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CYCLE MUSIC #01
The Style Council
“My Ever Changing Moods”

I will be starting a serialized column from this month. Thank you in advance for your support. I hope to deliver essays that make music even more enjoyable with bicycles every month, but for the first installment, let’s start with a self-introduction as well.

It was a day in February 1984, as I was about to finish my second year of high school in Japan. I happened to be casually watching MTV, which was at its peak back then, and listening without much thought. However, my ears were instantly drawn to a very catchy, light and groovy acoustic number with an intro guitar riff.

In the music video, set amidst a typical British countryside, a road racer was seen cycling with slightly comical and endearing gestures. I instantly fell in love with that song and didn’t hesitate to ride my bicycle to a record shop in Shibuya to buy the 12-inch single. Since then, during my bike-commuting school days, I always found myself humming this song on my way to school.

The song that colored one page of my youth is “My Ever Changing Moods” by The Style Council. The Style Council was formed by Paul Weller, who disbanded the popular band The Jam during their peak in the late 1970s to early 1980s mod/punk scene. He teamed up with keyboardist Mick Talbot to create sophisticated pop music influenced by jazz, soul, and bossa nova, known as Sophisti-Pop. This song is their fifth single from the early period.

In the following month, their first album “Cafe Bleu” was released, and I naturally bought it on the release day. The album includes a jazzy version of the song, sung with a gentle piano accompaniment.

For nearly 40 years since then, I have drawn inspiration not only from the musical style of The Style Council but also from various aspects of their presence – fashion, artwork, liner notes, music videos, advertisements, and their overall release style. The phrase “My Ever Changing Moods” has become a motto or philosophy consistently flowing through my musical life, I believe.

Text＿Toru Hashimoto (SUBURBIA)

The Style Council「My Ever Changing Moods」

https://youtu.be/rmVkOlZFF3Y?si=FW4wa28ZEknxXdeI



♬CYCLE MUSIC STORAGE♬
#01 The Style Council “My Ever Changing Moods”
#02 Cordelia “Play Pretend”
#03 Corinne Bailey Rae “Put Your Records On”
#04 Georgie Fame ”Happiness”
#05 Alulu Paranhos “Bicicletinha”
#06 Motoharu Sano “Angelina”
#07 B.J. Thomas “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head”
#08 The Smiths “This Charming Man”
#09 Dominic Miller “Bicycle”
#10 NewJeans “Bubble Gum”
#11 Tank and the Bangas “Smoke.Netflix.Chill.”
#12 Kraftwerk “Tour de France”


Profile

Toru Hashimoto (SUBURBIA)
Editor / Music Selector / DJ / Producer. Founder of Suburbia Factory. Owner of Shibuya’s “Cafe Apres-midi” and “Apres-midi Selecao.” Over 350 compilation CDs, including series like ‘Free Soul,’ ‘Mellow Beats,’ ‘Cafe Apres-midi,’ ‘Jazz Supreme,’ ‘Music With A View,’ and many others, have been curated, making him the world’s foremost selector. He oversees and produces music broadcast channels “usen for Cafe Apres-midi” and “usen for Free Soul” on USEN, wielding significant influence in Japanese music scene since the 1990s. In recent years, his ‘Good Mellows’ series with a focus on mellow chillout has gained great popularity both domestically and internationally.

Art Work＿spoken words project

Post Date：2023.08.10

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#Akikazu Yamashita

#Auvergne

#Babinou 2022

#Bicycle

#Crack Is Wack

#Cycling Shimanami

#Dominic Miller

#Ehime

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#In every language there is Land

#MOMA

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CULTURE
CYCLE MUSIC #10
NewJeans
“Bubble Gum”

On April 27th, the editorial and artwork production team of this column, along with their friends, as well as the staff of “Global Ride,” including designers and translators, gathered at my cafe, Cafe Apres-midi, in Shibuya for a DJ party. It was a great turnout and we had a really enjoyable time. I was looking forward to what to play that day and had selected several records since morning. However, by chance, I watched the music video for NewJeans’ new song “Bubble Gum,” which was released at midnight on April 27th, based on a friend’s recommendation. There was a scene of riding a bicycle, combined with the goodness of the song, and I was thrilled all day […]

#NewJeans
CULTURE
CYCLE MUSIC #04
Georgie Fame”Happiness”

Ever since this column started, when I listen to music, I somehow become conscious of cycling jackets, music videos related to bicycles, titles, and lyrics related to cycling. But when I thought of this song, I was delighted. It’s Georgie Fame’s beloved groovy tune “Happiness.” This song is from the 1971 masterpiece album “Going Home” is known to those in the know, and on the back cover, you can see Georgie Fame wrapped in a boa leather blouson, riding a bicycle.

#Column #Music
CULTURE
CYCLE MUSIC #05
Alulu Paranhos “Bicicletinha”

During my youth, I was captivated by a music style known as Neo-Acoustic, which emerged in the 1980s in Britain as a fruit of post-punk to new wave, influenced by jazz, soul, bossa nova, and Latin, characterized by delicate acoustic pop. It’s been my impression that many record jackets in this style feature motifs of bicycles. Surprisingly, Brazilian music seems to have numerous tracks revolving around bicycles. This month, among them, I’d like to introduce Alulu Paranhos’ ‘Bicicletinha,’ a tune that might appeal to Neo-Acoustic enthusiasts.

#Music