record album was released.
He has also contributed to the band Tokusatsu in which the group created the soundtrack for the movie Stacy: Attack of the Schoolgirl Zombies
Stacy (film)
Stacy is a Japanese horror comedy film, released in 2001. It is based on a novel by Kenji Otsuki directed by Naoyuki Tomomatsu, in which teenage girls turn into zombies....
.
Narasaki has also contributed to the shoegaze band Astrobrite.
Narasaki also takes credit for producing all the background music for the anime adaptation of Deadman Wonderland
Deadman Wonderland
is a manga serial written by Jinsei Kataoka and illustrated by Kazuma Kondou, who also wrote and illustrated the Eureka Seven manga, and published in Shōnen Ace since 2007. Tokyopop acquired the licensing rights to distribute the manga in English and has released the first volume on February 9, 2010...
Former members
- Watanabe - Vocals (left 1991)
- Takanori - Guitars (left 1992)
- Fifi - Vocals, Guitar (left 1995)
- Negishi - Guitars (left 1994)
- Nagasawa - Bass (left 1994)
- Koji - Guitar (left 1998, returned 2002)
- Ichimaki - Guitars, Backup Vocals (left 2001)
- Kawanaka - Bass (left 2007)
Support members
- Akira Nakayama - Guitars (from Plastic TreePlastic TreePlastic Tree is a Japanese rock band which formed in December 1993 in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. They released their first mini-album in December 1995, and in 1997, they debuted by releasing their first single on a major label.-Biography:...
) - Koji - Guitars (from now-defunct CocobatCocobatCocobat are a Japanese hardcore punk band, named after Bobo Brazil's finishing move Coco Butt. The band formed in 1991 with four members: bassist Take-Shit, vocalist Ryuji, guitarist Suzuki Shinichi, and drummer Matsuzaki. Their first album, Cocobat Crunch, was released in April 1992 by the indie...
) - Watchman - Keyboard, Percussion (ex-member of Melt-BananaMelt-BananaMelt-Banana is a Japanese punk band that is known for playing extremely fast noise music mixed with experimental electronica and pop-based song structures. They have worked with artists as diverse as Merzbow, John Zorn, Mike Patton, and Discordance Axis...
, also takes part in helping NARASAKI with Sadesper Record) - Kenjiro Murai - Bass (ex-member of Cali≠Gari, current support as of 2007)
Studio Albums
- THE VISITORS FROM DEEPSPACE (April 21, 1994)
- SUBMERGE (March 25, 1998)
- Come Over to the Deepend (March 8, 2000)
- NO THANK YOU (May 23, 2001)
- newave (February 28, 2002)
- Yukari Telepath (July 4, 2007)
EPs
- WHITE E.P. (December, 1991)
- Queen's Park all you change (October 25, 1992)
- SINKING SLOWLY (November 25, 1992)
- GUILTY FOREST (1994)
- CAT EP (January 31, 1997)
- CAT EP II (1997)
- RECEIVE E.P. (March 25, 1998)
- DOG e.p. (November 21, 1999)
- ROBOT EP (April 25, 2001)
- MOUSE E.P (November 2, 2004 - Limited Sale, Live Only)
- Penguin e.p (November 26, 2004)
- TORTOISE EP (May 23, 2007)
- BEAR EP (December 5, 2007 - Included with the EP Box Set 1991 -2007)
Compilations
- THE BREASTROKE (Best-Of) (December 16, 1998)
- THE BREASTROKE II (January 13, 2010)
Boxset
- Coaltar of the Deepers Ep Box Set 1991 -2007 (December 5, 2007)
- Includes all except Penguin and Tortoise EPs.