La Vie en Rose

In spite of their name, taken from Edith Piaf's most famous song, the Japanese act La Vie en Rose were always a punk band at heart, although Kyohsuke, the main songwriter, allowed occasional influences from hardcore to techno to sneak in. The group was formed in 1994 by high-schoolers Ke2 and Milk (both guitars) along with Oyaji (vocals), the latter soon replaced by Shinichi. Bassist Takeshi joined in the summer before Oyaji left, with Kyohsuke (drums) pestering his way in by the end of 1994. The group immediately debuted live, but in 1995 Shinichi quit, replaced by Yuta, whose inclusion stabilized La Vie en Rose enough to allow them to start recording demo tapes, although the lineup shifts went on, with Milk and Takeshi leaving to be replaced in 1996 by Ken (bass), from the local band Mad Ness, and Takato (guitar), who lasted less than a year and had no permanent replacement. Two more years of concerts and demo work followed until La Vie en Rose released their first album, Hitoshi 1sei -- 5sei, in 1998. Its follow-up, L Mega Mix, was another three years in the making, coming out in 2001, but it marked the beginning of their prolific record streak: they released the albums L Style in 2002 and Viva!! L Field in 2004 and the EP Gunjouki in 2003. Despite being an indie band, La Vie en Rose secured for themselves a respectable spot on the J-rock scene, playing live with such popular acts as Mucc, Cali Gari, and Plastic Tree. However, since 2002 the bandmembers began to drift apart. Yuta and Kyohsuke both established session bands: Yuta's group, Anny's Ltd., included members of Kalimero, Jinkaku Radio, and Ooparts; and Kyohsuke's GeKiGaKutai outfit was a joint project with members of Three9, Kalimero, and Mucc. La Vie en Rose slowed almost to a halt in 2004, and although...