4. Melt-Banana
Another crazy act from Japan, whose brilliance is located in their hybridisation of childlike innocence and psychotically heavy noise, is the noise-punk group Melt-Banana. Made up of Yasuko Onuki and Ichirou Agata, along with a revolving cast of other musicians, the band fuses grindcore and noise with electronic and experimental sounds to create brief energetic tracks unlike anything you've ever heard before. Unlike many other noise artists, whose work is intrinsically serious and generally a bit overly-intellectualised, Melt-Banana's chaotic style is genuinely enjoyable. It's music to lose yourself to. Onuki and Agata always look like they are having fun onstage, and their audiences (moshing and thrashing like a metal crowd) are clearly just as happy. Their tracks feature layer upon layer of electronic effects, making them into some of the deepest and most complex pieces of punk music around. They could, in fact, be easily mistaken for a purely electronic group if they weren't seen in a live setting. Given that they have a side project called Melt-Banana Lite, in which they play almost exclusively on electronic instruments, it's clear that this is something that excites the band. Melt-Banana are a rare phenomenon: a complex and virtuosic band operating within a very "serious" genre that constantly look like they're having a good time. So kawaii! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAug_UmsTgQ