Papa Box has carved a path through all the blandness of the Japanese indie rock scene. At a time when it is popular to rock, and rock loudly, Papa Box comes out of Osaka with a slow, thoughtful, and haunting sound.
The three-piece, fronted by the stunningly gorgeous Sawada Tomoko, is not unlike Cat Power in its plodding indie folk-pop. Comparisons to that band continue with the similarities between Chan Powers and Sawada Tomoko vocal delivery.
The songs, exploring melodies and phrases in mid-tempo, are beautiful in their simplicity. The guitar rings clean and clear, without distortion or effects while the drums and bass keep pace with the guitar, but don’t bob and weave unnecessarily. This kind of restraint and attention to musical detail is harder to pull off than it appears. Listening to Papa Box, you get the impression that there are no superfluous notes in their songs. In fact, so perfect is their debut album that it should have come affixed with a note proclaiming, “no note was wasted in the making of this album.”
Their first single which came out in 2003, was entitled "Pitiful, Romantic Songs" (哀恋歌), and pretty effectively sums up the emotion of the songs which the band sings. The band has been known to play with Kicell, with whom they share a similar approach to songwriting perhaps.
Soon to release a new single and an album, the band’s originality is its simplicity, and it seems to be making headways in Osaka and beyond. Other somewhat similar bands: Mademoseille Shorthair and the Pigeons.
SCENE: Osaka
GENRE: Indie rock/pop
WORKS:
Papa Box (ぱぱぼっくす) Gyuune Cassette/Childish Soup, 2001
Papa Box (ぱぱぼっくす) re-release with bonus tracks Gyuune Cassette/Childish Soup, 2001
Aikoika (哀恋歌) maxi-single Sound Sun Records, 2003
Ao no ato(蒼の痕) single Sound Sun Records, 2004
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