Name: A String of Paper Cranes Clenched between My Teeth
Brand: Kazuki Tomokawa

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

BF028LP

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Colour

Black

Colour details

Discogs ID

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

Format Music GB

Limited edition

Release date

2022-05-13

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

Cargo

Tax rate GB

Standard:20

UPC / Barcode

0769791978904

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Total Cap

1 / Extended format: No / LP / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No / black

Artist

Kazuki Tomokawa

Genre GB

Experimental / Avant-Garde / Industrial / Noise

Label GB

Blank Forms Editions

Blank Forms is an American non-profit organization based in New York City. They are dedicated to supporting emerging and underrepresented artists in the field of experimental music, performance, dance, sound art, and other interdisciplinary art practices. Led by Artistic Director Lawrence Kumpf, Blank Forms works tirelessly to provide a platform for these artists to showcase their unique talents. With a diverse Board of Directors including David Grubbs, <a href="https://discogs.com/artist/2235539">Robbie Lee</a>, Nadia Berenstein, Margo Somma, Marina Rosenfeld, Alexander Lau, Josiah McElheny and more; as well as a distinguished Curatorial Advisory Board consisting of renowned figures such as Charles Curtis, Bill Dietz, Kim Gordon and others - Blank Forms Editions is at the forefront of promoting boundary-pushing artistic expression.
The label's commitment to nurturing talent within the experimental arts community has made them an influential force in the industry. Through their dedication and support for emerging artists across various disciplines, they continue to push boundaries and challenge traditional notions of what constitutes art. With their headquarters located in New York City - a vibrant hub for creativity - Blank Forms Editions serves as a vital catalyst for innovation within the experimental music scene.
*Please note that all references to individuals or

Kazuki Tomokawa is a prolific Japanese folk singer, songwriter, poet, essayist, actor, betting tipster and artist. He was born on February 16, 1950 in Akita prefecture. Since releasing his first single on Toshiba in 1974, Kazuki has become known for his powerful songwriting abilities. His songs have been covered by various artists over the years. From 1993 onwards, he has released albums through P.S.F. Records.

With a diverse range of talents and creative pursuits, Kazuki Tomokawa has made a significant impact on the music industry and beyond. As an accomplished singer-songwriter and poet, his works resonate with audiences across Japan and beyond.

Throughout his career spanning several decades, Kazuki's unique blend of folk music has captivated listeners with its emotional depth and raw authenticity. His thought-provoking lyrics touch upon various themes such as love, life struggles, and social commentary.

In a generation of musicians that came of age in postwar Japan, Kazuki Tomokawa stands as a pioneer of radical individualism, with a sound marked by shocking intimacy and blistering honesty. In his third album, A String of Paper Cranes Clenched between My Teeth, released by Harvest Records in 1977, Tomokawa creeps "ever more inward," as Kiichi Takahara writes in the record's original introductory text—embracing an attitude pervasive amongst musicians of the time who interrogated the prosaic and the profound alike, eschewing politics and society in favor of an "attitude of total self-containment."

Tomokawa recorded the album over the course of a month—from August 24 to September 25, 1977—at Tokyo's famed Onkio Haus studio in the bustling Ginza district. The arrangements, accordingly, are amped up: paired with the Black Panther Orchestra, Tomokawa's "screaming philosopher" vocals find their match with the orchestra's electric guitar, bass, piano, tuba, and ground-thumping drums played by the Brain Police's Toshi Ishizuka—who appears on Tomokawa's first three records and remains his collaborator to this day. "This is Kazuki Tomokawa in the flesh," concludes Takahara. 

A String of Paper Cranes Clenched between My Teeth is, in Tomokawa's uncanny way, able to cut through facade and artifice in pursuit of truth. "You call that life?" he heckles, exhausted by the melodrama and nihilism of youth counterculture, "try saying you're alive!"

A String of Paper Cranes Clenched between My Teeth

Music GB