Yo Zushi
Encyclopedia
Yo Zushi is a Japan
ese singer-songwriter
, who rose to prominence in the UK freak folk
scene with two albums released on London's Pointy Records
. He is also a book reviewer for the New Statesman
magazine.
and style magazine Dazed & Confused
. This was followed by a short period in a folk rock
band, Great Days of Sail, with gig support slots in the company of nu-folk icons Joanna Newsom
, The Magic Numbers
, Willy Mason
, Micah P. Hinson
and anti-folk
founder Lach
. The band dissolved after one self-titled EP.
In 2005 Zushi was signed to Pointy Records
to release Songs From a Dazzling Drift. A collection of country-infused pop songs drawn from rough home recordings, it was quickly picked up by the British music press as a minor classic. Q
magazine gave it a four-star review (including it in the "Q Recommends" category), and enthused that "this could be the start of something major". Dazed & Confused
called it a "masterclass in storytelling". An intermittent series of live appearances followed, supporting the likes of Scritti Politti
and Patrick Wolf
, as well as performing on the main town hall stage at the Oxford Folk Festival with Bellowhead
and Rachel Unthank and the Winterset
.
After publishing a short story in Dazed & Confused and completing a Modern Culture MA at University College, London, Yo Zushi released his second album, Notes for Holy Larceny in 2007. It was produced by Greg Box and Daniel Lea of By the Fireside
and features jazz musician Ana Silvera
on piano, as well as Sean King from A sleeper's union/ Eidola records, Dan and James McKean, Ross Palmer, Antonio Papaleo and Russell Parton amongst others (full band list on record sleeve). The album has been favorably compared with the music of Hank Williams, Bob Dylan
, Willie Nelson
, Johnny Cash
and Tom Waits
.
In March 2009, Zushi will release Jangadeiros, a collection of home demos and songs recorded at studio sessions on the Italian label Best Kept Secret, which releases albums on audio cassette only. He is currently working on Video Days, the follow-up to Notes for "Holy Larceny".
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...
ese singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
, who rose to prominence in the UK freak folk
Freak folk
Freak folk is a genre of folk music associated with contemporary artists such as Faun Fables, Animal Collective, Davenport, Devendra Banhart,CocoRosie, Panda Bear, Kelli Ali, Joanna Newsom, Bowerbirds, Woods, Greg Weeks, Hecuba, Akron/Family, Rio en Medio, Birdengine, Sufjan Stevens, Sean Hayes,...
scene with two albums released on London's Pointy Records
Pointy Records
Pointy Records is a London-based independent record label, founded in 1998 by Andy Macleod. Largely focusing on new music, Pointy Records have been releasing albums and singles of cult indie bands, most notably The Clientele, Flotation Toy Warning and Yo Zushi, for a period of ten years...
. He is also a book reviewer for the New Statesman
New Statesman
New Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....
magazine.
Career
In 2004 Zushi was the winner (in the music category) of the Re:Creation Prize, run by TopshopTopshop
Topshop is a British clothes retailer with shops in over 20 countries and online operations in a number of its markets. Its sales come primarily from women's clothing and fashion accessories...
and style magazine Dazed & Confused
Dazed & Confused (magazine)
Dazed & Confused is a British style magazine, that was set up in 1992 and published monthly. Its founding editors were Jefferson Hack and Rankin...
. This was followed by a short period in a folk rock
Folk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
band, Great Days of Sail, with gig support slots in the company of nu-folk icons Joanna Newsom
Joanna Newsom
Joanna Newsom is an American harpist, pianist and singer-songwriter from Nevada City, California.- Early life :Newsom grew up in the small town of Nevada City, California...
, The Magic Numbers
The Magic Numbers
The Magic Numbers are an English pop rock band comprising two pairs of brothers and sisters from Greenford. The group was formed in 2002, releasing their critically acclaimed debut album titled The Magic Numbers on 13 June 2005...
, Willy Mason
Willy Mason
Willy Mason is an American singer-songwriter.- Early life :He was born in New York, the son of Jemima James and Michael Mason, both folk singers. When Mason was five, he and his family moved from New York to West Tisbury, Massachusetts on the island of Martha's Vineyard...
, Micah P. Hinson
Micah P. Hinson
Micah Paul Hinson is an American americana singer and guitarist and recording artist for Sketchbook Records in the United Kingdom and Jade Tree Records in the United States. His debut album Micah P. Hinson and the Gospel of Progress was released in 2004 to much critical praise...
and anti-folk
Anti-folk
Anti-folk is a music genre that takes the earnestness of politically charged 1960s folk music and subverts it. The defining characteristics of this anti-folk are difficult to identify, as they vary from one artist to the next...
founder Lach
Lach
Lach is a musician associated with the anti-folk movement. Born in Brooklyn, New York, he was trained as a classical pianist from an early age only to abandon it once he heard The Sex Pistols, The Jam and The Clash for the first time. Realizing he was a songwriter, Lach backtracked and explored...
. The band dissolved after one self-titled EP.
In 2005 Zushi was signed to Pointy Records
Pointy Records
Pointy Records is a London-based independent record label, founded in 1998 by Andy Macleod. Largely focusing on new music, Pointy Records have been releasing albums and singles of cult indie bands, most notably The Clientele, Flotation Toy Warning and Yo Zushi, for a period of ten years...
to release Songs From a Dazzling Drift. A collection of country-infused pop songs drawn from rough home recordings, it was quickly picked up by the British music press as a minor classic. Q
Q (magazine)
Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...
magazine gave it a four-star review (including it in the "Q Recommends" category), and enthused that "this could be the start of something major". Dazed & Confused
Dazed & Confused (magazine)
Dazed & Confused is a British style magazine, that was set up in 1992 and published monthly. Its founding editors were Jefferson Hack and Rankin...
called it a "masterclass in storytelling". An intermittent series of live appearances followed, supporting the likes of Scritti Politti
Scritti Politti
Scritti Politti are a British band, originally formed in 1977 in Leeds, Yorkshire, England. Although there have been various changes to the line-up, Cardiff-born singer-songwriter Green Gartside was the founding member of the band and the only member to have remained throughout the group's...
and Patrick Wolf
Patrick Wolf
Patrick Wolf is an English-Irish singer-songwriter from South London. Patrick utilises a wide variety of instruments in his music, most commonly the ukulele, piano and viola...
, as well as performing on the main town hall stage at the Oxford Folk Festival with Bellowhead
Bellowhead
Bellowhead are an English contemporary folk band originally brought together by John Spiers and Jon Boden. The eleven-piece band plays traditional dance tunes, folk songs and shanties, with arrangements drawing inspiration from a wide diversity of musical styles and influences...
and Rachel Unthank and the Winterset
Rachel Unthank and the Winterset
The Unthanks are an English folk group from Northumberland, known for their eclectic approach in combining traditional English folk with other musical genres.-Rachel Unthank and the Winterset:...
.
After publishing a short story in Dazed & Confused and completing a Modern Culture MA at University College, London, Yo Zushi released his second album, Notes for Holy Larceny in 2007. It was produced by Greg Box and Daniel Lea of By the Fireside
By the Fireside
By the Fireside is a pseudonym for Daniel Lea, an alternative rock and Americana musical artist from the United Kingdom. Lea explained that he uses a pseudonym because he often works with various session musicians in his musical projects....
and features jazz musician Ana Silvera
Ana Silvera
Ana Silvera is a contemporary alternative London born singer-songwriter, known for the intense poeticism of her lyrics, her classical piano style and her work with choirs....
on piano, as well as Sean King from A sleeper's union/ Eidola records, Dan and James McKean, Ross Palmer, Antonio Papaleo and Russell Parton amongst others (full band list on record sleeve). The album has been favorably compared with the music of Hank Williams, Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
, Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
and Tom Waits
Tom Waits
Thomas Alan "Tom" Waits is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. Waits has a distinctive voice, described by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car."...
.
In March 2009, Zushi will release Jangadeiros, a collection of home demos and songs recorded at studio sessions on the Italian label Best Kept Secret, which releases albums on audio cassette only. He is currently working on Video Days, the follow-up to Notes for "Holy Larceny".