Eastern Youth: What Can You See From Your Place

01. Freedom
02. The World Shatters And Resonates In My Ears
03. A Runner's Self-portrait
04. Hands Tucked Away In My Pockets
05. Tokyo Clear Zero Degrees Celsius
06. Breaking The Vow On A Dare, August
07. Voice
08. Autumn Winds And The Guys
09. Zigzag, Zigzag, Ticktock, Ticktock
10. I Open The Door

Album info:

What can you see from your place? For Hisashi Yoshino, vocalist/guitarist of Eastern Youth, the answer is the bustling metropolis of Tokyo, Japan. He writes songs about the towering skyscrapers, the ancient mountain terrain and the people and animals that dwell between both. "The west window is wide open to the world, Can you see what's going on far beyond the roofs?" Influenced by his nation's classic literature, Yoshino's lyrics, like Shinto poetry uses nature as a metaphor. In this case the metaphor may be the restless spirit of his generation or as he aptly puts it, "city view and nature could be best friend for lonely soul." What Can You See From Your Place (FiveOneInc.), is the band's full-length debut for the U.S. and contains ten post-punk, quasi-core anthems to a "city full of footsteps." This album follows last year's split record with heart-torn rockers, Cursive. Since their inception in the early 90's, the Tokyo based trio of Eastern Youth (composed of Yoshino, Atsuya Tamori on drums and Tomokazu Ninomiya on bass) has reigned as a leading figure of Japan's independent music scene. The members spent their formative years absorbing western punk, hardcore and indie rock and then filtered it through an eastern perception. The resulting music contains the urgent spirit of heavy music but also a more varied and cerebral approach than many of their western contemporaries. Anchored by the impassioned sing/screams of Yoshino, each member of the trio plays their instrument with an almost jazz like command of dynamics, volume and interplay. Besides their sound, the group also acquired their strong independent ethics from punk. An example of this is the band refusing to sing their lyrics in english to broaden their appeal outside their homeland. Though communicating in a different language, Eastern Youth's music has reached the heart of those far beyond their native shores. In the U.S. the band have been championed and invited on tour by notable acts such as At The Drive In, Jimmy Eat World, Cursive and No Knife

In 1994, in the spirit of showing better live concert in the style of battle of the bands, they started their regular live performance series called "Kyokutoh-Saizensen." They kept both independent releases and the live series honestly and steadily and established the name.

Eastern Youth's originality in lyrics, illustrating their deep respect for the rich Japanese culture and western musical influences, tied in with strong live performances, has led the band to become a legend among the indie rock scene in Japan. In 1996, the band signed to Toy's Factory and released their first single, "Aosugiru-Sora." The single successfully reached a wider audience in Japan. Since then, the band has released three albums and five singles and they were all co-produced by Eddie Ashworth. The lyrics, written by Yoshino and sung in Japanese, are intense literary expressions of emotions and the sense of helpless in the passage in life. Eastern Youth stands out amidst the numerous bands in the current Japanese music scene, who opt to perform in English rather than their mother tongue. Yoshino credits Fugazi, Jawbreaker, Stiff Little Fingers, and Discharge for having an impact in his music background. He also cited Mogwai, Dilan Group, Yo La Tengo as his latest favorites. Although Eastern Youth's sound is punk-based, it's uniquely diverse and complex, despite being only a three-piece band.

In August 2000, the band released the compilation album "Kyokuto-Saizensen" from Sakamoto-Shouten, which features bands like Husking Bee, Bloodthirsty Butchers, Number Girl, and Naht, who joined the series of the show in the past. After embarking on west coast dates with At The Drive-In in the fall of the year, Eastern Youth released new single "Kakato-Naru" in Japan and recorded the new album "Kanjusei Ohtohseyo (Respond sensibility). During the recording in the U.S., they played a few shows with Jimmy Eat World, and later they invited Jimmy Eat World for their "Kyokuto-Saizensen tour" in Japan. After releasing the album "Kanjusei-Ohtohseyo", the band toured the country extensively. In June 2002, Eastern Youth are coming back to the U.S. with long waited the first official U.S. release, "8 Teeth To Eat You ", split CD with Cursive. In the spirit of "Kyokuto-Saizensen", their first national tour with Cursive is scheduled.