Pop for Pedants

A new English band was recently unleashed upon Japan in the form of Editors. This news does indeed delight those of pedantic persuasions, i.e. Miss Ember. Rather Interpol-ish in the vocal department, the Editors` album "The Back Room" is a splendid, melancholic wallow. I wonder if this will be followed by "Designers" for my graphically gifted friends, or perhaps "The Cunning Linguists", which is indeed a marvellous name for a band, especially if they indulge in obscure, oft-smutty literary references.

The recent release of Morrissey`s new album triggered an orgy of Morrissey on Japan`s music programs last week. I swooned over the nostalgic clip "November Spawned a Monster", where the Moz is cavorting about in a black mesh top, lost in an apocalyptic desert landscape (the Tottori sand-dunes, perchance?), his quiff unruffled in the breeze due to excessive Brillo cream application.

British music is genuinely appreciated here in the Orient and receives far much more airplay and promotion than in the Motherland of Oz. This month, the Editors are playing in Tokyo, but due to the expensive train fare, Miss Ember has to show a stiff upper lip and forgo this visit. Sigh! The Summersonic Festival looks promising this year, with Massive Attack, Muse, The Charlatans and Arctic Monkies confirmed. Fingers crossed that the Moz will grace Japan with his quiff and that the Editors will cut and paste their way once more to sushi-lined shores.