Plastic Tree | Artist

Plastic is a Japanese Indie Rock band formed 1993 in Ichikawa by Ryuutarou Arimura (vocals, guitar), Tadashi Hasegawa (bass), Akira Nakayama (guitar), and Shin (drums). Kenken Sato has been the band's drummer since 2009. Though they formed in 1993, the group only began making waves by 1995, and signed with a major label in 1997. The group's sound was built on a collection of influences, most notably British alternative bands with elements of the visual kei movement - characterized by a touch of androgyny and heavy makeup, not unrelated to the goth, glam, or eventually emo movements in U.S. rock. Through a series of singles throughout the '90s and beyond, the band proved to be versatile, showing off elements of goth rock, slow ballads, power pop, metal, and punk, all with just a bit of a hook to get the attention of mainstream listeners. With its shoegaze influences, the band's sound is often credited with providing a gateway to J-Pop and Japanese Shoegaze, for western listeners, particularly with their single "Kuuchuu Buranko" going ballistic on TikTok. The band members themselves say their sound has been considerably influenced by British bands such as Radiohead and The Cure. Among their Eighteen studio album (to-date) the band has delivered a remarkable collection of highly acclaimed releases. Standouts include Puppet Show (1998), Parade (2000), Träumerei (2002), Chandelier (2006), Nega to Poji (2007), Utsusemi (2008), Ammonite (2011), Ink (2012) and Plastic Tree (2024). Also recommended is the 2001 compilation Single Collection. Frontman Ryutaro Arimura has also released the excellent solo album Demo (2023). The following RYM review of the album Träumerei gives a good overall summation of the band's style: "After the fairly experimental singles and albums "Hide and Seek", "Puppet Show", and "Strange Fruits", the band arrived at a more dreamy, ethereal sound on this record. “Träumerei” translates from German as “dreaming.” The band doesn’t dive into an MBV-like approach where the instrumental dominates and the vocals are buried behind a wall of sound. Instead, they deftly balance stunning guitar work with Ryutaro’s mesmerizing vocals. The album can be summed up in a few words: melancholy, nostalgia, phantasmagoria, and reveries." Plastic Tree, originally known as PuraTuri (bravery/power) or Pura (pure) to fans, was originally called 'NTT FUCKS' - NTT being the dominant Japanese telephone company - they later decided on Plastic Tree, aiming for "something abstract and natural".

Artist Website: wikipedia.org/Plastic_Tree

Featured Albums: Plastic Tree

Related Artists: Tokyo Shoegaze, CQ, Ryuutarou Arimura, Coaltar of the Deepers