Fukumimi

Really a semi-rotating crew of all-stars under the Office Augusta banner, the group Fukumimi features some of the leading figures in contemporary Japanese rock at any given moment. Mainstays of the group include figures from the more rock and blues-influenced end of the Japanese pop market: Suga Shikao, Sukima Switch, Hajime Chitose, Kyoko, Yamazaki Masayoshi, COIL, and Araki Yuko. While the group has been performing together at Augusta-based festivals since 1998, their first singles weren't released until 2002. Only a small handful of recordings have been released over the years, but fans regularly await releases from this supergroup, which show an admirably high level of quality, with the performers working together fluidly, neither kowtowing to one another's greatness nor stepping upon one another's toes. Rock, blues, and jazz may be less popular in the pop-saturated market in Japan, but this all-star cast proves that the genres have worthy representatives on the scene nonetheless. 2008 saw the release of the band's first full-length album, 10th Anniversary Songs, which covered the group's history as well as their influences, and made its way into the Oricon Top Ten. ~ Adam Greenberg