newest releases at top. if you see any mistakes here, or want to contribute some info. email me.
click on the thumbnail images for full-size!
newest releases at top. if you see any mistakes here, or want to contribute
some info. email me.
click on the thumbnail images for full-size!
| Maxi On Japanese release: 7-12-00 American release: 1-1-01 (I think...) PSCR-5882 Trattoria menu 214 |
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track listing: 1.
Maxi On! * Produced by Takako Minekawa |
| Maxi On's American release was originally slated to be November 15 2000, but it was delayed until the January 2001. I finally got it in late January. I'll write a summary soon, after I've had time for it to soak in... | |
| Fun 9 Japanese release: 7-7-99 American release: 11-17-99 PSCR 5769 |
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track listing: 01. Gently Waves more package art: |
| Takako produced most of these tracks, except the ones produced by Sukia and Cornelius. It was just released in Japan on July 7th (1999). It is quite spectacular, as I usually expect from Takako. I'm not sure if it's my favorite, (if it is, then it would be tied with Athletica and Roomic Cube), but it sure is a great album. The first few times I listened to Fun 9, I thought for some reason, that it had a general vibe of meloncholy to it, but now I don't think so... it's that wierd blend of happiness and innocence, yet strangely vague in it's emotions, as I usually get from Takako's music. It does seem more serious in tone, however, than her previous material. I'd say Plash, Spin Spider Spin, and Fantastic Voyage are my two favorites so far. Plash contains a catchy, but somewhat laid-back guitar-driven beat, with Takako vocals and cooing "ahhh" sounds floating over the tune. Plash is reflected on later in the album by the song Flash, a brief, yet so beautiful song. Flow in a Tide is hard to describe, but believe me, it is fabulous. Kinda claustophobic sounding, but in a cute way... like flying away, caught in a soap bubble, and then it breaks into a cute little rap between Takako and Michiko Endo. Spin Spider Spin is spacey rock song. Of the songs that Cornelius helps out on, Plash and Spin Spider Spin show the most of his influence. It is really great to here collaboration between Keigo and Takako, two of the most innovative artists I've heard. Fantastic Voyage is just plain beautiful to behold. I like Takako's singing style in this song. rather than singing in the conventional method of flowing words, she breaks her lyrics down to syllables, and let's them correspond with the melody quite nicely. Tiger has a kind of grandious sound to it, unusual for Takako. A really nice song. Fancy Work Funk is an instrumental in which Takako is being taken on a zoological voyage by a computer. It's quite a nice song. I was a bit suprised by the sample towards the end of the song that sounds like it came out of a porno. Another of this album's suprises, a humorous one. The CD is good, although a bit too short as far as LPs go...at only about 35 minutes in length. However, while short, your musical journey through Fun 9 will be wonderful and sweet to the ears. The American version as usual has different packaging than the Japanese release, although the design is good enough. The US version also has a bonus track at the end of the album, Etoufée, which is a version of Spin Spider Spin with French lyrics. |
| XIMER ...c.c.c. remix Japanese release: 9-23-98 American release: 6-29-99 PSCR-5710 |
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track listing: 1. Milk
Rock remixed by Cornelius The American release of Ximer has two bonus tracks: Black Forest remixed by Junior Varsity KM, and Cat House, remixed by Sweet Trip. |
| A very soothing album.
Cornelius' remix of Milk Rock features a redone, softer-sounding vocal
track by Takako, and there are plenty of Cornelius's trademark sounds to be heard.
The remix of Telstar is interesting. It sound quite good, but I don't know if
I'd call it a remix of Telstar, as it doesn't sound much of anything like
the original... but this is an odd situation, seeing as Takako's Telstar off of Cloudy
Cloud Calculator is not the original. The original version was made in the '60's by
Joe Meek. If you want to hear an old Moog version of Telstar (originally
called "Telestar") that I have on the record "Hot Butter",
then click here. The
remix of Black Forest is a groovy little number indeed. International
Velvet's remix is hard to describe, but its kind of creepy. Cloud
Cuckoo Land is represented here in the form of an acoustic version by Takako.
Very sooooothing song. Phonobaloon song has been transformed into
a much longer version, complete with all sorts of interesting soundscapes. Lot's of
variety on this album. Okay as far as the American version of the album goes, it has two bonus C.C.C. remixes... supposedly. There is Sweet Trip's remix of Cat House, which is a progressive and catchy tune. Now what suprised me is that the track listing lists that there is a Junior Varsity remix of Black Forest. This is wrong. In actuality, the J.V.K.M. remix is of Destron, a song off of Roomic Cube. Hmm... kinda odd mistake. Later versions of the CD had the correct track. I was also kind of suprised at the packaging of the American version. It is a tad on the boring side. |
| Recubed release: 1-27-99 EMN 7009-2, Polystar PSCR-5730(*) |
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track listing: 1. Fantastic
Cat remix by Pulsars * bonus Japan-only tracks more package art: |
| This CD was a remix album for Recubed. Some of the remix bands were picked by Emperor Norton, with the Consent of Takako, unlike XIMER, where the bands were related to Polystar, and/or of Takako's personal selection. The CD is quite good, (big surprise... all of Takako's album's are good!) but the tracks that stick out the most in my mind are the remix of 1.666666 by Sukia, which is just plain wacky :) , and a remix of Fantastic Cat, which has a Devo-esque buzzing boogie bass effect. Very catchy song. The Japanese version contains two bonus tracks, by Sweet Trip, and by Junior Varsity KM, representing the fact that they were helping out on Takako's 1998 fall tour. On the Japanese version, I am especially fond of Sweet Trip's remix for Never/More. the original is one of my favorites off of Roomic Cube, and the remix is also really nice. Also, I happen to like J.V.K.M's remix of Destron better than the original... and I say that only for really great remixes. |
| Cloudy Cloud Calculator Japanese release: 12-10-97 American release: not sure PSCR-5658 |
 Japanese cover sorry! no big version for this... yet. 'cause I don't have it! :-( ;void(0);) American cover |
track listing: 1. Micro
Mini Cool more package art: |
| Takako took the reigns a lot more on Cloudy Cloud Calculator than on her past releases, though there is some collaboration present. Buffalo Daughter help out on Telstar, which is a revision of the 1960's hit Telestar by Joe Meek. Also, Yuko Aiso supplies beautiful violin playing to Black Forest. Takako experimented a lot on this album, as she did on Athletica. Kangaroo Pocket Calculator is a lurching sequence of blips, blanketed by Takako's voice, in this case unusually monotone, going on about the number 47. Kraftpark is Takako's loving tribute to Kraftwerk, the pioneering German synth band who have inspired everyone from David Bowie to Africa Bambaata. Cat House is my favorite track on the album. Its Moog & drum- packed beat is instantly catchy. It is difficult to listen to Cat House without wanting to groooove... This album is nice. ...not my favorite TM album, but definitely worth purchasing. |
| Athletica release: 2-26-97 Polystar PSCR-5577 |
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track listing: 1.
Metromusica |
| For this EP, Takako enlisted the help of ex-A.D.S. (Asteroid Desert Songs) guitarist, Yasuo Takai. It is an experimental album, and very wacky in general... one of my personal favorites. The album has more beats than Takako's usual material and is very catchy. Metromusica is a miasma of bleeps & metronome clicks, and Takako's sweet voice. It blends into Slow Flow Mole, such a very nice and very soothing song. Next is the Klaxon! (A New Type), a Takako Minekawa / Buffalo Daughter collaboration, that was later released on Recubed. The final two tracks, both called Fabie (I confess, I dunno what Takako means by "Fabie", fabulous, maybe?) are great. The second Fabie has an beat reminiscent of early '80s hip hop, complete with TR-808 beats!. Quite surprising... |
| Roomic Cube Japanese release: 5-25-96 American release: 1997 Polystar PSCR-5476, March Records MAR028 |
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track listing: 1. Sleep
Song more package art: |
| The theme of Roomic Cube is a room, where all of Takako's wonderful ideas come about, and what an appropriate theme, seeing as this is such a wonderful album! This album was produced by Buffalo Daughter, and they played in about half the tracks, so there's a lot of Moog and electric guitar. It's an excellent album in general... and the Pop Up Squirrels sequences are pleasantly humorous. I especially love the song Black... White, and I wonder why it wasn't picked to be remixed for Recubed... |
| A Little Touch of Baroque in the Winter release: 12-1-95 Polystar PSCR-5429 |
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track listing: 1. Jesu,
Joy of Man's Desiring |
| This is a short, 4 track Christmas album. Takako traveled to NYC & recorded with NRBQ to make this. It is quite different than her other albums.. not much of the usual emphasis on synthesizers... just short, sweet Christmas songs. Different instruments are in play on this album, including a Barrel Organ, as played by Pierre Charial. I dunno... I have this album, and it is very nice, but I don't really know what to say about it. Pop it in 'round Christmas time for some holiday cheer! |
| Chat Chat release: 6-25-95 Polystar PSCR-5381 |
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track listing: 1. I Love |
| Takako's first album, Chat Chat, was very charming to listen to, in fact, it could be called cute... but not bad-cute, rather its the kind of cute that constantly brings a smile to your face when you listen. The majority of the album is cover songs, including Drive my Car (a Beatles classic), and a catchy synth version of the theme song to the anime "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind". The covers are great, and so are the original songs. Mimi has a cool mildy-Latin beat to it, and I Love is so cute and sweet that I can't listen without giggling like a fool :-) |
| There is also singles available for Klaxon!,
Fantastic Cat, and Plash, but I don't have them. Please see Nick Kent's TM page for a more extensive discography. |
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