YUZU

Yuzu are a primarily acoustic Japanese pop/rock duo with a lush and upbeat sound, comprising Kitagawa Yujin and Iwasawa Koji, who started the band in 1996 when they were in high school in Yokohama (the group was initially named Lights). Beginning their career as street musicians, Yuzu soon went pro, releasing their debut EP, Yuzu No Su, in October 1997 on Senha & Co., a subsidiary of Toy's Factory. For the next several years the band kept up an intense recording schedule: their second mini-album, Yuzuman, and debut LP Yuzu Ikka came out in 1998; there were two studio albums (Kajiki - Sakura Saku Hen and Yuzuen) in 1999, as well as four singles; and another full-length, Tobira, arrived in 2000. The hard work was worth it. The band achieved a considerable level of success, with Yuzuman selling more than 200,000 copies and Yuzu Ikka staying on the charts for 17 months. Taking a two-year break from recording, Yuzu resumed a stable schedule again in 2002, releasing three albums between 2002 and 2004, followed by Ribbon in 2006. By that time, they already had enough material for several best-of compilations, which came out in 2005 and 2007. The 2007 collection, Yuzu No Ne: 1997-2007, entered the yearly Oricon Album Top 80 — a feat repeated by their single “Harukaze,” recorded with violinist Hakase Tarou. In 2007 the band also provided the song “Ashita Tenki Ni Nare” for the movie Shaberedomo Shaberedomo. The album Wonderful World, produced by composer Joe Hisaishi (a longtime collaborator of famous anime director Hayao Miyazaki), was recorded with a 70-piece orchestra and released in 2008. ~ Alexey Eremenko