Yoshida Kyodai are amazing!

Yoshida Kyodai (brothers) are simply amazing. They play shamisen, a traditional guitar-like Japanese instrument. This is the instrument that you would typically hear as the background music in a Japanese restaurant - the atonal discordant twanging of strings that usually, if paid attention to, just gets on one's nerves.

However, Yoshida Kyodai infuse new life into this artform. They play the shamisen, and they do traditional Japanese numbers, but they do them in a rock-style that will simply leave you astounded. The first time I heard them (on a music awards program in Japan), I was just amazed, and immediately began looking for their albums so that I could hear more.

My favourite piece of theirs is "Storm", from their first American release "Yoshida Brothers". The mixture of the woman's voice with their shamisen playing is haunting, and I could listen to this song for hours on end. Yoshida Kyodai have breathed new life into traditional Japanese music, and I highly recommend giving them a try!