{"product_id":"heavy-way","title":"Heavy Way","description":"\u003cp\u003eA long-lost Japanese acid folk gem, Niningashi’s 1974 private press debut Heavy Way shimmers with originality, deft song writing and a dream-like groove.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlthough he was training as a pharmacist, Kazuhisa Okubo was much more interested in prescribing musical medicine.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA coming-of-age album, Heavy Way captured a turning point in Okubo’s life, and Japanese society more widely as a nostalgia for the pastoral calm of the traditional life, met the cosmopolitan thrill of coffee, sex and cigarettes in the big city.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIntoxicated by Tokyo, driven by a passion for music and surrounded by a thriving acid folk scene, the young student filtered his experiences through a psychedelic cocktail of soulful influences from the US and Japan.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNiningashi was his first band, and Heavy Way was their only album. It was honest and raw, deep and strangely funky, in an off-beat kind of way. Across nine tracks, Okubo and the 6-piece band put their own spin on the new folk sound of Japan, combining witty lyrics with electric guitar-driven solos and crisp, understated grooves.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMelancholy and profound, opening track ‘Ameagari’ feels like a synthesis of Harvest-era Neil Young and Haruomi Hosono’s Happy End. Then there’s the whimsical washboard country sound of ‘Semai Boku No Heyade’; the moody, low-lit charm of ‘Restaurant’; and ‘Hitoribotchi’, a sensitive portrayal of childhood, steeped in memories of rainfall that will resonate with fans of Woo and Mac Demarco.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhile Okubo would go on to taste success with psychedelic folk bands Neko and Kaze, the latter of which scored three #1 albums, little is known about his mysterious debut with Niningashi.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSelf-released by Okubo in 1974, and featuring album artwork by his brother, it has slowly generated a cult following online, intrigued by its soft and enchanting sound. So few records were ultimately pressed that those remaining have fetched up to £1,500 online.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFeatured on Time Capsule’s era-spanning collection Nippon Acid Folk, Niningashi’s Heavy Way is a deep-cut grail of a vibrant time in Japan’s musical history, where even the pharmacists were making jams.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Time Capsule Records","offers":[{"title":"Black LP","offer_id":50417069097291,"sku":"2190834","price":26.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/11_-_time019-a_78ea1177_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726715668","url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/de\/products\/heavy-way","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}