Seagull Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her
Seagull Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her was a band from Japan formed by Aiha Higurashi in 1992, and eventually split up in 2002. Their musical style contained elements of indie rock and, to a lesser extent, Shibuya-kei.
What started with a girl humming and singing on a tape recorder quickly turned into one of the most prominent bands in the Japanese underground scene. The original members of Seagull Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her were Aiha Higurashi (Vocal and Guitar) and Sachiko Ito (Bass). They had no past musical experience, and didn't know much about playing their instruments, but they went on playing some shows anyway.
Shortly afterward the band finally got their name. The name Seagull Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her was taken from the title of a song by the band XTC, from the album The Big Express. The name was suggested by a friend of Aiha's. In interviews Aiha explains that she chose the name because it was really long and hard to remember. The band released their first EP, Seagull to Hell, in 1993. Shortly afterwards, Sachiko left. Aiha then recruited two more members, Nao Koyama (bass) and Takaharu Karashima "Takape" (drums). Seagull Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her was born.
The newly reborn band released their second EP, Swallow Up, in 1994. The EP met with great success, and sold out almost immediately. The band released another EP in 1994 before finally putting out heir first full-length album, Give Them Back To Me, in 1996. The album saw collaboration with members of Buffalo Daughter, D.M.B.Q., Museum of Photo, The Evil Hoodoo, and Violent Onsen Geisha, all big names in the Japanese underground scene. The band released two more albums and EPs before releasing the EP, Pretty in Pink in 1999. This EP marks their last work with their drummer Takape, who left after its release. From each release on, the drumming was split between Aiha's husband, Yoshiki Watanabe, and former manager of the band, Yasunobu Arakawa.
The band continued to tour and released two more albums. In 2001, their work saw commercial release. The songs Sentimental Journey and Lullaby, from the album Future or No Future, were both released as two separate singles. In 2002 they released their first compilation album before finally breaking up. After their break up, they released another compilation album in the UK.
During their career, the band showed a lot of creativity and originality. With each release, their sound expanded and evolved. Aiha Higurashi, the driving force behind Seagull Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her, was obviously influenced by punk rock, but her music shows a lot of other influences as well. From hip-hop, house, pop, to garage, sometimes all in the same song.
Aiha still works today as a solo artist. She continues to expand upon what she started with Seagull Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her, but doesn't confine herself to just a band sound, allowing her to try things she couldn't do while in a band. She has also dabbled in producing. She's produced songs for former Judy and Mary vocalist, Yuki. Nao Koyama, bass player of the band, is active as well, and is currently playing in a new band. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
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