Abstract, drawled lyrics and low, purring synths characterize Japanic, with their velvet, computer-monotonous drone of disco beats and dark thoughts. (You'd probably be depressed, too, if you were from Houston.) But they mix it up with glam aplomb, and rely more on their love of the underbelly of new wave, rather than their love of fashion, to propel their extra-cool sound.

                             --Portland Mercury

Houston's Japanic combines art-addled no-wave funkiness with a too-cool swagger and an edge, sort of like what the Talking Heads might sound like if it was noisy and actually dangerous, not just writing songs about dangerous people. The band subscribes to the notion that an audience is there to be entertained, dammit--the word, I believe, is showmanship.

Houston sex-tet Japanic comes off a bit like an older sibling's postgraduate-studies cohorts who decided to ditch their dissertations in favor of rocking out. Their second release, The Social Disease, is coffeehouse edgy and nightclub cool, detached enough to lump them in with the Make Up and those other post-ironic bands, but only a couple of degrees removed from the giddy glam-pop of the B-52's. "Which do you prefer, the subject or the verb" asks one song, "the doer or the thing that gets done?" Even if adjectives are more your speed, it's difficult to resist Japanic's contagious aloofness. Singers Tex Kerschen and Margeaux Cigainero converse like a couple who can stand each other just enough to indulge their shared Devo appreciation, as the sly guitars puncture the tension with just a hint of frugging, feel-good Sixties winks. Though Houston is presently best-known for a certain trio of R&B divas, that my-way-or-the-highway attitude cut with a healthy appreciation for the dance floor also works for the city's rock bands. Or at least this one.

Yeah! Neoteric all the way! Japanic is a total Servotron/Talking Heads inspired no-wave punk group. Their music is very eerie and automated with the two keyboards and two vocalists pulsating on the tracks. The perpetual beats and melodies are like a synapse-surge to the brain. If Japanic isn’t an originative band for the new millenium, I don’t know what is. Quite frankly, I've been quietly stalking Japanic and the band's no-wave rebirth of keyboard driven quirkiness for a while. Japanic's latest offering not only continues their fabulous blending of no-wave, keyboard frenzied madness, but stakes out new territory with a bit of honest-to-goodness soul shaking and a highly revamped focus on well-developed choruses. Simply translated, they'll leave you scratchin' for more as your body twists and contorts itself in true rock 'n' roll fashion, dirty and uncontrollable with a casual Motown affectation. Yup, Japanic are not only contagious, but practically impossible to rid yourself of once you've encountered them. Aptly titled, "First Aid" scores a self-healing aural wound upon your ears with clean and trim guitar, while dual vocals from Margeaux and Tex do a magnificent job of scouring the airwaves of any impurities. Yah, maybe the boils I picked up aren't too pleasant to look at, but it was worth it to hear "The Kiss of the Zero Pilot" syncopate drums and keyboards into a blissful balance of nerdy, roboticized mayhem, restrained with a methodical approach that creates a familiar and likeable mood. As a matter of fact, the entire CD flows quite fluidly, with a distinct mood and direction -- the sign of a band that has found its higher calling and can exploit it to the fullest extent. It's The Social Disease, alright -- one whose venom will race through your veins with one goal in mind: to get your body grooving. Hey, I try not to be a judge of character, but a good listen to this disc will have you talking to your local rabbi/priest in no time, dishing out confessions of your sinful behavior. Exorcism or heavy medication won't rid you of Japanic, but you'll be quick to realize that this disease is one you won't mind keeping.

Though the band’s music is catchy as anything this side of the Top 40, Japanic isn’t about to kick out the saccharine jams. With a sound as much informed by the Velvet Underground as the B-52s, Japanic finds a style that brushes up with pop catchiness, though all the while it settles on a sound that drips with the darkened mystery of a discontent underground. From the upbeat beats in "Those Affected" the run under restless guitar riffs and strangely perky keyboards, to the catchy vocal hooks that sugar-coat some almost neo-glam arrangements of "2 Ways to Get Down," Japanic’s pop sensibilities seem to be at war with its darker, nighttime vibe. It’s a war that gives The Social Disease a surprising amount of depth without making the album sound like a clash of two conflicting styles, however. Where there’s both enough fun and games to make this album jump around with enough personality to make its songs come alive, there’s enough dark depths to give even the most morose rockers to sift through.

If one thing about Houston's Japanic is certain, it's that if they continue doing what they're doing, they'll never be accused of being unoriginal. They do, of course, have some noticeable influences - they borrow heavily from 80's Devo-style new wave, and they seem more than a little bit fond of 60's pop - but the music that is produced when these six musicians come together is so much more inventive and energetic than most bands that you can't help but take notice. While writing the songs for their second full-length, The Social Disease, Japanic constantly employed quirky guitar hooks, male/female vocals, and a wide array of strange, electric sounds, to help create what is essentially a great party record.

Japanic aren't exactly new wave, but the majority of their stylistic cues come from new and no-wave. We're talking droning, stabbing keyboards, strangulated mechanical vocals, choppy, minimalistic guitars and a relative absence of sing-along pop melodies. If you listen closely, you'll hear elements of R&B slinking around in the nether regions of the music… Singer and keyboardist Margeaux cultivates a suitably haughty air of scornful disinterest, lowered only for episodes of fevered call-and-response with Kerschen, making tunes like "That's What You Said Before" undeniably irresistible. On "Vanity", Tex trots out his best Howard Devoto imitation, and when he and Margeaux unite on a rudely catchy refrain -- "Do you wanna get yours?/Or do you wanna get down?" -- you'll be singing it for hours. Even when they're shooting for dissonance, Japanic can't help letting a few hummable hooks slip out… If you've enjoyed any of the growing crop of no-wave revival bands (and new-wave bands with no-wave tendencies), Red Book belongs in your collection. Japanic are less abrasive than Deerhoof and the rest of the KRS crowd, yet better realized than the Kiss Offs. Japanic have a lot of promise, and watching them get bigger and better will be very satisfying indeed.

Currently the toast of a strange underground music scene in Houston, quirky rock band Japanic has a goodtime sound propelled by old-school punk energy, edgy guitar hooks, instantly-danceable rhythms and a collectively experimental approach emphasized by use of synthesizers and electronics. The band officially began mixing bits of R&B, punk, pop and electronica in late 1998 in Houston and quickly became known for its over-the-top live performances, replete with glam uniforms, laser and light shows and sweaty mischief. Splendid magazine calls it "new-wave gone naughty."

The current Japanic lineup includes Margeaux Cogainero and Tex Kerschen on vocals, bassist Steven Burnett, drummer Josh Barry, guitarist Brandon Davis and keyboardist Rob Smith. Kerschen and Cigainero banter and howl on the mics like a bickering couple as the band carries on behind it all. Think early-era Talking Heads, Devo and The B-52's - but with an intense boy/girl dynamic.

Japanic is currently on tour behind its second album, The Social Disease (Plethorazine), a 10-song collection recorded here in Athens at Chase Park Transduction. Kerschen and Smith took time recently to converse with Flagpole:

Flagpole: Japanic calls its hometown a "dirty and unforgiving city." Is this true and why?

Tex Kerschen: Houston is number one in pollution. The air is dirty. The beaches at Galveston on the Gulf of Mexico are even dirtier. But the part about "unforgiving" is untrue; we've been forgiven dozens of times.

Rob Smith: The music scene, like any local music scene, is "unforgiving" in the sense that any wrong step is not easily forgotten. Some people were turned off when we recruited a bass player, suddenly we weren't this "party-time new-wave band," we were just another rock band. And the press sometimes backfires. One simple quote about someone's political views comes back to us as some high-school Internet critic labeling us "a political band." It seems like we went through a press darling period, and then were forgotten about altogether. Maybe "forgetful" is more appropriate than "unforgiving."

FP: Local and national press seem to want to peg the band as something of a "retro/new wave/no wave" thing. There is a certain "School of '77" sound in the songs, but a wide variety of other sounds influenced by odd corners of the rock spectrum - from '60s garage-rock and Mod stuff to '70s soul and disco and '80s college radio rock.

RS: The main point here is that we don't sit around and write a "new-wave" song or a "mod" song. We're definitely not trying to capitalize on any trends or nostalgia. We try to create songs that sound good; there's a lot of thought put into the arrangements, which sounds to use, how to layer sounds. It's inevitable that our influences will show through, and sometimes we are blatantly ripping off a beat, a riff, a particular keyboard sound. That's true of most any band. We just try to do what sounds best for the particular song.

FP: What is the philosophy behind the band's approach to electronics and electronic sounds? How do or don't these sounds enhance the songs?

TK: We're not as into the videogame aspect of electronic music as a lot of the really fashionable "now-wave" acts out East, but the sounds of electronics - the hisses and buzzes and digital groans - make about as much sense as guitar hot licks, so why not?

RS: The electronics are a big part of Japanic's sound, but they're usually more of an ornamentation. Most of our songs are written on guitar, and could be stripped down to a catchy acoustic song. The electronics enhance the songs in different ways. One song sounds better with a fat synth bass line, another song sounds good with a part that's textural and dissonant. Some songs sound good with a traditional organ or piano sound. I use a wide range of sounds, from the simplest keyboard preset to complex sampled sounds or effects-tweaking. Margeaux's parts tend to be more rhythmic; some are melodic. Sometimes her vocal is more essential to the song. We try to keep things spare enough to be able to hear all the parts, all the rhythms, so the parts don't step on each other.

FP: Tex, what are you and Margeaux so anxious about? Why so nervous and giddy?

TK: Singers have the hardest time getting work. Especially when they don't have too much range or ability. The rest of the guys could easily slip in somewhere else, so we have good reason to be nervous. We could be back on the street tomorrow.

FP: How did Japanic come to record the new album in Athens with Andy Baker?

RS: We had chronicled the first year of the band with Red Book [the first album] and we were happy with that release, but it was recorded in several different sessions at several different studios. The sound quality was somewhat inconsistent. For the second album, we liked the idea of recording it all at one place, in a short period of time. The songs we had ready were more minimalist and guitar-driven. We also wanted to capture the "live" feel of our performances. We thought a very minimalist recording approach would be appropriate. Josh had recorded with Andy before, and we knew he could get the sound we wanted. We had planned to travel up to New York for a couple of shows, and we set up three days at Chase Park and took turns being mysteriously and violently ill during those three days.

FP: Devo or Pere Ubu?

RS: If I had a nickel for every time some drunken idiot screamed, "You sound like Devo!!!"

TK: Pere Ubu is from Cleveland. Devo is from Akron. I went to school at Kent State, which is closer to Akron, but I spent most of my time up there playing clubs in Cleveland.

FP: The Fall or Oasis?

TK: Gang Of Four.

RS: The Fall-ahh!

FP: Astros or Rangers?

TK: The Astros have better T-shirts. The Rangers let themselves be owned by Bush, which is pretty bad, but then you have to take "Walker Texas Ranger" into account... tough choice.

RS: The Comets!

FP: How do you know when Japanic has performed a successful show?

TK: They send us flowers.

Houston's Japanic robs the grave of Gary Numan and the Tubeway Army and makes off with some of the choicest bits. There are quirks and pleasures to be found in their awkward, unfamiliar moments; "Is It Safe?" plays off Talking Heads paranoia and squeaky guitar riffs. The male/female vocal interplay even reminds me of X, All in all, Red Book is a promising debut that appeals to both nostalgia and pop futurism.

 Two singers (one male, one female), keyboards, guitar, drums and a whole lot of twisted song structures equals Japanic. An artistically advanced collection of art rockers, the band has opened locally for touring indie rock heroes Man or Astro-Man? and has recently recorded a debut EP. The quintet's own freak-out music hails from somewhere between Devo's demented synth-pop and indie rock. Whatever it is, it's extraordinary and catchy. I was intrigued by these folks from the first I heard of 'em, largely because of the name - I mean, c'mon, how can you go wrong with a name like "Japanic"? And thankfully, they pretty much live up to it. They don't sound much like any other band I've heard here in Houston (which is a good thing), but instead manage to make a mishmash of stuff like Devo, the Talking Heads, new wave, and more contemporary bands like The Make-Up, Pulsars, Satisfact, and Brainiac, and from what I've seen & heard of 'em so far, it's awesome. Strange, computer-y pop songs about driving down to Hades and young girls at Studio 54 (I think?), backed up with lots of synths, no bass, and scraping guitars. Sounds a little odd, I'm sure, but trust me, it works.

No one will ever accuse the members of Japanic of being stupid. The self-described "no-wave" band has been playing relentlessly in its native Houston since its inception a year ago. The members describe their performance style as making a show of putting on a show, much like Brecht's Theatre of the Absurd. Lead singer Tex Kerschen camps it up in huge sunglasses, gold accoutrements and lots and lots of ass wiggling, while singer/keyboardist Margeaux pouts and sulks her way through the set, hands on hips and eyeballs in permanent "bored princess" position. Add these folks to your must-see list, if not for the sheer hedonism of it all, but so that you can one day say you saw them when.

Believe the hype? You betcha! Several folks (independently of one another)raved about this fairly new outfit to me for months before I was finally able to get my paws on their 5-cut debut, Orpheus Express. Comparisons can easily be made (I've heard Devo and Talking Heads...both accurate...and I'd add the legend "Tom Verlaine fronts the B-52s" to the fray), but it's not fair to pigeonhole a group with so much obvious potential. If "catchy", "quirky", and "twistable" are buzzwords you gravitate towards, Japanic will easily become the mandatory inclusion on every mix tape you make for out-of-towners for a long while.