Obscure elevator: Plasticzooms

Plasticzooms is a dingy goth rock band from Japan. Much like Lillies and Remains (more on them in a second) the band blends late '70s and early '80 goth punk with more modern-day post-punk with electro flourishes (My Bloody Valentine, Bauhaus etc...) Their production seems to be intentionally gritty most of the time. Both Sho (male) and back up vocalist TIF (female) sing entirely in English, though it's so heavily accented as to make it virtually another language.

Speaking of bandleader and front-man Sho, he is also the support bassist for the aforementioned Lillies and Remains. Both bands a quite similar, so it's safe to say that if you like one, you'll like the other. In fact, Sho even sings in the same low register as L&R singer Kent. The main difference is that Sho is much more likely to scream and screech. Plasticzooms is also more abrasive and raw, again due in no small part to Sho's performance. Unsurprisingly, the two bands often play live shows together.

Sho also seems to be the band's visual designer. He has a selection of art on their MySpace page, (the band doesn't seem to have any other web presence as of this writing) including the album artwork and t-shirts. As for albums, they have only one mini-album out so far. The five original songs are supplemented with five remixes by other artists, including the current buzz-band Selfish Cunt. A coup, indeed. Unfortunately, the remixes only detract from the album, as the band's own work is very good. On their own, the five originals make a spectacular debut devoid of the need for any embellishment. Keep your eyes on these guys.