About

There was something in the air in the urban corners of late ‘60s Japan. Student protests and a rising youth culture gave way to the angura (short for “underground) movement that thrived on subverting traditions of the post-war years. Rejection of the Beatlemania-inspired Group Sounds and the squeaky clean College Folk movements led the rise of what came to be known in Japan as “New Music,” where authenticity mattered more than replicating the sounds of their idols.

Some of the most influential figures in Japanese pop music emerged from this vital period, yet very little of their work has ever been released or heard outside of Japan, until now. Light In The Attic is thrilled to present Even a Tree Can Shed Tears, the inaugural release in the label’s Japan Archival Series. This is the first-ever, fully licensed collection of essential Japanese folk and rock songs from the peak years of the angura movement to reach Western audiences.

Nearly 50 years on, this “New Music” is born anew. – Light in the attic

The more one listens, the more (s)he feels compelled to research and learn -- not only about the artists, but the scene that birthed them. Ultimately, this is a soundtrack for an era of discovery that reflects the powerful desire of a generation striving to claim an identity of its own. – allmusic

Capturing the questioning, bohemian spirit of Japan’s late-Sixties underground movement is this lovely compilation, which demonstrates how the country’s postwar generation soaked up Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell and the rest for their homegrown folk-rock boom. – The Times