by Duke Rhimes
Aikagi is Japanese for "spare key," and Aikagi's sound is as hollow and thin as a spare-key. Aikagi's style is one of affected amateurism, a kind of invented or forced naivety that could have passed as maturity in some decades, but reads as all but played out nowadays. Or am I reading too much into this? Perhaps one must analyze their music in the context of their times... If we do this, we could say that they exemplified a sort of cross between the low-fi movement of the mid-90s plus the Twee movement. This might be more fair.
Way too much attention, time, and money has been spent by foreign and Japanese domestic labels chasing after cookie-cutter bands that fit this image. Some people in countries outside Japan like to pigeonhole sounds for some reason unbeknownst to this author. Necessary ingredients for this cliche include at least 1 female band member who sings in awkward English(mind you, it must be cutely off-kilter), next come cutely juvenile graphics and lyrics to give it all a homemade feel, toss in some amateurish musicianship(whether they are really trying, we'll never know), and wallah! You have yourself an exportable "Japanese" band, one that foreigners are used to, one that does not challenge their preconceptions of what a Japanese band must be and what all Japanese must be: cute and fuzzy. It is part of the ongoing infantilization (or as I like to say, the "Hello Kitty-fication") of adult Japanese culture, and passes for exotic to some foreigners, but naturally disturbing and offensive to others. I would hope someday the listening public can move beyond the Hello Kitty stereotype and start to appreciate more interesting, deep, original, and meaningful bands, because they are out there!
But Aikagi is apparently good business. It must sell, because Blackbean is putting out their albums in the U.S., and the Japanese label, Trolley Bus is reissuing their old tapes or US releases. So by no means take my opinion for it. Go check them out yourself. But better leave your adult-sized thinking cap at home. I quote their website. "the sounds are MONO, but really CUTE!" Need I say more?
SCENE: Unknown
GENRE: Twee
WORKS:
Chiccho no Daibouken (cassette release) self-release, 1996
Chiccho no Kaisuiyoku (cassette release) self-release, 1997
Hello! Chiccho (cassette release) Smile Records, 1998
Opening/Piggy Bank/Guess (7 inch) Blackbean, 1998
Waterproof Leak Blackbean, 1999
Japan reissue Trolley Bus, 2001
Pigs Might Fly! (CD ep) Sunshine Pop, 1999
La-La-La (ultra limited edition 7 inch, 40 pressed) Blackbean, 2002
WEBSITE: