Since nobody behind this operation seems to have any idea to bring Japanese bands with some semblance of appeal to American indie rock audiences and instead let big labels throw them some bands, we got a weird mix of newcomers, old-timers, and garage bands on holiday.

Although these bands probably are without an expected level of popularity for a band playing at SXSW, I'm sure they still earned fans solely for being Japanese.

Part of me is surprised that none of the Japanese bands I know and have played with are at SXSW this year, but frankly, it's a small part.

I'm always curious to see what Japanese bands get attention in America. By and large, they tend not to have the same popularity in Japan. I think that Envy is the only band of their social circle and genre that has reached a somewhat proportional level of popularity in the States. This is thanks in part to Steve Aoki, but Steve's also introduced some other incredible Japanese bands into the American scene without as much success. (Full disclosure: Although, I did play bass in a band with the guitarist from There Is A Light That Never Goes Out/Z, I was a There Is A Light fan long before.)

My LastFM profile's feeling a bit Toe heavy. The newest album that I have ("The Book about My Idle Plot...") is great workin' music.

But my Overall Top Artists list reflects my other favorite records of 2006: Dabrye's "Two/Three" is just amazing. That's it. Boards of Canada's "Trans Canada Highway" is a tasty snack between what hopes to be full-length releases, but I mostly liked the Dayvan Cowboy video. I'm also listening to the Battles record a lot, but I'm undecided on it. I'm starting to think that they're better live.

In other music news:

Update: I forgot to mention probably the funnest music find of 2006, and he doesn't get enough attention on my LastFM profile. Flying Lotus