Half Japanese - Our Solar System – New LP

40th anniversary edition of ‘Our Solar System’, Jad and David Fair's third studio album as Half Japanese. Originally released in 1984, ‘Our Solar System’ is a wild and chaotic outsider take on the history of pop music. Including their suitably avant-garde renditions of The 13th Floor Elevators’ ‘You’re Gonna Miss Me’, The Velvet Underground’s ‘European Son’, Buddy Holly’s ‘Because I Love You’ which is preceded by their own ‘Girl Athletes’ powered by a reverbed Bo Diddley rhythm. A bravura performance of detuned excitement, 40 minutes of beautiful at times frantic disorder. Filled with guitar and sax arm wrestling and bizarre sidesteps including a fuzzy take on Grieg’s ‘Hall Of The Mountain King’ which devolves into the standard ‘Louie Louie’ plus a jittering version of Bobby Lord’s ‘Did You Miss Me’. “A prime example of lo-fi garage exuberance full of romance, confidence, and verve.”

Half Japanese is one of the most influential bands in rock history. Founded by brothers Jad & David Fair in 1975, the band is credited with pioneering the DIY and lo-fi movements and influencing everyone from Sonic Youth and Neutral Milk Hotel to Daniel Johnston and Kurt Cobain (who asked the band to open some of the dates on Nirvana's In Utero tour.) Known for dismissing conventional music basics like melody, song structure and chords (and for Jad's famous line "the only chord I know is the one that connects the guitar to the amp"), Half Japanese operated under the premise that rock music should be accessible to anyone who wanted to play.