{"title":"Artist: Niningashi","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"heavy-way-niningashi-lp","title":"Heavy Way [Import]","description":"\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003eFEATURES\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003eA long-lost Japanese acid folk gem\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003eNiningashi’s 1974 private press debut Heavy Way\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003e1xLP pressed on Black Vinyl\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003eDESCRIPTION\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA long-lost Japanese acid folk gem, Niningashi’s 1974 private press debut Heavy Way shimmers with originality, deft song writing, and a dream-like groove.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlthough he was training as a pharmacist, Kazuhisa Okubo was much more interested in prescribing musical medicine.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA coming-of-age album, Heavy Way captured a turning point in Okubo’s life, and Japanese society more widely as a nostalgia for the pastoral calm of the traditional life, met the cosmopolitan thrill of coffee, sex and cigarettes in the big city.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIntoxicated by Tokyo, driven by a passion for music and surrounded by a thriving acid folk scene, the young student filtered his experiences through a psychedelic cocktail of soulful influences from the US and Japan.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNiningashi was his first band, and Heavy Way was their only album. It was honest and raw, deep and strangely funky, in an off-beat kind of way. Across nine tracks, Okubo and the 6-piece band put their own spin on the new folk sound of Japan, combining witty lyrics with electric guitar-driven solos and crisp, understated grooves.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMelancholy and profound, opening track ‘Ameagari’ feels like a synthesis of Harvest-era Neil Young and Haruomi Hosono’s Happy End. Then there’s the whimsical washboard country sound of ‘Semai Boku No Heyade’; the moody, low-lit charm of ‘Restaurant’; and ‘Hitoribotchi’, a sensitive portrayal of childhood, steeped in memories of rainfall that will resonate with fans of Woo and Mac Demarco.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile Okubo would go on to taste success with psychedelic folk bands Neko and Kaze, the latter of which scored three #1 albums, little is known about his mysterious debut with Niningashi.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSelf-released by Okubo in 1974, and featuring album artwork by his brother, it has slowly generated a cult following online, intrigued by its soft and enchanting sound. So few records were ultimately pressed that those remaining have fetched up to £1,500 online.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFeatured on Time Capsule’s era-spanning collection Nippon Acid Folk, Niningashi’s Heavy Way is a deep-cut grail of a vibrant time in Japan’s musical history, where even the pharmacists were making jams.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTRACKLIST \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAmeagari (After the rain)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSemai Boku No Heyade (In My Small Room)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOsosugite (Too Late)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMiyo Chan\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOraga Murano Soncho San (Our Village Chief)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRestaurant\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNatsu (Summer)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eChikan No Uta (Molester Song)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHitoribotchi (On My Own)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ol\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003eLISTEN\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAvailable on Desktop \u0026amp; Mobile\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Niningashi","offers":[{"title":"LP \/ Black","offer_id":42971045691583,"sku":"TIME019-BK","price":32.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0620\/6947\/3471\/files\/TIME019-A_974x_06ce903b-a2b3-40e2-9d48-9ea2f65839a1.jpg?v=1711491737"}],"url":"https:\/\/helixsounds.com\/collections\/artist-niningashi.oembed","provider":"Helix Sounds","version":"1.0","type":"link"}